New member needs Tokai and Greco ID

[bukwas]

Well i did find that Avenue Guitars in Edmonton Alberta has my exact Tokai Strat there
selling used for $1099!!!!!!
Same guitar down to the back plate holes being even not staggered, except the shops is maple board
Is that like way much for a used Tokai strat??????
Even the yellow string on the hang tag is the same, same two string t's as well



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[Peter Mac]

Hi guys,
Regarding the LP, is it possible the first digit is a letter and not a number? Some MIJ manufacturers did use 'O' instead of "0" for a particular year.

Regarding the Strat to me it looks like a "bitsocaster"
Tokai neck on someone elses body + electrics. Chrome neckplate is wrong.
Neck is from an AST-40, scratchplate is '64 - not 57 ; pickups are not Tokai, they should be unmarked grey bobbins or ceramic black, there appears to be no control code but the body looks to be Ash. Good score.
Are there any stamped codes on the body or base of neck?
My AST-56 had both of these.
Still, if it plays good and sounds good, does it really matter.

Peter Mac

 

[bukwas]

Thanks Peter
dont know what to say but take a look at the Avenue Guitars Tokai
Same neck plate, same neck except maple board....they swear theirs is the real deal with the same pickups as mine, ...same saddles,
If its two different guitars it was done at the factory before the original owner bought it from the shop new way back.

Its still a mystery...lol
But those pickups sound great. The only marks on the pickups are in white paint marker and they are just dots indicating which pickups in order. one dot, ..two, then three... thats it
There has been no re soldering at all inside anywhere i can tell so if they are different it would have to have been a loaded guard, instead of someone throwing a set of pickups in....
and cant see another tokai the same era as mine coming up in a shop with the same mods if mine is two different guitars with different non tokai pickups....doesnt make sense to me
Although im sure Avenue wont let me take a look i have to take them at their word via phone conversation



On the Greco I have had several people now tell me its a 1990-91 MIJ Greco first year of the flame/torch logo so ive been told. Some has open O some closed O
All i know for certain is it sounds and plays better than any Les Paul ive played in my 30 yrs of playing

 

[LPjunior]

The thick Greco logo with closed O starts in 1991. Never seen a torch logo from 1990 but who knows.
Anyone else noticed the 1991 pot codes?

I've seen quite a few 1990's with the torch logo usually the bolt ons or with the neck bolt . Here's a bolt on one with decent pics, google EGC 550 should bring up plenty of other examples too. Tbh whilst looking I don't think I can find any other than 1990

http://www.vintageandrare.com/product/Greco-EGC-550-1990-27804

http://www.shamray-shop.ru/catalog/electric_guitars/sold/5079

Here's another, zoom in for the serial. Think I've only ever seen them with the 5 number serials, so with only 4 numerals for a production number that's a relatively small number produced of up to 9999 especially as the majority you see are in the high numbers