ST-50 - Should I buy "Gold" or "Candy Apple&q

[Eigil]

I have two options
On the ST-50 pre cbs, what finish is the best? I may have to chose between a gold finish, and a candy apple. You guys figure out what to buy!
I just hope they have the "law suit" logo. Anyway the 83-84 ones are great too, maybe just as good?..

 

[ned]

Shoreline Gold baby!!!

 

[javelin70]

Eigil, it all depends on the model, if both really are ST-50's and you think they are of the same quality I would buy the gold one, it's a rarer color. If one of them is better than the other when it comes to playability/sustain etc I would probably buy that one.

If one of them happens to be a better model (ST-60, ST-80 for example) I would probably buy that one because the body is made of one or two pieces, the 50 probably three. The ST-60's and up also seems to have a steel tremolo sustain block, the pickups are also better (DiMarzio vintage on the 80 model).

Mike

 

[Eigil]

Are the ST-50s not as good as I thought they were? Three pieces aye? The one I played, with maple neck 50's profile, was supperior to many other Fender USA's that I've tried. I was told that they were both ST-50's, both maple necks, the Tokais I'm taking a closer look on. I guess they don't necessarily need to have that "U" shaped neck then? :roll: I don't even know what type my own Tokai is. I should probably check on the back of it's pickups. I thought the ones with the pre CBS look were "ST-50's", and the ones with three layered pickguard etc were ST-60's...
My dad knew, but forgot to tell me...! :evil:

 

[Anonymous]

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[javelin70]

Eigil, the ST-50's are really good guitars, the maple neck is a 1958 model and the rosewood is a 1964 model (this is from the 1984 catalog). I bought a new TST-50 rw in -84 and it was a great guitar, better than most Fender's I've tried. Most of the Tokai strats sold in Sweden were TST-50's, the difference compared to the 60 and 80 models is not that big but they were more expensive. The TST-60 and 80 maple necks are 1954 models, the TST-60 rw is 1964 and the TST-80 rw is a 1960 model. The tone and sustain is excellent on the TST-50 model, even the cheaper TST/AST-40 is great when it comes to the acoustic sound and sustain, the tuners are crap though. Today I own a late 80's AST-40 (off white/one piece maple neck, it's in the Tokai registry picture gallery -jan 27, 2002) and a 2002 AST-50 (surf green/one piece maple neck).

Mike

 

[Eigil]

The number on the back of my 60's Tokai w/rosewood fretboard says:
L26605. Is that expencive?? :lol: This guy that I'm planning to buy this ST-50 from, owns the musicshop in Oslo with the most Fender guitars in Norway. He is THE strat collector, and uses this Candy-apple ST-50 Tokai in a well known rockabilly band. He has a collection of 20 maybe 30 of the creamiest Fenders, and he chose to use the Tokai for this band, because it sounds just right. I believe that says alot. When I have sold my golfclubs, and saved up for a while, I will purchase the Kinman Traditionals, or something like that. Maybe some active EMGs? That should make it even better!

 

[cornelius bonobo]

Generally speaking shoreline gold gives more sustain, especially when in conjunction with a maple neck. On the other hand CAR creates a sharper attack and gives the sound a slightly more compressed quality.
In a gigging situation you may find that gold has the edge over CAR as it develops more volume. CAR is a pretty colour though.

 

[Eigil]

Hahah, are you serious?? :roll: If not, I was just posting this tread to know if there was anything to know about these two finishes, before I went to buy either one. For instance: Is the gold rare, is the CAR more common on certain models? If you really mean what you are saying, please explain why!

 

[cornelius bonobo]

Sorry, just joking. I don't think what I said makes much sense anyway. I realise that as far as rarity etc goes this is actually a fairly sensible question, I was just having some fun!

 

[Eigil]

Great, now I know there is nothing about finish to be confused about! I laughed when reading it, and I understand why you would joke about my silly questions. However, I am still not sure what color to buy! I love'em both. I will decide upon the best playing/sounding. I want it to be a C shaped neck, maple, with the one layer pickguard. And it would be nice if the logo was the "7okai". Am I asking for too much?

 

[Anonymous]

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[james]

Sold an amp last night and as the buyer was using my old Breezysound to demo it we got talking about Tokais. Turned out he'd just sold a shoreline gold Tokai strat. "Oh a Goldstarsound" says I. "No," says he, "the one with the old style logo, a Springysound is it?".......

Stop laughing Barry!

 

[Anonymous]

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[Eigil]

Hell, I could allways sell one of 'em again. However the chance of that happening is not too big. I am also trying to find one of the Pauls or LoveRocks. Anyone who have purchased any of these on "ebay"? Is there anything to be afraid of, like loosing your money? Is it safe? Because right now, I watching a couple of Tokai LoveRock Black Beautys. Not very expencive!

 

[Anonymous]

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[Anonymous]

It's very tempting to buy something from ebay the first time you log on to the thing. It's like your brain is overloaded with all the guitars you ever wanted to own in one single viewing (if only music shops were that good).

When I first thought about buying from ebay, I studied the sellers for a good few months before I put any bids in. There are a few regular sellers, especially for Tokai?s, Greco's etc who have a lot of happy customers out there.

It's interesting to watch an auction on a guitar or amp that you would consider buying just to see how it progresses right through to the final feedback left by the buyer/seller and vice-versa. I guess buying a guitar (and especially an amp) without seeing it or playing it is a huge risk anyway. I mean would you buy a car without test driving it and having a peek under the bonnet/hood?

Like anything, good communication is key to getting what you want. If a seller is cagey/evasive about answering you questions then steer clear. You have to use your instincts. If you let your heart rule your head then you could get burned I guess. Like, if someone has 60 positive feedbacks and only 2 negatives, then that?s not a bad percentage. Maybe the buyer was asking the wrong questions on the negatives.

Any more thoughts on this?

 

[Anonymous]

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[Eigil]

Thanks guys! That really was educative. However my money bag has gone a bit too slim lately. I will sell my set of golf clubs, and buy me a Tokai strat! After that, I will have to find me a job!

Is there anyone who can tell me the difference between the ST-50 and 60 etc? How to be able to tell the difference, without having to look under the "hood". Show me!