Please help date this Tokai (no serial)

helikaon · Jul 1, 2013

I'm hoping to use the expertise here to help me identify and date this guitar. The only reason I have to believe it is a Tokai is that it says Tokai on the saddles. The logo has been replaced by that of Fender and there is no serial number to be found. It is a solid body and has a hard coating.

Any help would be very much appreciated!

bluejeannot · Jul 1, 2013

Mid 80s Goldstar st 40.Gabe.

Suki · Jul 2, 2013

Wouldn't Tokai saddles suggest earlier? I think mid-80s were all Final Prospec?

The latest ST I've seen Tokai saddles on is a block logo '83.

Len · Jul 2, 2013

+1 Goldstar ST-40

... my Goldstar ST-40 (long gone) had the Tokai saddles too!

From what I know the Final Prospec trems have a seperate steel bridge plate & steel block and have been used on ST-50 and higher models since their introduction.

The earlier trem is not fully made of steel. Bridge plate & trem block are one cast piece. Only the Tokai saddles are made of steel.

I guess they continued to use this trem unit (the one with the tokai saddles) only on the low end ST models when the Final Prospec parts were introduced.

The Final Prospec trem probably costed more to produce or they were using up old parts for the ST-40s

jonah65 · Jul 2, 2013

it's in excellent condition for it's age, looks like the pickups might have been
changed, they look whiter than the vol/tone knobs. strange that there's no
serial number on the plate, maybe it's been put on back to front?
any chance of stripping it down?

helikaon · Jul 2, 2013

I took the plate off, but didn't find a serial number. I'm not comfortable with taking the front plate off as I don't want to damage anything. Taking the back plate off though reveals that it is an original coating, but it has barely a mark on it.

Sigmania · Jul 2, 2013

Neck plate or trim cover?

Please help date this Tokai (no serial)

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