ES100R questions

Hi folks, this is my first time posting on these pages, so please be gentle. I know very little about Tokai history or reputation.

My father bought a tokai guitar about 15 years ago in Belfast, Northern Ireland. At the age of 13, I started to play guitar but found my fathers guitar too big and heavy for me and stubbornly went and bought myself a budget strat copy (ah... the folly of youth). My dad?s guitar was put into storage because generally he prefers to play acoustic guitar, and the tokai was soon forgotten about.

Since then I have owned several guitars (my main instrument being a Brian Moore which I?m very happy with), but recently I got to thinking about the old tokai again. So this weekend I dug it out and it looks beautiful. I feel terrible for having neglected it all these years. However there is surely a lot of work to put into this baby to get her to sing like the day she was made.

The thing is, I can find very little about this instrument on the internet and there are a couple of things I?m curious about. If anyone can answer these questions I would be eternally grateful.

1) In what year was this guitar manufactured? Are new tokai guitars as good as the old ones? Was this guitar made in a good era for Tokai?
2) What kind of pick-ups are in it? I find them a bit muddy, so if I decide to use this guitar more often, I would like to buy a new set. Is there any particular brand or type of pickup that could be recommended for a blues/rock tone on this guitar?
3) Can it be fitted with a Bigby style tremolo arm?
4) I see MIK and MIJ mentioned a bit on the boards. Has that got anything to do with my guitar.
5) Does anyone have any idea how much it?s worth?
6) Is there anywhere I can find a review of this model?

Please can someone help me with these? I can find bugger all answers on the web.

Style: ES100R
Number: 1012962

I?ve included some pictures of her below.
Cheers,
Dan (Ireland)




More images:

http://i184.photobucket.com/albums/x172/unreasonablyturquoise/1.jpg

http://i184.photobucket.com/albums/x172/unreasonablyturquoise/4.jpg

http://i184.photobucket.com/albums/x172/unreasonablyturquoise/5.jpg

http://i184.photobucket.com/albums/x172/unreasonablyturquoise/6.jpg

Dan,

Welcome to the forum ... :lol: :lol:

Nice guitar ... :wink:

Roger

Hi,
Great Tokai you have there.
It is a 1981 ES 100R 335 in Blond. Made in Japan (MIJ). ES stands for Electric Spanish. The R is for Rock - this is referring to the pickups. Tokai did both Jazz and Rock pickups for the 335's. If you have a look in the catalogue section of this webpage you will see some details in the 1981 Tokai catalogue. Unfortunately it is written in Japanese but it will give you an idea of how many models they made etc. From what I have been able to ascertain this is the first year Tokai started manufacturing the 335. Yours was from the first run in the first year. This was the golden era for Tokai guitars IMHO. These are quality built guitars far outweighing the standard of todays products. I would think your 335 has the historically correct 18 degree headstock angle, one piece maple top (could be laminated), mahogany set neck and fret edge bound rosewood fingerboard. When your guitar was built 26 years ago it was sold for 100,000 yen (hence the model number 100). There aren't many of these guitars left in original condition looking as good as yours. Would I change the pickups NO. Add a bigsby NO. It is a piece of history - never to be replaced. Hang on to it.

downfall said:

Hi,
Great Tokai you have there.
It is a 1981 ES 100R 335 in Blond. Made in Japan (MIJ). ES stands for Electric Spanish. The R is for Rock - this is referring to the pickups. Tokai did both Jazz and Rock pickups for the 335's. If you have a look in the catalogue section of this webpage you will see some details in the 1981 Tokai catalogue. Unfortunately it is written in Japanese but it will give you an idea of how many models they made etc. From what I have been able to ascertain this is the first year Tokai started manufacturing the 335. Yours was from the first run in the first year. This was the golden era for Tokai guitars IMHO. These are quality built guitars far outweighing the standard of todays products. I would think your 335 has the historically correct 18 degree headstock angle, one piece maple top (could be laminated), mahogany set neck and fret edge bound rosewood fingerboard. When your guitar was built 26 years ago it was sold for 100,000 yen (hence the model number 100). There aren't many of these guitars left in original condition looking as good as yours. Would I change the pickups NO. Add a bigsby NO. It is a piece of history - never to be replaced. Hang on to it.

Click to expand...

Thanks a million for the info and advice. I appreciate the instrument more now that I know a bit about it's past. I should of guessed the MIJ bit though.

Still though, the more I play it the more I think a good set of grade a semore duncan pickups would improve it infinitly. The tone is very unclear and flat. Surely it wouldn't be a crime to put some great pickups in a guitar like this. Any thoughts?

Also, any idea what price a guitar like this would sell for in good nick? I'm not so familliar with the 1980s yen to euro conversion rate.

Nothing wrong with changing the pickups to Seymour Duncans, if you store the original ones. Changing the pups on a semi is quite tricky, so get a pro for that job. BTW the fretboards needs some cleaning and oiling urgently!!

hamerfan said:

Nothing wrong with changing the pickups to Seymour Duncans, if you store the original ones. Changing the pups on a semi is quite tricky, so get a pro for that job. BTW the fretboards needs some cleaning and oiling urgently!!

Click to expand...

Thanks hamerfan. I'll keep them safe alright and I'll definatly get a professional to fit new pups if I decide to do it, I'd barely trust myself to wire a plug. I'll get right on to cleaning the fretboard.

Can anybody hazzard a guess as to how much she's worth?

unreasonablyturquoise said:

Can anybody hazzard a guess as to how much she's worth?

Click to expand...

Whatever someone is willing to pay for it.

Not trying to sound flippant but if you're looking for a current, blue book resale value on it, it doesn't exist. I've seen prices on these all over the place - most over $1000 and many around $1500.

It sold for 100,000 Yen back in 1981 (hence the 100 in the ES100 designation) and that was at the currency exchange rates back on that date.

If you do decide to sell let me know!

I have a 2005 ES100 in cherry red and it is just perfect for blues rock. I'm keeping an eye out for an 81 ES100 and your is just beautiful.

My advise is NOT to change the pups. Learn to use them and use your EQ to remove some of the muddiness(if you must), OR leave it there. This guitar was built for mud

Ste.

Ditto that on the p'ups. Here's a few pictures of my 81 ES100J(azz) and I'll never change or modify it. My pup's are different than yours. The R of your ES100R stands for Rock and the p'ups are a bit hotter than my Jazz p'ups:

As for the value of the guitar a range of $1000 to $1500 AUD and if it has an original hard shell case, all the better. A collector wants an original condition guitar, therefore changing the PUPs will lower its value forever. If you decide to change PUPs, make sure you keep the originals in a safe place to pass on if you sell the guitar. As far as replacement PUPs, there are many to choose from but Gibson '57 classics or Seymour Duncans. Seymour Duncan has at least 19 type of humbuckers to suit blues, jazz, rock, metal etc. The main problem will be determining size matching for the cavity space inside the pickup surround. "Vintage Guitar" magazine has many advertisements for PUP suppliers. J.M.Rolph pups are used in "high end" modern Tokais. They also have a rewinding service and specilaize in vintage. www.jmrolph.com
Have you cleaned the guitar thoroughly, replaced the strings, checked the action and intonation? The fretboard most likely needs a coat of raw linseed oil to nourish the timber, if the instrument has been stored or unused for 15 years. Dan Erlwines "How to make your electric guitar play great" is a book which you could invest in.

Thanks for the info and advice downfall, I'll look into that getting a copy of that book. I'll give the fretboard a good cleaning and maybe a coat of oil, but the action and intonation are perfect.

I think you're all probably right about the pickups. Don't think I'll change them if its that important to the value of the guitar. To tell you the truth, I think I am going to sell it. I still have the original hardcase. First I'll look into the fretboard but in a week or two I'll probably put it up for sale. This guitar is still a bit heavy for my liking.

downfall said:

Hi,
Great Tokai you have there.
It is a 1981 ES 100R 335 in Blond. Made in Japan (MIJ). ES stands for Electric Spanish. The R is for Rock - this is referring to the pickups. Tokai did both Jazz and Rock pickups for the 335's. If you have a look in the catalogue section of this webpage you will see some details in the 1981 Tokai catalogue. Unfortunately it is written in Japanese but it will give you an idea of how many models they made etc. From what I have been able to ascertain this is the first year Tokai started manufacturing the 335. Yours was from the first run in the first year. This was the golden era for Tokai guitars IMHO. These are quality built guitars far outweighing the standard of todays products. I would think your 335 has the historically correct 18 degree headstock angle, one piece maple top (could be laminated), mahogany set neck and fret edge bound rosewood fingerboard. When your guitar was built 26 years ago it was sold for 100,000 yen (hence the model number 100). There aren't many of these guitars left in original condition looking as good as yours. Would I change the pickups NO. Add a bigsby NO. It is a piece of history - never to be replaced. Hang on to it.

Click to expand...

I have an even earlier ES100R and oddly it does not have the motif in the headstock. I’m almost certain no serial number on the reverse of the headstock either. Love this guitar. It’s my most cherished guitar. Bit of a rarity.

Chris3600Tokai said:

I have an even earlier ES100R and oddly it does not have the motif in the headstock. I’m almost certain no serial number on the reverse of the headstock either. Love this guitar. It’s my most cherished guitar. Bit of a rarity.

Click to expand...

In 1981 the ES and LC models had blank headstocks for a time while they transitioned from a split diamond on the LC to an original design.

You should have a serial number though. Is there a paper label?

Sigmania said:

In 1981 the ES and LC models had blank headstocks for a time while they transitioned from a split diamond on the LC to an original design.

You should have a serial number though. Is there a paper label?

Click to expand...

See attached. Blank headstock is correct.

Yep. I was confirming that this is a period of transition, and when the ES models were introduced.

See the catalog section for ES ads, flyers and mentions in 1980-1982.

1980s - 1980 ES100 Rock Jazz Ad (November 1980)

1980s - 1981 Arched Top Series Catalog Hi Res Images

Btw, this is a 16 year old thread.