1981 Silver Star SS40

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neoh1977

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Hi! i'd just acquired this 81 SS40. Despite the quite bad condition of the body, i actually love the neck feel. Please help me to identify the originality of the guitar especially pickups as i remember most Silver Stars have grey bobbin but this one has black's one. I couldn't find any stamp/sticker inside body cavity. I need helps on identification of this guitar.
ODoJs1588787-02.jpg
Headstock serial shows 81 model
xECI9q467408-02.jpg
Wood shim inside neck pocket, looks original
2cydeE085303-02.jpg
Neck pocket
gLMPf1407840-02.jpg
Body routing shape
6475Vn766766-02.jpg
Pickguard underside - black bobbin pickups

Thanks for viewing!
 
Hi. That's confusing. The pickup routs are squared off in a way I haven't seen on a Tokai body before - both the SSs I have had had the usual rounded pickup routs. And, as you said, most SSs had the grey backed pickups. It's hard to identify the pickups from the pics you posted, but I suspect they have been changed.

It would help to know a little more, such as where you are, & where the guitar came from.

Mike
 
stratman323 said:
Hi. That's confusing. The pickup routs are squared off in a way I haven't seen on a Tokai body before - both the SSs I have had had the usual rounded pickup routs. And, as you said, most SSs had the grey backed pickups. It's hard to identify the pickups from the pics you posted, but I suspect they have been changed.

It would help to know a little more, such as where you are, & where the guitar came from.

Mike

Yes Mike, i used to own a silverstar before and the body route was also different than this one. I'm from Malaysia and this SS i got from a guy thru philipine as they imported directly from Japan. Now i believe it's a Greco body with Tokai neck as per settebello said..
 
settebello said:
Looks like a Greco body with a Tokai neck.
http://imageevent.com/chingo123/may2010/grecose600white5229

Volker

Thanks for your valuable link attached. Now i'm more assured that this is greco body. I did own a greco super power strat and saw the pickup route in square shape as well as the small route near the neck joint. The only question is does Tokai use Greco left-over body or it's been swapped by previous owner..the neck-body joint seems original except the placement of 2 thin wood shim to match the neck height. Thanks!
 
neoh1977 said:
the neck-body joint seems original except the placement of 2 thin wood shim to match the neck height. Thanks!

Why would they use a shim? The point of the tilt neck mechanism is that it saves having to use shims.

:eek:
 
stratman323 said:
neoh1977 said:
the neck-body joint seems original except the placement of 2 thin wood shim to match the neck height. Thanks!

Why would they use a shim? The point of the tilt neck mechanism is that it saves having to use shims.

:eek:

yes i agree with you. i was about to remove that shim until i saw the tip of the tilt is at the same level of the wood shim so i decided to leave it. :wink:
 
Hi guys,

I personally think the body is not Tokai at all.

From the pics, I would say some-one has put a Tokai neck on a cheap body. The route is all wrong, the hole between neck pickup and neck pocket (Tokai didn't have them), the absence of the body code and the tilt-a-matic disc all adds up to say NOT ORIGINAL.

regards
Peter Mac
 
hi
the body looks like a greco body from before 1980 .... i got a greco body from 1979 and it looks just like this body ,,,,
all the best
otto
 
Looks Frankensteined to me... Body looks different... see mine for confirmation... =)

beside my battered Jazzmaster...
102_9141.jpg


notice the neck cavity curves... and "OW..." stamps at pickup cavity....
102_9129.jpg


102_9215.jpg


i hope this helps...

just want to share... refin 1966 Fender Jazzmaster..."reliced"

100_9667.jpg


For Jazzmaster details...click..

http://talk.philmusic.com/board/index.php/topic,180407.msg2465683.html#msg2465683
 
OK rayq78, I think I can match your pics. :p

1980 SS60:

IMG_0907.jpg

IMG_2108-1.jpg


1966 Jaguar (refinished, I believe)

IMG_0649.jpg


I have no idea what kind of weird drugs Leo must have taken in order to reach the conclusion that the Jag was an improvement on the Strat. :eek: :-?
 
I have no idea what kind of weird drugs Leo must have taken in order to reach the conclusion that the Jag was an improvement on the Strat. :eek: :-?[/quote]

I agree to you stratman... =) Still my favorite is my 7okai...
 
Just taking apart and cleaning one of my Silverstars from '81, and it appears I have one of these. Squared off routings and no body codes. Odd micro tilt.
https://photos.app.goo.gl/Zt7DKfgjww1GptBp7
https://photos.app.goo.gl/5Bzi31fDyFWamJvu7
https://photos.app.goo.gl/2Di96hB383N6kPa38
https://photos.app.goo.gl/Jdy9zyyCr7WjFu5E6

Does anyone know any more about these?
 
Like some previous posters have suggested (ten years ago...) that looks exactly like a very late (autumn '81 - April '82) Greco SE-/DSE450.
I have a little-known variant of it, a Nov '81 SE620RB, a Blackmore sig model, clearly SE450-derived, it even has a DSE-450 stamp on the neck heel. The stamp matches in typeface and position. Someone has obviously mounted or tried to mount the neck on mine on a four-screw body, but other than the that, the screw-hole positions and details of the truss rod installation match exactly. Also, the body has the square pickup routs just like yours, standard in all Greco Strat copies up until 1980 and used in 450's only up until production ended in April '82.

I can't see the neck on your guitar as being in fact off a Greco, though. The SS model code was used on Greco SG copies and it looks like there's two digits under the sharpie smudge, not three. Also, late 450's have Schaller style tuners, replacing them with F-tuners would probably leave visible screw holes, and I'm guessing there are none?

So yeah, I'd say that it seems to be a Fujigen-made Tokai Silver Star. The screw balls these guitars keep throwing you...

https://www.dropbox.com/s/s64sx09ew7foz99/2020-01-10 14.36.09.jpg?dl=0
https://www.dropbox.com/s/d55aikbtlca4i6g/2020-01-07 20.30.38.jpg?dl=0
https://www.dropbox.com/s/q4ukwwnxswyztld/2020-01-07 20.26.04.jpg?dl=0
https://www.dropbox.com/s/hubakhnhmrlzqnb/2020-02-01 09.21.27.jpg?dl=0
https://www.dropbox.com/s/1evmt6zkkupcp2a/2020-02-01 09.22.01.jpg?dl=0
 
The tuners have definitely not been replaced.

I'm also thrown by the pickups which are black bottomed. It also doesn't have the brass control plate that you would see on the SS from that year.
 
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