Can somebody tell me more?

[jandekker]

Hi all,

I'm interested in a tokai jazz bass someone offers on a local website. However, after searching the internet i cant find any tokai headstock that matches this one. I'm not really a forum person, so i dont know how to post pictures in this message.

Here is a link to the (dutch) ad site, where you can see the pictures:

http://www.tweedehands.nl/muziek/muziek ... l?qq=tokai

The seller gives the following info:
- Fretless (dont know if thats factory or a custom mod)
- made sometime during the 1980ies
- bass includes original bridge, original ashtray covers and original white pickguard

I've heard a lot of good stories about tokai basses, and i've been wanting to try fretless for some time now, so im very interested in this bass. When i wanted to discover the actual manufacturing year i started looking on the internet.

I cant find a single tokai bass picture with the same headstock decal of this particular black jazz...

Can anyone tell me something about this bass?

Thanks in advance!

Jan

[Fender32]

Well, I've never seen a Tokai logo of that size before - on a bass! It looks very much like on from a Tokai guitar!!! My guess would be that the original logo wore off (which they very often do, being mounted on top of the clear coat) and was replaced with this one!? This would also explain why there is no "Jazz Sound" text, as someone has merely cut of the "Goldstar Sound" or "Breezy Sound" part.



Is the bass 'genuine'? I reckon that it could well be a Tokai Jazz Sound. It has the correct, rounded laminate fretboard and the tuners look as if they could be the more sought after (and reliable ) 4-screw mount type (although I can only guess that by the front of the keys).

The "original ashtray covers" statement is actually rather misinformed, as to the very best of my knowledge, Tokai never installed (or even supplied) any chrome covers with their Jazz Sound and Hard Puncher models. It's more likely that a previous owner has installed these, as a lot of people did with these Tokais (to make them look more 'authentic', perhaps?). The pickguard should indeed be white, but at least that is included too .

If I had to make a guess, I'd say that I'm 60/40 in favour of it being an original Tokai, but I'd need to see some better pictures to be any more certain. That said, I'm no expert on these basses (as they're very hard to research ), I'm just an enthusiastic collector.

Perhaps you should go and have a look at it, if it's not too far away!? The tone, light weight and feel should tell you whether or not it's really a Tokai or not .

Good luck!