Interesting ... any truth to this story?

Tokai Forum

Help Support Tokai Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.

allthumbs

Active member
Joined
Jul 29, 2003
Messages
38
Reaction score
0
Location
Ontario, Canada
http://cgi.ebay.ca/TOKAI-LAWSUIT-50s-STRAT-W-VINTAGE-FENDER-PUs-CANDY_W0QQitemZ160082598403QQihZ006QQcategoryZ2384QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem
 
I`ve seen Tokais with a small Phoenix sticker on the headstock so maybe it has some special meaning to the company, perhaps they named a series after the bird.
 
I will give the guy credit for one thing; he sure blows a lot of hot air for not saying much about the actual attributes of the individual guitar listed. How f/ing annoying...............................
 
I was quite taken back by the listing. H e calls it a "Tokai" specifically in the title and then goes on to forge a very "informed" and "legitimate connection between the two brands. My limited research yielded no connection whatsoever - only a very vague existence of "Phoenix" exists on the web that I could find.

Being Canadian myself, I'm suprised that I don't know the legend intimately. It really gets my back up when I see something so misrepresented - especially a brand that I am quite fond of although I suppose that we should be pleased that Tokai has earned enough of a reputation that some will attempt to increase the provenance of an instrument by associating their product with it.

Anybody want to buy my Yamaki, made in the night by elves at the Martin factory?
 
Smells like BS to me... but I've been wrong before. The misleading use of the tokai name would be reason enough to steer clear.
 
Well let me just add my two cents to this. Today I was down at Song Bird music here in Toronto where I saw a Phoenix Strat and they did mention on the price card that it was made in the same factory where the early 80's "lawsuit" Tokais were made and when you see one up close there are an awful lot of similarities. Unfortunately they don't have a picture of it on their website but this particular one has the oversized 70's style headstock and three (probably non-original) black single coil pickups so I'm thinking there may be some truth to the Phoenix/Tokai story.
 
That Phoenix guitar story reminds me of the 80's Robin guitars from Texas that were manufactured by Tokai in Japan.
 
I know this is a very old thread but... I've been doing research about my guitar and this might be the only online presence for Phoenix guitars.

I have a Phoenix Les Paul copy form 1985, the last year Phoenix guitars were produced. They were made in the Tokai factory from 1982 till 1985 - I believe for the Canadian market. They replaced the El Degas line of knock-offs. Larry DiMarzio was the man behind them, hence the pickups... he often tried to match the cream colour of the pickups with the pick guard, pickup rings etc. They made Strats, Les Pauls, 335's, Teles and basses. There were probably a few other styles too.

My guitar is a 1985 Phoenix cherry-burst Les Paul copy with a beautiful piece of mahogany for the body/neck and maple for the front. The fingerboard is rosewood with trapezoid inlays. It weighs a TON but sounds like butter!

If anyone else knows anything about Phoenix, please spill it!

Cheers!

img2332dx7.jpg


img2334dw0.jpg
 

Latest posts

Back
Top