Speaking of phones... this is apparently Shohei Adachi's phone:
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Following is a shortened version (cutting out some stuff we really know already) of a
2014 Chinese article/forum post about Tokai, bringing us
interior pics from the Onchi factory and some mildly interesting new insights into recent posts here!
Translated from Chinese with Google Translate - Occasional text emphasis added by me
When I was auditioning the first batch of Tokai Japan a few days ago, a colleague said to me: "Good things take time to 'explain', you have to tell the story, and you have to take the initiative to let people understand. This is a necessary process. "I agree very much, so today's article is written. Even as a promoter of Tokai in China, I will make this introduction more real and objective
If I have to give a definition of "excellent guitar", I'm afraid it will have to be a matter of opinion - after more than 70 years of experience in electric guitar In the course of its development, different masters of violin making have different opinions, which in turn has given rise to many great brand legends.
Since the rise of Fender and Gibson in the 1960s, in the following decades, countless imitators have appeared to follow in the footsteps of the giants. This is nothing to hide. Excellent products are often based on classic improvements and sublimations. With the advent of the Internet era and the development of international trade, Chinese people have also had more opportunities to understand, experience, and purchase more brands of musical instruments. In recent years, new high-end products have emerged in an endless stream, each with their own quality and characteristics. , what I want to introduce today is Tokai, a classic brand with a history of more than 60 years in Japan.
In 1947, Mr. Heishichi Adachi, the founder of Tokai, founded Tokai (Tokai Musical Instruments Co., Ltd.). At first, Tokai Musical Instruments mainly produced small musical instruments such as mouth organs.
In 1972, Tokai received technical support from Martin Company and began producing acoustic guitars.
In 1977, based on the imitation and improvement of Stratocaster and Les Paul, Tokai began to produce ST (the predecessor of AST series) and LS series electric guitars.
In 1983, Tokai invented the world's first metal-bodied electric guitar - the predecessor of today's Talbo series. In
1980, Tokai began manufacturing for Fender Japan, Zemaitis and Washburn.
In 1996, the Talbo series, as Japan's national treasure electric guitar, once again swept the market and established a special sales store.
In 2001, the GLAY band was invited to be interviewed by the then president of the country at the Great Hall of the People and presented Tokai Talbo as a gift to the supreme leader, making Tokai one of the symbols of Sino-Japanese friendship at that time, which was unprecedented.
In 2004, Tokai applied for a patent for the stringed instrument resonance box structure (SEB for short) and began producing electric guitars with SEB structures the following year.
In 2009, it obtained SEB patent invention certification in China. (Patent number: ZL 2005 1 0078010.8)
In 2014, Tokai officially launched various businesses in mainland China.
Today, after decades of unremitting efforts, Tokai has conquered too many musicians. In addition to being widely recognized in Japan and Asia, it has also been exported to more than 30 countries in Europe, Africa, South America, and Australia.
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Founder Heishichi Adachi, 2nd generation president Tetsuichi Adachi, 3rd generation president Tadayuki Adachi
Editor's note: Cutting some pics we already have and the SRV and SEM stories here, to preserve storage space and keep things a bit more tidy here, so the interesting things don't get lost.
Mr. Adachi Shohei is a man with a special craftsman temperament, kind and simple yet strict. As a family business, the Adachi family has always upheld this craftsman spirit and infused it into the works of art they create.
When we first visited Tokai's headquarters and Onchi factory, it was easy to find this "classic" temperament. Many details made us feel the retro characteristics of Tokai, even the old-fashioned telephone that has been used all year round on Mr. Shohei Adachi's desk, and the antiques in the office Tube speakers are eye-catching. Every corner is stacked with objects full of traces of time. Decades of accumulation have given Tokai a special charm. I even heard that there is a constant-temperature room filled with nearly extinct items.
Brazilian rosewood was accumulated decades ago! Of course, if you want to use them to make a neck fretboard, you'll have to pay quite a bit
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The old-fashioned telephone on Mr. Shohei Adachi's desk
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The late Heishichii Adachi in oil
Today, with highly advanced technology and streamlined production, Tokai still adheres to the semi-manual production model of mass-produced pianos. When you walk into Tokai's Onchi factory, the first thing you hear is not the roar of the machine, but the roar of the machine. The sound of manual knocking and polishing by master violin makers - of course, except for the Custom Shop, some aspects of mass production of violins still use machinery, but at the end of the production, each component needs to be strictly debugged by hand.
As a master violin maker, Mr. Shohei Adachi often comes to the factory to supervise and control quality, and he personally led the tour this time.
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This is the exterior of the Onchi Factory. It is worth mentioning that "Onchi" also means "tone-deaf" in Japanese. I wonder if this was intentional when the site was selected
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This is called the brain of Donghai Musical Instruments. Development, design, factory management, material allocation management, and production management are all carried out here. [Editor's note: I think this is the Onchi office where the Chinese production in Donghai (county?) is coordinated]
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The woodworking department of Tokai Endi Factory has 6 electronic CNC machine tools, 2 heavy-duty cutting machines, 1 vacuum compressor, 2 wood grinding machines, 2 single-axis milling machines, 2 hand-held planers, and automatic planing machines. 1, 1 double-column vertical lathe, 3 routers, 4 wood cutting machines, 4 drilling machines, 1 hydraulic press, and a wood drying room. The south side of the carpentry department is the painting department, the east side is the metal department, and the west side is the assembly department.
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Computer 3D CNC processing of the piano body is more accurate and faster, but because the wood will change due to changes in the surrounding environment, it must be processed again by the craftsman after being processed by the machine.
