It looks like some entry level guitars were made in Nagano rather than Hamamatsu as early as 1980.
This was likely done to cut costs, or to meet increased demand, or both.
Tokais that have a "1" in the second position of the serial number are thought to have originated from Nagano rather than Hamamatsu.
So far, I have seen LS50, LS60, SS36, SS38, and ST45 guitars with these serial numbers. It is still not known who exactly made them.
The LS50 & LS60 guitars have a dowel joint similar to some Greco LPs.
This thread was started after an unusual SS38 surfaced in another thread. It has a serial number beginning with 21, but sports a rout pattern just like Ibanez and some Greco Strat copies. Both brands that are typically considered to have been built by Fujigen in this period (late 1970s)
This is my new SS38, but is this really a Tokai?
That seemed like a heck of a coincidence combined with the doweled neck joint found in inkie LPs that are visibly similar to Grecos.
Inkies in this thread:
TOKAI SILVER STAR SS40 | eBay
Tally of known examples
LS examples:
0100318
0100322
0100637
0100771
0100859
0101033
0101037
0101188
0101552
0103294
0103183
0103789
1101939
1101948
1101962
1102139
SS examples:
0100360 (Fujigen No. L807058)
1100534
1101558
1101612
1102368
1102950
2103x7x
This was likely done to cut costs, or to meet increased demand, or both.
Tokais that have a "1" in the second position of the serial number are thought to have originated from Nagano rather than Hamamatsu.
So far, I have seen LS50, LS60, SS36, SS38, and ST45 guitars with these serial numbers. It is still not known who exactly made them.
The LS50 & LS60 guitars have a dowel joint similar to some Greco LPs.
This thread was started after an unusual SS38 surfaced in another thread. It has a serial number beginning with 21, but sports a rout pattern just like Ibanez and some Greco Strat copies. Both brands that are typically considered to have been built by Fujigen in this period (late 1970s)
This is my new SS38, but is this really a Tokai?
That seemed like a heck of a coincidence combined with the doweled neck joint found in inkie LPs that are visibly similar to Grecos.
Inkies in this thread:
TOKAI SILVER STAR SS40 | eBay
Tally of known examples
LS examples:
0100318
0100322
0100637
0100771
0100859
0101033
0101037
0101188
0101552
0103294
0103183
0103789
1101939
1101948
1101962
1102139
SS examples:
0100360 (Fujigen No. L807058)
1100534
1101558
1101612
1102368
1102950
2103x7x
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