Stevie Ray Vaughan Poster

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Sigmania

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OK. I haven't seen this poster before but I am fairly new to Tokai collecting.

I have seen the catalog shot but never a full guitar, and Tommy Shannon playing a Tokai bass as well.

Very cool!

What would the date on this be? 1985?

Would love to know the history of this.

From the listing:

"This poster was published and distributed in JAPAN without the permission of SRV and/or his management ! It was to go to guitar shops that were TOKAI dealers...SRV management sent a cease and desist letter before many were sent out...an exact number of these printed, distributed and still out there is impossible to know ! I got this framed one from a TOKAI representative back in the 1980's. It is 20" wide by 24" tall and in excellent condition..."

http://www.ebay.com/itm/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=230994693004







 
From the album released just before his Japan tour.

I read somewhere it was a Tokai, but it looks more like his guitar "Charley" to me.


 
And then the guitar in the OP sold for over $20,000!

"STEVIE RAY VAUGHAN OWNED AND USED TOKAI GUITAR
1980s
A Tokai Stratocaster-style guitar, Serial No. 0800, natural cherry to black sunburst finish, double cutaway body, 21 fret fingerboard, with three standard Stratocaster-style single coil pickups, selector switch, three rotary controls and black pickguard, owned and used by Stevie Ray Vaughan on stage and in the studio. Vaughan also used this guitar in a Tokai promotional poster in which he can be clearly seen holding the instrument, a copy of which is also included. Also present is a letter of authenticity and an original hardshell case. "


http://www.christies.com/LotFinder/lot_details.aspx?intObjectID=4417853

 
And this with his signature before the Japan tour witnessed by his then wife, Lenora.

" STEVIE RAY VAUGHAN and TOKAI - Artist Endorsement...

STEVIE RAY VAUGHAN and TOKAI

In January of 1985 Stevie Ray Vaughan became a signed endorsee of Tokai guitars. In 2011 the president of Tokai, Mr Shohei Adachi presented Jade with a copy of the original contract. Stevie appears on the cover of Tokai's 1985 -1986 Edition of their Electric Guitars catalog. Also, an interesting piece of trivia concerns Stevie's Texas Flood (Epic 1983) album cover photo. It was taken while Stevie was playing a Tokai replica Strat. On the cover, the Tokai logo was removed, however, many music shops sold a poster of that album cover and "Tokai Springy Sound" is clearly visible on the headstock. Stevie leaves a legacy of music played on his Tokai guitars.


Below is a copy of the original artist endorsement contract signed between that late great SRV and Tokai. How's that for a piece of electric guitar history?!"

http://planetmusiclismorenewsouthwales.blogspot.com/2011/09/stevie-ray-vaughan-and-tokai-artist.html



 
It seems ICM made a great job promoting Tokai SIgmania if someone here was or is related to them I would be very please hearing stories from them as you are telling, we dont know much about Tokai history, a company founded in 1947.
There were manyTokai endorseers at that time. However Tokai does not have so many endorseers as other japanese brands, just check ESP and you will see how many there are now, way too much. Royalties to these guys instead to production.

I have seen Eric Clapton named in a 1985 Tokai catalog so I wonder when and how he managed to play a Tokai anytime.
 
Thanks luis, I don't know anything about any of the parties involved other than what I posted.

I messaged the seller of the poster to see if he had any more info. Will post if I hear back.

I wonder how SRV's management could have sent a cease and desist order if he signed a contract endorsing them?

All seems very odd. Wonder if Stevie did that on his own without the lawyers around, then they came along and tried to undo it?
 
I am still working on this info on their deal. Have been given a name of a guy in Texas that knows what happened. Hope I can find out more. :wink:
 
It seems likely that Tokai were seeking endorsees even in small, local markets during the early eighties.

According to reliable hearsay, two nationally well-known musicians in my hometown of Gothenburg, Sweden were given a Springy and a Hard Puncher respectively in the early eighties. They were amazed at the quality of them, considering them vastly superior to contemporary Fenders and comparable to vintage ones, but ended up mostly playing their pre-CBS originals anyway (hardly surprising).
I won't name them, since I really can't confirm the story (I don't know them personally, and they'd be unknown to most members here anyway), but a friend of mine and ex-bandmate of theirs told me when we happened to get talking about MIJ guitars.

I have no idea wether it was the local distributor or Tokai themselves that approached them, but they seem to have been looking for more brand visibility in Sweden at that time, also running ads in the local music press etc.
I certainly remember giggling at the spaghetti logo and the Springy Sound name. Then I got to play one, and stopped giggling. In fact, it was the memory of 30 great minutes spent with a new Springy in -82 or so that made me chance it and buy an ST-60 unplayed on eBay almost 30 years later. And here I am. :)
 
I finally got to the end of the road as far as I can tell. I contacted Craig Hopkins, who "wrote the book" on SRV. Maybe there is someone at Tokai that would talk about it? I don't know.

Here is what Craig wrote to me:

Tony Dukes would have been the one to say for sure, but my guess is that may be his writing on the contract, or it could be Lenny's. It is definitely not Stevie's handwriting or signature. Tony told me he set the deal up but that Stevie refused to endorse the guitars, and that he and Tommy Shannon were not happy about it, accusing Tony of "selling them out." Tokai used Stevie's photo on the poster and catalog, but my understanding is that Stevie never agreed. I have seen one Tokai poster Stevie was asked to autograph, and he blacked out the name Tokai and wrote in big letters, "I use Fender" across it. However, Stevie took the free Tokais that Tony got for him, and I don't think he gave them back, or at least not all of them.

BTW, Tony passed away and Craig said this is discussed in his book, Stevie Ray Vaughan Day By Day Night After Night.

Seems like I may need to grab a copy!

http://www.amazon.com/dp/0965492729
 
I wanted to post this rare photo of SRV playing a Springy that I found on Mr. Adachi's Facebook page that Hamamatsu linked. Thanks Hamamatsu!

I know this is an old thread, but seemed like it should be added to this info.

Obviously an early pic of Stevie. Would be interesting to know the date.

Did he travel to Europe before the 1984 tour?

UQTVa4s.jpg
 

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