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From the 1981 catalog

http://www.tokaiforum.com/viewtopic.php?f=11&t=26104


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Not seeing any '66 versions with the 4 bolt neck, etc. in the 1981 catalog.
 
Just found this helpful post:

_JDZ said:
Here's how Tokai described the different pickups:

The SS series was produced in response to the demands of contemporary music. Our lineup is composed only of professional instruments with fatter and more powerful sound. 1) DiMarzio Fat Strat: The SS80 and 85N are mounted with the DiMarzio FS1, the top choice for replacement pickups. The thrilling and attacky, powerful and exciting sound produced by the splendid matching of excellent hardware has to be heard to be believed. 2) SS Super: One wide-range single-coil pickup specially developed for the SS series. Provides the well-balanced and versatile sound characteristic of the modern Strat. Renowned as one of the best pickups for effects, it delivers beautifully live or in the studio. A truly powerful pickup demonstrating 100% of the true appeal of the single-coil sound. (Mounted on the SS48, 60, and 65N.) 3) SS Hot: As the name implies, this high-response pickup was designed for a powerful, hot sound. Materials used in construction were exhaustively researched to lend the essence of the Strat sound. Reviving the expressive potential of high-order pickups at a fraction of the price, this pick up is the king of high cost-performance. (SS40 and 36.)

http://www.tokaiforum.com/viewtopic.php?f=11&t=25354&p=190945&hilit=silver+star+white#p190945
 
Sigmania said:
1981 SS60 OW

*Note: No skunk stripe and no truss rod plug? Is this a maple veneer fret board?

Also note the 4 bolt neck, the brass grounding plate, and the “U” pickups.

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https://www.ebay.com/itm/2245647257...Zb1EVODXp0%3D&orig_cvip=true&nordt=true&rt=nc


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1966 RARE MODEL SS60-BB ¥ 60a000 The dramatic appearance of SS60 / BB, which can be said to be the Hendrix memory dedicated by the project team to the unprecedented genius guitarist Jimmy Hendrix. The sensational sound of the legendary Monterey Festival cannot be reproduced without this model. A perfect replica of the maple-pasted fingerboard neck model that the genius guitarist loved so much down to the details. The unrivaled performance of Kluson type pegs, 4-point stop neck set plate, special alloy tremolo unit, etc. is brought to the genuine Jimi Hendrix freak.
 
All-black oddball SS, probably 1982, possibly order-made.


  • All-black finish, i e painted neck, not just headstock.
  • No serial, not on the headstock, not on the neckplate, not even on the trem spring cover...
  • Headstock decal á la 1982 SS-60, i e with Silver Star in small caps.
  • U-stamp pickups and brass control plate, i e basically a harness straight out of an ST-50 Springy. It even has the same countersunk height adjustment screws with large heads as the pre-CBS copies, and a pickguard with countersunk holes for them.
  • The bridge seems to be an ST-style Final Prospec unit, only with Silver Star-style cast saddles.

Full details in this post:

http://www.tokaiforum.com/viewtopic.php?f=11&t=26385

[img]https://i.imgur.com/8tiNQRh.jpg[/img]

[img]https://i.imgur.com/Lnt0RGQ.jpg[/img]

[img]https://i.imgur.com/Ql9UgoN.jpg[/img]

[img]https://i.imgur.com/CrstCAN.jpg[/img]

[img]https://i.imgur.com/W3p0Z1J.jpg[/img]

[img]https://i.imgur.com/uPZcxkk.jpg[/img]
 
Congrats if you bought it. I love the metallic blue and the lake placid blue finish that Tokai used.
 
Thanks, I did buy it. According to Peter Mac's book silver stars were never offered in LPB except through special order and he has only ever seen one.
 
That’s interesting. I’m still not clear about what of the premium colors were offered and how.

Peter Mac had commented in another thread about how they were ordered in lots of six I think? So the store had to decide on the colors that might sell, and then some other guitars, ST70s, were sent as well even though they didn’t order them.

Wonder if yours is a one of a kind?

Same with the pink colors. I never see those. I think there was a pink Goldstar in Ian’s book as well? Also an endorser picture in the spring 1982 catalog of a pink custom colored Springy.

Very cool! Congratulations!
 
Definitely not one of a kind because of the one Peter documented but probably very rare. It's the first one I can ever remember seeing myself. I have a Springy ST65R in LB too.
 
Just spotted this oddball for sale in Japan. OWR, matching stock, what appears to be the remnants of a Super Edition decal and a seven-digit (possibly?) 1984 serial on the trem spring plate. Most Super Edition models are superstrats, you do see a few SSS models as well, but they all have the output jack on the body edge. This one seems to be basically a TSS-38/-40 minus the odd appointments.

[img]https://i.imgur.com/Z75HuRp.jpg[/img]

[img]https://i.imgur.com/xlDxPlj.jpg[/img]

[img]https://i.imgur.com/Ur0Tb1v.jpg[/img]
 
Wow. And the serial number on the trem plate again. Interesting guitar. Thanks for posting that.
 
I just recently found out that some Silver Stars were apparently made in Nagano and have a different serial number scheme.

The serial numbers on these spaghetti logo guitars begin with 110xxxx or 210xxxx.

Here is an SS38 that is apparently from Nagano. S/N 2103864

1982 SS38 YS

http://www.tokaiforum.com/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=26422

and has the exact same pickup routs as some Grecos and Ibanez guitars from the late 70s and an "F" stamped in the neck pocket similar to some Fujigen guitars and at least one Greco SE800 with the same routs..

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1981 SS36 YS

Another one from Nagano? S/N 1102021

http://guitarsland.seesaa.net/article/457778981.html

Translation:

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Tokai Silver Star SS-36 at the time of the spaghetti logo It may be the best time to call it the Golden Age of Tokai, but ... I don't think this is the cheapest model in the lineup at the time of the entry class ... You can buy a guitar that is cheap but good. I think it is also a model that symbolizes the times. With a large head fender copy, it is surprising that a sound that can be used far more than Fender Japan, which uses basswood, will come out. While respecting the original parts of SS-36, I would like to introduce the process of playing back to make the sound immediately usable. There are many models of Japan Vintage instruments that are worth playing ... Tokai's high-end models at this time had a complete premier price, and LS Les Paul copies etc. were traded at more than double the list price at that time. If it was made in 1980-1982, which can be called the golden age, there is still a lot to aim for. This is because the so-called entry-class model is incomparable to the modern entry-class model for a practical guitar

Let's start with the internal image of SS-36

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The material is alder. The number of pieces looks like 5 pieces. That said, the coloring under the pickguard is copied as well as the original. The shape of the counterbore is roughly SS-36, but at that time the list price was only 4,000 yen higher, and the internal counterbore and processing were also different.

The image below is an internal image of SS-40. The material is two pieces of Sen

Uo9zxZb.jpg


For the head family in the latter half of the 70's, it was the white ash period, so I think it was an accurate point of view to choose Sen, which is called Japanese ash. If there is a Tsukkomi place, SS-40 is a white pick guard and white parts, so if you want to match it with the original family with high vintage value before 74 to 75 years, SS-36 that adopted Alder is white. I wanted it to be a guard and a white knob, but in the case of 36, Linden etc. are also posted as body materials in addition to Alder, so I could not do it. The SS-36 is a black pickguard, which is a specification from the latter half of 1976 in the so-called head family of black parts. At that time, it was the same alder wood as the head family! It was a sales talk, and in the domestic copy of the 70's, wood materials such as silver heart and sen, which are not listed in the head family, were listed in the catalog as a matter of course. It was a thankful sound just to say Alder. The Tokai gray bobbin pickups up to around 1980 will also be a new and improved version of the black bobbin from 1981. The pickup of SS-36 made in 1981 is New SS-HOT.

The image below is the inside of this individual. It is in the original state without replacement parts

RgGrHfA.jpg


It goes well with Alder, and it was in the midst of a boom called heavy metal from hard rock, so this pickup has a sense of power and goes well with a Marshall-type distorted amp. Outstandingly good. Of course, the SS series has a better sound quality than the ST series, which is a small head that uses an oldies model. However, I just named it hot, so I thought it was necessary to take measures against noise, so I decided to stick an aluminum shield plate inside. At this point, the rust on the bridge was also severe

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If the rust is severe, the set screw may not turn and adjustment may not be possible, so of course rust removal should be done as long as possible. It is an essential part for Japan Vintage reproduction. Even if you make a mistake, you must not make full use of brute force. Screws and parts It just breaks the item

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It's hard to remove each saddle, but it's not a recycle shop, and it's very difficult to see that only the used distribution market price is searched online and priced at the current sales. I feel sorry. Old instruments are all the same as junk if you don't take the trouble ... There is no point in cleaning only the top surface. I'm grateful for the die-cast integrated block now ... The words "Made in Japan" come to mind ... Take extra time around the frets and neck, which directly affect play. Fill in the unevenness and steps caused by the scratches on the back of the neck, and finish it so that it feels comfortable to the touch

There were some steps on the body top due to scratches and dents on the poly surface, but the surface will be prepared by various methods. It will be a careful work as if you are peeling off a thin skin

Compounds, chemicals similar to buffing effect and high-grade cloth I will finish it by polishing with. Eliminates unevenness and automatically In the process up to this point, the dirt on the surface is also removed. The best setup that Mr. Imai, who was the owner of Historic Guitars in Ochanomizu and also wrote various books, applied to all products started by understanding and cleaning all the parts. I was influenced by Mr. Imai, and if I wanted to sell used, vintage, and used musical instruments at market prices, wouldn't it be convincing for the first time? It seems that it is operating while reducing the scale, but I haven't seen it easily for more than 15 years, but I learned a lot from Mr. Imai, who had a knowledgeable part in the guitar graphic. If you want to get the same price as the market price at the thrift shop, do you want to do it so far? Do you sell it cheaply at the junk price? This is especially true in an era where you can search by searching for the spread of the Internet

In this state, there are many cases where the market price is as high as the market price, so I hope that a major musical instrument store, which is increasing the number of business trip purchases and purchase specialty stores nationwide, will do its best. Mochi should be in the mochi shop ・ ・ ・ I don't want to sell musical instruments with refrigerators, washing machines, and home appliances, and if they do, they should be as cheap as old thrift shops. If it's cheap, you can save it, because there are many musical instruments to rescue. I think that there is also a sales responsibility if the price is at the same level as the market price. That is why I really want the musical instruments to be in the musical instrument store. Let's return to the playback of SS-36. The weaknesses common to the entry class SS-36 and SS-40 Think of it as a peg

JUskqJp.jpg


If you don't want to spoil the appearance of the large head model, you may choose to replace it with the current Fender F Key. Currently, tuning is possible without problems, but if it is durable and accurate, it will be a rotomatic type from the middle class SS-48, so one of the points of grade discrimination of Tokai Silver Star is to distinguish by peg type. Can be done. It seems that there are shops that set prices as if they have similar value to TST after 1984, but Tokai Rakuki went bankrupt once in 1984 due to the litigation issue from the head family. .. The period until 1986, when Tokai Gakki was restarted due to the application of the Corporate Rehabilitation Law, is not called the golden age, so it is considered that the period until 1983 is the last minute golden age. Please pay attention to the year when you purchase by looking at the price of Japan Vintage Tokai. That is why it is written as the spaghetti logo time. Frets after cleaning and filing. There is no stress

The liver of 3 points stop, the micro tilt part is also copied and reproduced Since it is done, it is adjusted with a slight angle. There is no stress even in the high fret part, and the string height is also appropriate. It's up

The body back is also erased with thin scratches as much as possible. Only the surface of the 3 bolt screw loses its shine due to the influence of rust. Yes, but it can be attached and detached and adjusted without any problems

Unless it's a very mint product, it's worth doing because Japan Vintage can finally be played as a good-sounding instrument or guitar after spending time and effort like this. I think there is not only the atmosphere but also the level that can be used as a side guitar. This is the one I want you to play with a drive sound directly from Marshall. I can't tell you the story, but I've adjusted the tremolo perfectly, so I think I can decide on arming and use it as a hard rock strat. The era when there were cheap but good guitars and usable guitars ... I think the Japan Vintage is a really affordable practical guitar unless you add more value than necessary. Finally, I would like to add that I disagree with excessive premier prices.
 

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