Tokai Silver Star SS-50 S, Stratocaster in Silver Gray Finish, Made in Japan in 1982. Demo video!

I play, collect and restore Vintage Japanese Guitars and, at the right time: let them inspire someone else! 

This is a part of my collection. I own over 25 MIJ Stratocasters, mostly Tokai, Greco, Fernandes, and Fresher. I search for them and buy directly from owners in Japan, then import them to Europe. Stabilize to perfect humidity (45-55%) and restore.

Punchy and bright Strat that kicks asses!

One of my favorites in the collection, recently SilverStars started to gain the attention they always deserved.

The guitar is all original, set up, and stage-ready. The Silver Gray finish is a scarce metallic finish. Grab it if you're looking for a great guitar that is different from most of the market.
And yes. One of the notable Tokai SilverStar owners is John Mayer ;)

Specs:

• Tokai SilverStar SS50SG;
• 1982;
• 40,8 mm nut size;
• 3,4 kg / 7.49 Ibs;
• Original frets, 90% remaining. Polished and stage-ready; Size: medium vintage
• 25,5″ scale;
• 21 frets;
• 2 string trees;
• Alder body;
• Maple fingerboard;
• Maple neck with skunk stripe;
• Neck profile: modern U-shape;
• Radius: 9,5″;
• Grey bobbins Tokai singles,
• Vintage Tokai pro-tuners,
• S.T.C made in Japan tremolo bridge;
• Original electric circuit and pots,
• GigBag included;
• Comes in a professional transportation box, ready to be shipped.

In most cases, guitarists don’t appreciate Fenders from the ’70s, also known as big headstock Strats, CBS-era Strats, or: bullet truss-rod Strats.

I love’em, but I can dig why people mostly don’t share my affection for those Stratocasters from the 70s.

At that time, Fender as a company was under few serious reconstructions. The first owner and Stratocaster inventor, Mr. Leo Fender, was already out. Times were more demanding, prices went down, and salaries went up… they needed to make some cost-cutting, which wasn’t fortunate in every field…

Why do people say CBS Stratocasters are the worst?

According to common opinion, those guitars were… worst than their ancestors from the previous two decades. There’s also the fact that more heavyweight Strats come strictly from that CBS era, and as we know, “Good Stratocaster” means “lightweight Stratocaster.” This principle rarely fails. Therefore guitarist barely looks for Fenders from that era.

What about CBS copies made in Japan?

But what about Bullet truss rod Stratocasters made in Japan? Well… Firstly there weren’t made by Fender under reconstruction. Secondly, Greco and Tokai used to copy only the best Fenders. Third, they attended that process ten years after the Fender’s problems during the CBS era; Japanese luthiers had time to find what was good and bad about Big-headstock Stratocaster.

My personal experience is that every bullet truss rod Stratocaster from Greco and Tokai I had was very good.

This Tokai SilverStar is a good player, easy to intonate, and in excellent condition. The string’s action is low. It aged very nicely.

How is Silverstar Stratocaster different from GoldStar Sound Stratocaster?

In 1983, if you wanted to own Tokai Stratocaster, you could choose between:

– GoldStar Sounds (TST, next-generation after the SpringySound), which were pre-CBS Stratocasters copies (’54-’57, ’59, and ’60-’62 and ’64 models)

– SilverStars, which were the CBS Stratocaster copies. Quite a popular opinion is that SilverStar is lower-end series than GoldStar, but it isn’t true. Both could be quite e entry-level quality (TST50 and SS36) or very high-end (TST80 and SS80).