Tokai Custom Edition Jazz Bass Made in Japan 1991 - Transparent Red

Tokai Custom Edition — a Japanese jazz bass from around 1991, transparent red over ash, matching headstock and gold hardware.

In the second half of the 1980s Tokai dropped its separate series names — Jazz Sound, Hard Puncher, Springy Sound — and moved almost the entire catalogue under one banner: Custom Edition. What stayed on the headstock was the slogan from their 1981 ad campaigns: "Oldies but Goldies". This one comes from the tail end of that era; serial number 018260 places it around 1991. Custom Edition basses are missing from most catalogues and nobody has ever mapped out their model numbering, so I won't invent one — I'm describing what I can see and hear.

It's not a one-to-one Jazz Bass copy. The front pickup is noticeably angled and moved away from the neck, and you can hear it: the bass behaves more like a PJ than a classic JB. The wiring is unusual too — four knobs, one volume per pickup plus two independent tone circuits working across different ranges (two different capacitors). Fully passive throughout, 250k pots. That second tone is genuinely useful: rolling it back makes the bass round and mellow without losing the top end.

The character is punchy but on the darker side — plenty of low end and sub-mids, with a balanced, non-aggressive treble. On the front pickup it can sound remarkably close to a Precision.

It plays very comfortably. Weight is 4.2 kg, the nut measures just 39 mm, and the rosewood fingerboard has an old-school 7.25" radius. The narrow neck will suit anyone with smaller hands.

I'd rate the condition as good. The frets have around 70% life left with no significant wear. The truss rod turns smoothly with no resistance, and the action is set at 2 mm at the 12th fret. The electronics are quiet. There's a small chip on the edge of the fingerboard past the last fret — it doesn't reach under any fret and has no effect on playability. The body and the sides of the headstock have a few isolated finish chips, plus some more visible scratches. The hardware shows its mileage but still looks good and has held its gold colour well. One knob is non-original — the original went missing and I fitted a replacement.

Visually the bass is a treat: the ash shows lovely grain under the finish, the pieces are very well matched, and the matching headstock ties it all together.

A gig bag is included. Available to try out in Poznań, Poland; safe shipping from Poland won't be a problem. Private sale.