If you are interested in what a Tele with a Strat-style tremolo would be like, here's your chance.
I tried to get some information about this guitar online, especially to confirm the 1986 date (which is what the previous owner told me), but I couldn't find a working Tokai registry / serial no. site. You can see the serial no. on the neckplate. There's also a "60" sticker on the back of the neck; perhaps it's a model number. If you don't know Tokai, they are one of the oldest and most respected of the Japanese electric guitar makers, including Fernandez, Burny, Greco, Ibanez, and Yamaha.
It has a jade green clear gloss finish on the body that reveals the grain of the wood.
I believe the body is ash, the neck is maple, and the fretboard is rosewood (described this way by the person I bought it from).
It has a tummy cut contour, 22 frets, and a single-coil and a '59 PAF-style humbucker pickups, 3-way switch, and a push-pull tone pot to split the humbucker. I can't tell you more than that about the PUs, except that the word "White" appears on the single coil.
The original tremolo arm is not included; the guitar didn't come with one when I got it. I've been using a Strat-style trem arm, and it works fine, but it has one disadvantage, which is that when you thread the arm down into the trem, the arm starts to hit the top of the tone knob as you're turning the trem arm. You'll need to either get a trem arm that has a longer thread stem (so it sits higher, relative to the tone knob) or bend the right angle of the trem arm up a bit so it doesn't hit the tone knob. Probably easier just to bend the arm a bit. I didn't bother to do that, since I didn't use the trem arm that much anyway. (You could also change the knobs to ones with a lower profile, but that's your call.)
As is, the action and intonation seem fine to me. No buzzing, easy to play, etc. But as I say with every guitar I sell, you will want to get new strings and maybe have a set up done.
NOTE: Right now, when the guitar is plugged into an amp, there's a humming sound when touching the volume and tone knobs, so I've taken the guitar to a local shop to have the wiring and electronics checked. The guitar is still at the shop, but it should be finished in a few days, and I will update this listing accordingly.
IMPORTANT UPDATE: I mentioned earlier, a few days ago, that when the guitar was plugged into an amp, there was a humming sound if the volume or tone knobs were touched, indicating, probably, some kind of grounding or connection issue. I took it in to Long Beach Guitar Repair, and they fixed it. The tech said that the electronics just needed to be cleaned. Now, there's no sound and the electronics work normally. There was no charge for the service, since it was so minimal, not even a bench fee. The receipt for this service (showing “No Charge”) is in the pocket of the gig bag.
There are a few dings, but nothing major. See the photos:
- paint is scratched / chipped, lower bout, rear edge;
- half-inch scratch in the finish near the bottom strap pin;
- bump and scratched / chipped paint on lower edge, rear;
- scratch / chip near jack.
If you have any questions or need to see other photos, I'll try to answer your questions (if I can) and send photos ASAP. I've got other guitars for sale here, so check out my other items, too, including Strats and Teles.
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Listed | 5 years ago |
Condition | Very Good (Used) Very Good items may show a few slight marks or scratches but are fully functional and in overall great shape.Learn more |
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