felis
Most Honored Senior Member
For reference; factory original pots, switch and ground plate from a 1984 ST55 Goldstar Sound.
Another Tokai Goldstar ID question
- Thread starter NewUser619
- Start date
For reference; factory original pots, switch and ground plate from a 1984 ST55 Goldstar Sound.
felis
Most Honored Senior Member
Okay, I'm also, already, as good as convinced it's a mid 80s model.
What we want to see next.....
....countersunk toolmarkings in the neckpocket, and neck codes....
About these codes, I will tell you upfront....
.....they do not have to match for the guitar to be factory original!
What we want to see next.....
....countersunk toolmarkings in the neckpocket, and neck codes....About these codes, I will tell you upfront....
.....they do not have to match for the guitar to be factory original!
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NewUser619
Strat-Talk Member
Yep I'll have a proper look when it gets here and record what I can for posterity.Okay, I'm also, already, as good as convinced it's a mid 80s model.
What we want to see next.....
About these codes, I will tell you upfront....
Prospec saddles on a 85 seems a little late but maybe they were phasing them out.
NewUser619
Strat-Talk Member
Just planning ahead here, but does anyone know how to wire the Tokai switch for a master vol/master tone? Since I play with the strings flipped (like Dick Dale, Albert King etc) I move the pots 'down a hole' and use master controls.
However, the Tokai switch is its own thing so not sure what the deal is, and it's impossible to find a diagram for their style of switch.
Je suis stumped.
However, the Tokai switch is its own thing so not sure what the deal is, and it's impossible to find a diagram for their style of switch.
Je suis stumped.
felis
Most Honored Senior Member
this is all (vintage ST/SS) I got.
NewUser619
Strat-Talk Member
Maybe I'm an idiot, but it looks like I could just do that?
NewUser619
Strat-Talk Member
This is what you were looking for?Okay, I'm also, already, as good as convinced it's a mid 80s model.
What we want to see next.....
About these codes, I will tell you upfront....
The body code is 5-24.
And those countersunk holes? Also has some random holes and a glued in shim.
But wait, there's more.
When I was looking it over in the light a little something caught my eye:
A little stamp with a script logo above (under the finish so impossible to photograph, and then USA stamped with... something. I've no idea what to make of that.
The full shebang:
Nice tanlines.
And it's been refretted. Sometime long ago judging from the play wear in the fingerboard. And it was also re-radiused to a much flatter spec. The frets now are somewhere between a Gibson LP and Ibanez RG in size (bigger than the LP, smaller than the RG), and it's now somewhere around a 16" radius. It's a well done job but not what I was expecting to see. Check out the rosewood board here:
It's almost disappeared. I wonder if these are stainless frets as there's hardly any wear at all.
I haven't strung it up yet as I'm waiting for the trem springs and a new nut but this is an interesting excavation.
NewUser619
Strat-Talk Member
I do this for the sake of posterity.
The back cavity is interesting. Way more holes than one would expect to see. More tanlines indicate the backplate stayed on.
I had a breakthrough with the USA stamp in the neck pocket too. My wife suggested a pencil rubbing to make an impression of the thing for clearer view. I did and we have this:
Almost there.
Flip the image horizontally and welcome Mr Jim Dunlop:
Crazy. I guess someone used a pick as a shim at some time in the past?
Here's the monster frets:
Good times ahead.
The back cavity is interesting. Way more holes than one would expect to see. More tanlines indicate the backplate stayed on.
I had a breakthrough with the USA stamp in the neck pocket too. My wife suggested a pencil rubbing to make an impression of the thing for clearer view. I did and we have this:
Almost there.
Flip the image horizontally and welcome Mr Jim Dunlop:
Crazy. I guess someone used a pick as a shim at some time in the past?
Here's the monster frets:
Good times ahead.
felis
Most Honored Senior Member
Yes, thats Tokai....nice.
felis
Most Honored Senior Member
...that's odd and special...
felis
Most Honored Senior Member
That's a bit of a shame, no?
felis
Most Honored Senior Member
NewUser619
Strat-Talk Member
Yeah it is. I got in touch with the seller who claims to know nothing about it, says he hasn't touched it, says he didn't know there were sizes of fretwire even and is now basically distancing himself from the whole thing. As said though, it looks to have been done years and years ago so I can understand their response. It's a nice feeling neck either way, just not 100% stock.
I'll give it a go and see how it plays and can always swap the neck for something else down the line if I get desperate, but it would have been nice to have known is all.
felis
Most Honored Senior Member
Nice faded colour....
....somewhat similar to my Blonde in Tokai's lacquer finish, what's your Goldstar finish?
NewUser619
Strat-Talk Member
The code is OW and it's definitely poly judging off how it's chipped in places. Just what I expected tbh.Nice faded colour....
....somewhat similar to my Blonde in Tokai's lacquer finish, what's your Goldstar finish?
I'm pretty sure this is a TST55L from 1984.
NewUser619
Strat-Talk Member
The plot thickens.
Long story short I've asked the seller for a refund and I'll ship the guitar back to them. The more I try and fix, the more problems are revealed.
Every fret between 5th and around 13th is either high or low so needs a thorough fret fress. The nut is amateur hour and literally fell off, it's not original so the bottom is wonky and someone hacked up the slot trying to make it work. The trem screws are sheet metal screws. They're too long so they've come through the back into the trem cavity. These are also the reason I can't get the thing tuned as the bridge plate is resting on screw threads and not the smooth part like they should be on the original screws. They're also stripped which makes removing them a lot of fun.
No springs so the bridge wasn't grounded.
Tone controls don't work.
The switch originally only had 4 positions in that 4 and 5 were the same but I fixed that by scraping off some of the green corrosion on there so that's back, albeit noisy.
Basically a lot of work for what it is when you were sold a guitar that's ready to play out the box and you get something in dire need of some TLC. Shame.
Beautiful.
Hello, screws.
Long story short I've asked the seller for a refund and I'll ship the guitar back to them. The more I try and fix, the more problems are revealed.
Every fret between 5th and around 13th is either high or low so needs a thorough fret fress. The nut is amateur hour and literally fell off, it's not original so the bottom is wonky and someone hacked up the slot trying to make it work. The trem screws are sheet metal screws. They're too long so they've come through the back into the trem cavity. These are also the reason I can't get the thing tuned as the bridge plate is resting on screw threads and not the smooth part like they should be on the original screws. They're also stripped which makes removing them a lot of fun.
No springs so the bridge wasn't grounded.
Tone controls don't work.
The switch originally only had 4 positions in that 4 and 5 were the same but I fixed that by scraping off some of the green corrosion on there so that's back, albeit noisy.
Basically a lot of work for what it is when you were sold a guitar that's ready to play out the box and you get something in dire need of some TLC. Shame.
Beautiful.
Hello, screws.
Toppalini
Strat-Talker
Has to be 84 or earlier with the fender headstock am I wrong?
If it is then that’s a great deal, I’d even get it and switch the nut and it’ll be my ‘Hendrix’ strat
I’ve only looked at these briefly but they are generally around $1000 on reverb and eBay for the early 80s cool ones!!!
If it is then that’s a great deal, I’d even get it and switch the nut and it’ll be my ‘Hendrix’ strat
I’ve only looked at these briefly but they are generally around $1000 on reverb and eBay for the early 80s cool ones!!!
Toppalini
Strat-Talker
No wonder it was priced low? But once you fix all that, you’ve paid full price lol!
Thrup'ny Bit
Grand Master Curmudgeon
Only in the US.
