theplumber Posted May 8, 2011 Share Posted May 8, 2011 (edited) I bought a Tokai Jazz Sound from e bay a few months ago.....never ment to,I was just killing time before my dinner! Stuck an idle bid in and after dinner found I had won it for £135! It is about 7 or 8 years old and is made in Japan. The only downside is the Tokai ''post lawsuit'' headstock,which spoils it a bit for me. I played it a few times in the house through my practise amp and although it looked great,felt really well made,with a very nice slim jazz bass neck,it wasn't a patch on my long gone 80's Tokai Jazz Sound. Since I bought it pretty cheap,I decided that it maybe should go back on the bay and turn a wee profit for me.My wife liked the idea as I have a few guitars and as she pointed out....we need a new carpet for the stairs! I got it out and polished it up,getting it ready for pictures and it's sale on e bay.But......I decided to play it again,plugged it in to a bigger amp and could,nt put it down....it sounded great! My wife sussed out that I had changed my mind and just gave me the look! So I said, I will give it another go at a band gig and see how it goes..then decide! I used it last night at Finnigins Wake in Edinburgh,with the rock covers band I am in and do you know what?...it was f**king great!.......I think the carpet may have to wait a bit longer!...Anyone else ever decided to sell a guitar then decide that it's a cracker after all?......The headstock is still pretty ugly...but if I look at it from certain angles I can tell myself it is a standard Fender shape....might change it if I can find a decent replacement,after all I believe the guitar was built in the same factory as the japanese Fenders before Tokai moved production to save costs. As far as I know,the guitars are being produced in Japan again. Edited May 8, 2011 by theplumber Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grand Wazoo Posted May 8, 2011 Share Posted May 8, 2011 Pictures? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chriswilliams666 Posted May 8, 2011 Share Posted May 8, 2011 (edited) I almost sold my MIJ 80s Jazz Special after purchasing a new Duff McKagan Model (reissue Jazz Special) I had it in my head that because the original has a sawdust/mdf/mish-mash body that it wouldn't sound good or whatever. However it sounds great and is still my main bass, and sounds better than my Duff Bass with the Alder body. I guess hearing everyone say those sort of materials they use for the cheap guitars put me off. Just shows you've really gotta try these things. [quote name='theplumber' post='1223948' date='May 8 2011, 10:27 AM']I bought a Tokai Jazz Sound from e bay a few months ago.....never ment to,I was just killing time before my dinner! Stuck an idle bid in and after dinner found I had won it for £135! It is about 7 or 8 years old and is made in Japan. The only downside is the Tokai ''post lawsuit'' headstock,which spoils it a bit for me. I played it a few times in the house through my practise amp and although it looked great,felt really well made,with a very nice slim jazz bass neck,it wasn't a patch on my long gone 80's Tokai Jazz Sound. Since I bought it pretty cheap,I decided that it maybe should go back on the bay and turn a wee profit for me.My wife liked the idea as I have a few guitars and as she pointed out....we need a new carpet for the stairs! I got it out and polished it up,getting it ready for pictures and it's sale on e bay.But......I decided to play it again,plugged it in to a bigger amp and could,nt put it down....it sounded great! My wife sussed out that I had changed my mind and just gave me the look! So I said, I will give it another go at a band gig and see how it goes..then decide! I used it last night at Finnigins Wake in Edinburgh,with the rock covers band I am in and do you know what?...it was f**king great!.......I think the carpet may have to wait a bit longer!...Anyone else ever decided to sell a guitar then decide that it's a cracker after all?......The headstock is still pretty ugly...but if I look at it from certain angles I can tell myself it is a standard Fender shape....might change it if I can find a decent replacement,after all I believe the guitar was built in the same factory as the japanese Fenders before Tokai moved production to save costs. As far as I know,the guitars are being produced in Japan again.[/quote] Edited May 8, 2011 by chriswilliams666 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theplumber Posted May 8, 2011 Author Share Posted May 8, 2011 [attachment=79320:DSCF6665.JPG]Here is a couple of pics of said bass....doing a bit of research,it seems that Fender Japan or indeed the company that makes bodies for Fender Japan were making Tokai guitars as well at that point.Production moved to Korea. So my reckoning is find a nice Fender type jazz neck and that will be another keeper for me.No serial number on these guitars until they moved to Korea,but I checked the pots and they are all marked Made in Japan....very nice finish and sound...dare I say,as good as my Sandberg Californian was!......When the guitar arrived,it was in a cheap canvas bag,which was in really cheap bin liners...you know,the ones that fall to bits as you place the rubbish in them...also wrapped in newspaper,polly bags....and an old cardigan!!! [attachment=79321:DSCF6658.JPG] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gub Posted May 8, 2011 Share Posted May 8, 2011 Looks sweet ,brt when you saw what it was wrapped in though you were wondering what state it would be in when you opened it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bassassin Posted May 8, 2011 Share Posted May 8, 2011 £135 for an MIJ Tokai (even a recent one) is a steal. As far as the "Fender factory" idea's concerned - sort of. Tokai Gakki have their own manufacturing facility in Japan and along with Dyna Gakki, they manufacture CIJ (not MIJ) Fenders. According to what I've read, Tokai-built Fenders are home-market only so you won't find many over here if that's true. Like most big-ish brands, Tokai outsource production of their budget ranges to Korean, and probably Chinese & Indonesian factories, but the premium stuff has always been built in Japan. I'd say your bass is worth a good few bob more than you paid, so if you do change it, don't do anything you can't change back one day! Jon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theplumber Posted May 8, 2011 Author Share Posted May 8, 2011 (edited) [quote name='Bassassin' post='1224026' date='May 8 2011, 12:09 PM']£135 for an MIJ Tokai (even a recent one) is a steal. As far as the "Fender factory" idea's concerned - sort of. Tokai Gakki have their own manufacturing facility in Japan and along with Dyna Gakki, they manufacture CIJ (not MIJ) Fenders. According to what I've read, Tokai-built Fenders are home-market only so you won't find many over here if that's true. Like most big-ish brands, Tokai outsource production of their budget ranges to Korean, and probably Chinese & Indonesian factories, but the premium stuff has always been built in Japan. I'd say your bass is worth a good few bob more than you paid, so if you do change it, don't do anything you can't change back one day! Jon.[/quote] Yeah..that's why I bought it....the guy who owned it seemed to need the cash pronto and left it to his daughter to sell. It finished on a Tuesday night about 6.30 pm or something like that. I had checked recent sales on e bay and a Tokai Jazz had just sold at £280.Was pretty pleased at getting it for £135...not so pleased at the wrapping.Only damage,1 bent machine head...... Edited May 8, 2011 by theplumber Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lozz196 Posted May 8, 2011 Share Posted May 8, 2011 [quote name='chriswilliams666' post='1223957' date='May 8 2011, 10:44 AM']I almost sold my MIJ 80s Jazz Special after purchasing a new Duff McKagan Model (reissue Jazz Special) I had it in my head that because the original has a sawdust/mdf/mish-mash body that it wouldn't sound good or whatever. However it sounds great and is still my main bass, and sounds better than my Duff Bass with the Alder body. I guess hearing everyone say those sort of materials they use for the cheap guitars put me off. Just shows you've really gotta try these things.[/quote] Well if you`re wanting to give the Duff away Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grand Wazoo Posted May 8, 2011 Share Posted May 8, 2011 The headstock look s a bit Peavey-ish, doesn't it? It's not as bad as I'd have thought it would be, I think I could live with that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OliverBlackman Posted May 8, 2011 Share Posted May 8, 2011 i think mines an 86 and i really love it! i bought it as a present to myself for workin overtime and then it became my main bass. i sold my musicman because it just wansnt anywhere near as good Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hairyhaw Posted May 8, 2011 Share Posted May 8, 2011 [quote name='Bassassin' post='1224026' date='May 8 2011, 12:09 PM']As far as the "Fender factory" idea's concerned - sort of. Tokai Gakki have their own manufacturing facility in Japan and along with Dyna Gakki, they manufacture CIJ (not MIJ) Fenders. According to what I've read, Tokai-built Fenders are home-market only so you won't find many over here if that's true.[/quote] Jon, where were the MIJ Fender's made? I've got a '94 MIJ Jazzmaster and it's pretty stunning in terms of quality. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bassassin Posted May 8, 2011 Share Posted May 8, 2011 [quote name='hairyhaw' post='1224312' date='May 8 2011, 05:45 PM']Jon, where were the MIJ Fender's made? I've got a '94 MIJ Jazzmaster and it's pretty stunning in terms of quality.[/quote] I think we need a Jap Fender FAQ sticky for this one! MIJ Fenders & Squiers were made by Fujigen Gakki, from the earliest ones in 1982 up until 1996 when their contract expired & production was moved to Tokai & Dyna. Fujigen Fenders exclusively carry the MIJ label while Tokai & Dyna are CIJ. There are some pre-96 CIJs around, presumably because Fujigen alone couldn't meet production numbers at that time. I have read that Japanese Fenders are again being sourced from Fujigen but I don't know if that's confirmed. Anecdotally, Fujigen was chosen to make MIJ Fenders based on the replica-level quality of the Greco-branded Fender copies they produced - it's no coincidence that Fender Japan is operated by Kanda Shokai, who own the Greco brand. In fact it's also rumoured that the first production run of MIJ Fenders actually began production as Grecos! Kanda Shokai undertook to cease manufacture of Greco copies as a condition of getting the Fender contract, so it's quite possible that this is what happened to the final Greco production run. J. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kevbass Posted May 8, 2011 Share Posted May 8, 2011 Speaking of Tokai's I've nearly pulled the trigger on this a couple of times (I'm a sucker for white jazz basses) [url="http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Tokai-Jazz-Sound-White-Jazz-Bass-Guitar-MIJ-80s-/320692441164?pt=UK_Musical_Instruments_Guitars_CV&hash=item4aaac2504c"]http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Tokai-Jazz-Sound-Whi...=item4aaac2504c[/url] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
noelk27 Posted May 8, 2011 Share Posted May 8, 2011 [quote name='Bassassin' post='1224322' date='May 8 2011, 05:07 PM']Anecdotally, Fujigen was chosen to make MIJ Fenders based on the replica-level quality of the Greco-branded Fender copies they produced - it's no coincidence that Fender Japan is operated by Kanda Shokai, who own the Greco brand. In fact it's also rumoured that the first production run of MIJ Fenders actually began production as Grecos! Kanda Shokai undertook to cease manufacture of Greco copies as a condition of getting the Fender contract, so it's quite possible that this is what happened to the final Greco production run.[/quote] It's often suggested that, as part of the original "Fender Japan" deal, Fender bought up the existing stock of Fujigen manufactured replica bodies and necks. Fender had no copyrights and/or patents registrations to rely on that could have prevented production of replicas by Japanese factories. Seems unrealistic to think that, having had to purchase significant numbers of parts, Fender didn't then use these for manufacturing purposes. After all, buying out the opposition in order to acquire market share was a much less risky or costly approach than establishing regional manufacturing facilities, particularly at a time when US production was under significant strain. In fact, operating in extremis. And, there's also a persisting suggestion that, during a later period, in the 80s, when production capacity was restricted, Fender sourced an order of necks from Atlansia, which where subsequently utilised for "Made in America" instruments. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spike Vincent Posted May 8, 2011 Share Posted May 8, 2011 £135? Bargain.I believe the Post Law Suit headstock only applied to the USA.And you got a free cardigan too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theplumber Posted May 8, 2011 Author Share Posted May 8, 2011 [quote name='Spike Vincent' post='1224375' date='May 8 2011, 07:07 PM']£135? Bargain.I believe the Post Law Suit headstock only applied to the USA.And you got a free cardigan too.[/quote] It looked minging...plus it was too big! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Delberthot Posted May 8, 2011 Share Posted May 8, 2011 [quote name='kevbass' post='1224350' date='May 8 2011, 06:43 PM']Speaking of Tokai's I've nearly pulled the trigger on this a couple of times (I'm a sucker for white jazz basses) [url="http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Tokai-Jazz-Sound-White-Jazz-Bass-Guitar-MIJ-80s-/320692441164?pt=UK_Musical_Instruments_Guitars_CV&hash=item4aaac2504c"]http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Tokai-Jazz-Sound-Whi...=item4aaac2504c[/url][/quote] That looks mighty like the Fernandes [url="http://www.fernandes.co.jp/others/catalog/1987/045.html"]JBR-45[/url] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bassassin Posted May 8, 2011 Share Posted May 8, 2011 [quote name='Delberthot' post='1224449' date='May 8 2011, 08:12 PM']That looks mighty like the Fernandes [url="http://www.fernandes.co.jp/others/catalog/1987/045.html"]JBR-45[/url][/quote] It does, doesn't it! It seems Fernandes have at different points been made by Kawai & Tokai, so that's probably a bit of sneaky factory re-badging going on there. J. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
noelk27 Posted May 9, 2011 Share Posted May 9, 2011 [quote name='Delberthot' post='1224449' date='May 8 2011, 07:12 PM']That looks mighty like the Fernandes [url="http://www.fernandes.co.jp/others/catalog/1987/045.html"]JBR-45[/url][/quote] Catalogue dates to '87, so that is from the Fernandes-badged Tokai-made era. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JTUK Posted May 9, 2011 Share Posted May 9, 2011 A freind of mine has a Tokai Lea Paul from years back. It still comes out on gigs even though he has enough gtrs to choose from, inc an orignal LP and a PRS, amongst others. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
barneythedog Posted May 9, 2011 Share Posted May 9, 2011 I've an '82 (serial L00046). Original spaghetti logo. I love her - best sounding bass I've ever owned but she may have to go soon awaiing the torrent of "don't do it"s .......... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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