![]() The 5-stage switch was finally incorporated into Strats later in the 70s. These were a bit of a fiddle to achieve though. But players accidentally discovered and started appreciating the midway positions. The original ‘54 Strat only had a 3-stage switch. The plasticware on my guitar must have been a stark white back in the day, but it now has a much more desirable yellowing that shows its age! The number of pieces has little to do with sound and more to do with aesthetics, and I cannot deny the visual perfection of a seamless 1-piece body! Finally, my guitar weighs about 3.4 kg (7.4 lb), light and similar to the vintage Strats it is paying homage to.Īs for tone and volume knobs, the ‘54 Strat had two tone controls (middle and neck PU) and no tone control for the bridge pickup, because Fender believed it “does not require additional tone modification”. This might be why Tokai used 2-piece bodies even in its highest models later on, as per a 1982 catalogue. It's rather wasteful (and hence, expensive) to make 1-piece bodies. Same for high-end modern sunburst Strats. Even the vintage sunburst Strats were 3-piece constructions. The lower-tier Tokais like the ST-42 were made of 3 pieces of wood, and the mid-range models were 2-piece bodies. Sen Ash is known to accentuate bass and mid-range tones, rather than the twangy highs that American Ash is known for. Sen is renowned for its exceptional resonance and this is one of the reasons that Tokai guitars are considered high quality - even their lower-tiered guitars had this wood on them in the early years. The body is made of Sen Ash, which is an Asian tonewood and nothing really like the Ash used in American Strats. If you compare it to an old copy from another company and find that the body shape is different, then it is not an old copy, and you have to be very careful.” Further, Tokai catalogues explain that, “for the woodworking process of the ST series, we have introduced a previously unthinkable computer The "3D router" machine, which can process every inch of the three-dimensional body, and the craftsman's high level of technology were added to complete a body that boasts outstanding accuracy.” Tokai seemed very confident about how accurately it had replicated the original ‘54 Strat shape, asserting, “the body shape is a little different from the current Strat (1970s) the cuts on the body and armrests are very bold. you can feel these features when you pick it up”. Tokai made a great effort to replicate this precise shape, explaining that “it takes very long to sandpaper a corner. In its 1978/79 Tokai catalogues lamented that “The ‘54 Strat's body shape was significantly bolder than it is today, with distinctive deep back cuts and armrest cuts these large cuts fit the guitarist's body and keep a high degree of performance and styling”. The 50s Fender catalogues advertised the Strat’s “contoured” shape fitting the players body snugly and providing comfort. Finally, however, Fender entered into an agreement with Tokai to manufacture Fender guitars at their Japanese factories in the late 1990s. I believe the two companies were exploring a partnership of some kind in the 1980s which did not materialize and might have cost Tokai some financial setbacks. A communication from Tokai to Leo Fender in 1982 expressed the budding company's respect for the iconic design of the original Strat and explained that Tokai had no intentions of interfering with CBS's business in the US. These guitars were becoming an actual threat to Fender’s own sales at the time. And the results were clearly appreciated by players, even as famous as Stevie Ray Vaugn who has been pictured in a few places with a Tokai Strat. #TOKAI SPRINGY SOUND SERIES#A rough translation from a catalogue tells us that Tokai “formed a project team consisting of about 10 people including musicians and veteran craftsmen (and) as a result of thorough research and tireless efforts, we have completed a series in which the performance has been upgraded as well as completed restoration of the original.” They dismantled and reverse engineered actual vintage Strats in their efforts to achieve “ thoroughness and transcendence”. In fact, not only did Tokai claim to reincarnate the iconic Strat, but they were audacious enough to suggest that they “improved it”. The catalogue explains how the ‘54 Strat was the ideal guitar according to musicians and hence Tokai attempted to reincarnate it. They were chasing the “springy sound” of the vintage Strat that was “sharp, crisp, yet warm”. Tokai’s 1978 catalogue mentions this fact explicitly several times, even calling it, “ the returned 54 Strat”. In the late 1970s, Tokai launched the Springy Sound model that was based on the 1954 Strat. ![]()
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