what you think of " TOKAI " honestly?

[VINTAGE JOE]

currently TOKAI has the distributers in these countries officially in 2013.

USA~ unfortunately NO!
CANADA~ also NO!
AUSTRALIA~ YES!
UK~ YES !!!!!
GERMANY~ yes!
south-africa~ yes?

JAPAN~ popular again!

TOKAI makes their guitars & basses in JAPAN & china.

[BluesHawk]

Thanks for all the helpful information, Joe. Keep it comin...

and I think forum participants might appreciate more information on how to learn about production dates, serial numbers, older model names or other identifiers.

[VINTAGE JOE]

TOKAI was very popular in japan from the late 70s~ the mid 80s, until 1985/6, then the company went to bankrupt because of their new guitar project called TALBO. the all alminum guitar? they spent too much $$$$$ on TALBO but it didnt sell well. FENDER & GIBSON also died around 1985 so they all died together very strange. maybe the god killed them once for their inferior quality or something? maybe. then the 90s came in japan and there were so much imports of GIBSON/FENDER and epiphone and more. TOKAI came back but lost its popularity by the US guitars and MIC/K guitars. after that, TOKAI only survived very locally in japan until recently. maybe TOKAI was busy for the export in those days. to UK and some other countries especially. then the 2008/9 OBAMA time came after the leaman-shock. as the world economy became low, the japanese economy too. the sales of the US guitars in japan too. TOKAI, then came back strong again in japan, finding the good market between GIBSON/FENDER and EPIPHONE/SQUIRE. the TOKAI's gibson copies/replicas are well sold lately in japan. the company usually has lots of back orders lately. as for their FENDER copirs/replicas, arent strong as FENDER-JAPAN is there still so strong in the japan market. anyways, TOKAI seems to fully come back again lately in japan and the world. only if they could export some to USA & CANADA then we are all tokai lovers on the earth. but USA is pure the FENDER/GIBSON country so its hard to do. maybe someday...

[VINTAGE JOE]

[BluesHawk]

Thanks for the prompt...I'd forgotten about the Tokai Forum.

[VINTAGE JOE]

http://tokai-guitars.co.uk/

TOKAI UK is here. they have been doing well since the current owner began.
there are something special about some of the TOKAI UK products lately.

@ TOKAI UK gibson copy/replicas have the gibson headstock basically
like the TOKAI JAPAN products do but with a mini extra/slight shape
on the open book shape top. its only really a tiny shape in there so its OK!

@ TOKAI UK fender copy/replicas have the genuine fender shape headstock
unlike the TOKAI JAPAN new fender copy series. only the MIJ models but
this is great! why only the UK gets the genuine fender shape headstock models?
when even NOT in japan? dont know but feels like TOKAI was always for UK
especially somehow. nobody outside of japan loved TOKAI like UK people did!

buy your new TOKAI fender copy/replicas w/the fender headstock while they last!

[BluesHawk]

what you think of " TOKAI " honestly?

"Honestly?"...well, Tokai might have snuck a marketing mole into our Forum...

[VINTAGE JOE]

[VINTAGE JOE]

@ TOKAI UK fender copy/replicas have the genuine fender shape headstock
unlike the TOKAI JAPAN new fender copy series. only the MIJ models but
this is great! why only the UK gets the genuine fender shape headstock models?
when even NOT in japan? dont know but feels like TOKAI was always for UK
especially somehow. nobody outside of japan loved TOKAI like UK people did!

buy your new TOKAI fender copy/replicas w/the fender headstock while they last!

http://www.tokai-guitars.co.uk/index.ph ... &Itemid=31

[VINTAGE JOE]

http://www.tokaiguitarsaustralia.com.au/

TOKAI AUSTRALIA is here & G'day!
there was only a minor suspicious tokai dealer in australia
until several years ago but now the new distributer began and
they look good and their site is fantastic!
TOKAI AUSTRALIA imports the genuine TOKAI JAPAN products
from japan and their products are the exact same products
that are sold in japan today. some of the TOKAI UK products are
different from the TOKAI JAPAN products somehow but
TOKAI AUSTRALIA is the same with the TOKAI JAPAN.
TOKAI is now G'day in AUSTRALIA / NEWZEALAND!

[VINTAGE JOE]

http://www.tokaiguitar.de/

tokai-germany is a distributer only for germany, not for all the europe.
this current german distributer has a good relationship with tokai-japan
so they have some special models sometimes. their model#s are often
very different from tokai-japan & others for the unknown reasons.

[VINTAGE JOE]

http://www.tokaiguitars.co.za/

tokai-south africa is a distributer that began several years ago
and they mostly sell the elementary class tokai guitars.
their guitars are the same as the japan market and their site is fun to see.
its good for the african people !

[VINTAGE JOE]

http://www.tokai-guitars.com/

TOKAI-USA doesnt exist currently but
they had been sometimes in the past?
since USA is the GIBSON/FENDER country,
its ofcourse hard for TOKAI to be in.
its understandable but hopefully someday
somehow possibly TOKAI into USA.
CANADA had a distributer until several years ago
i guess.

if you want your tokai guitars then ask TOKAI-UK or
the tokai dealers in JAPAN
i personally believe TOKAI-UK & JAPANESE STORES are
the best way to get. they follow the rules and ship the guitars
safe and right. good luck with your tokai!

[VINTAGE JOE]

http://www.tokaiguitarsaustralia.com.au ... tract.html

SRV had a contract with TOKAI in 1985 once .....
and what happened after was unknown to me.
but certainly SRV & TOKAI were getting together.
it could be such a soulful team they were possibly.
RIP ~ SRV and FENDER continues your sprits ........

JOE JAPAN

[VINTAGE JOE]

http://www.cats-eyes.biz/catalogue/tokai/1982/1982c.htm

TOKAI 1982 JAPAN catalog here!
its a good old days now yet still the oldies and goodies!
TOKAI still makes very goodies today in 2014 so
we shouldnt give up. they are always there good & cool!