Tokai Guitars

2018 Medicore Guitar Player
Magazine

I used to be an avid reader and subscriber of most of the guitar publications.

From the Tokai Catalog

I recall that sometime in the late 1970’s I came across advertisements for some guitars that looked spot-on like a Fender Stratocaster, but the name on the headstock said Tokai.

Tokai Alvin Lee Model

As time went on there were more Tokai ads, but not just for Strat copies, there were copies of Telecasters, Les Pauls, ES-335’s, SG Standards and Juniors, Flying Vee’s, Explorers, and others. These guitars appeared between 1977 through 1978. I was gobsmacked that Fender and Gibson allowed these outright copies of their products to be sold.

However in June of 1977, the Gibson Guitar Company (Norlin) filed a lawsuit against Elger Music of Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania.

Letter to dealers regarding suit

Why Elger Music you may ask? It is a long story that started when the owner of the Elger Music store, Harry Rosenbloom was frustrated that the nearby Martin Guitar Company would not award his business a franchise. He hired some luthiers and built his own guitars under the Elger brand name. And I must say, his Elger guitars were very impressive. The venture lasted about a year, when Mr. Rosenbloom realized this was too expensive.

He contracted with Hoshino Gakki Gen of Japan to build and ship acoustic guitars using the Elger brand name.  Hoshino Gakki, owned the Ibanez brand, and realized they could also ship their “replica” electric guitars to his store. Hoshino purchased Rosenbloom’s business in 1971, and used it as a U.S. distribution center for Ibanez guitars.

1975-76 Lawsuit Guitars

Since the Ibanez models they sold were pretty authentic looking Gibson copy guitars, Gibson decided enough is enough. They took this opportunity to protect their intellectual property.

However, by that time, Ibanez had already made some changes to their guitars to differentiate them from Gibson. The lawsuit was settled out of court.

Tokai "Fender" headstock

From then on most Asian guitar manufacturers understood their replica, and tribute guitars needed to differentiate in some way from US made instruments, if they were going to sell them in the United States.

Since then at least until most US guitar manufacturers, including Gibson, started using Asian companies to manufacture their lower cost guitars. But I have gotten off the topic.

1960's Tokai Melodica (Pianica)

The Tokai Gakki Company of Hamamatsu City was founded in 1947 by Tadayouki Adachi. And to this day, it is still a family owned business. The company began by making harmonicas, melodicas and pianos.

1960's Tokai
Hummingbird

By 1965 the company offered classical guitars, and three years later they offered their first electric model guitar. The first model was called The Hummingbird, and was loosely based on the Mosrite Mark I and Mark II models.

1970's Conn
acoustic guitar

In 1970 they entered a three year agreement with the G.C. Conn Company, who was best known for manufacturing horns; trumpets, trombones, and saxophones. Tokai built acoustic guitars for Conn.

1972 Sigma DR-11

In 1972, Tokai entered into an agreement with the Martin Guitar Company to supply acoustic parts that would be assembled in Nazareth, Pennsylvania as the companies budget Sigma guitar line. They also built that eras Martin electric guitars.

Tokai Hummingbird banjo T-1000R

By 1973 they began producing banjos, and harpsichords. And in 1975 they offered an electric piano.

1974 Tokai
 F-150 Cats Eyes

It was in 1974 when Tokai launched it’s own brand of C.F. Martin guitar replicas, which they called Cats Eyes acoustic guitars, which are still in production.

The Tokai guitars I saw in the publications were some of the best reproductions of the day. I understand the Stevie Ray Vaughn may have owned a Tokai guitar at one point.

1979 Tokai LS-100 - Les Paul Reborn

After 1978 the models slightly changed. For example, the replica Les Paul was renamed Les Paul Reborn.

1980 Tokai Love Rock

But by 1980 the name was changed to Love Rock due to threats from Gibson and other companies.

1980 Tokai
Springy Sound ST 80

The Fender Stratocaster copies were given the name Springy Sound, which was changed to AST.

1980 Tokai Breezy Sound

The Telecaster copies were called Breezy Sound, which later became ATE.

Since the lawsuit effected American guitar, Tokai was, and is, still producing copies, for domestic production and for distribution throughout Europe, and Pacific countries.

1980's Tokai Hard Puncher Bass

Their Fender Precision Bass replica was called The Hard Puncher, and their Strat was called the 38 Special.

1983 Tokai Talbo

In 1983 Tokai did eventually come up with a very original and unique electric guitar called the Talbo or Tokai Aluminum Body.

Talbo Aluminum body

As the name says, the guitars body is made from cast aluminum. The neck is made of maple, with a rosewood fretboard, that is topped with a six-on-a-side maple headstock. This guitar included two single coil pickups, and a bridge humbucker. It also has a tremolo unit.

1985 Tokai TLS-100

Sometimes we forget that most Japanese manufactured guitars were intended for domestic use, import was a big plus for these companies. With that in mind, it is interesting to know that the names of some of the Tokai models reflected the instruments price, in Japanese currency. For example, the TLS-100 sold for 100,000 yen in Japan.


This was quite similar to Gibson’s original numerical system for the first year of manufacture; 1958. In that years the price of a Gibson ES-335 was $335.00, and a Gibson ES-175 retailed for $175.00.

2002 Fender MIJ
Telecaster by Tokai

Tokai has made guitars in their own factory, and has also built guitars for other companies. OEM contracted with Tokai. Tokai and Dyna Gakki produced the Fender Made In Japan solid-body guitars from 1997 through 2015. The more expensive Tokai guitars are made in Japan. Starting in the mid-1990’s, Tokai began building lower priced instruments in Korea.

Japanese vs Korean "Love Rock"

One distinguishing feature of the Korean made Tokai guitars is the truss rod cover. The have 3 screws. Japanese models only have 2 screws on the truss rod cover. This does not hold true for every guitar, but is a good litmus test.

Japanese vs Korean Tokai bridges

Another test is the Japanese manufactured Tokai guitars have an ABR-1 type bridge. This was the original model designed by Ted McCarty and his team back in 1954. The made-in-Korea models come with the Nashville bridge, which was designed in 1977, as an improvement, when Gibson moved its plant to Tennessee.

2015 Tokai AST90

There are not a lot of U.S. based music retailers that stock new Tokai guitars. One exception is the online site, Drowning In Guitars.

At this time, it appears that Tokai may be attempting to re-establish the brand in the United States.

Tokai Europe

However, Tokai guitars are popular in Japan, Korea, Europe, and Australia, where they are readily available.