Tokai Custom Edition TST50 Mermaid Green 1987
Tokai Custom Edition Strat style, refinished to green metallic flake, made in Japan circa 1987. Here's a pretty special piece! This one arrived with a pretty questionable coat of 'fiesta red' over the original white, so we enlisted our local guitar finishing specialist to give it a new lease on life. It's been stripped in refinished in an extraordinary coat of green metallic flake: heck, it looks absolutely superb in the shop and will surely look even better on stage. It's a thin, high quality poly topcoat over flake and a black base... superbly cool, surely. Tokai's Custom Edition line is a bit mysterious; it only pops up in the catalogs briefly in 1987 approx without a lot of supporting details. The consensus seems to be that these were made-to-order or limited run type offerings, made with 70s style appointments and built to an outrageously high standard. The neck on this is crazy: it's a slim C style shape, quatersawn maple with gorgeous concentric grain, paired with a gorgeous open-pore dark choc rosewood board... yum. It feels incredible too, there's just something about it in the hands. The body is light and resonant too, it's got a really sweet liveliness to it even before you plug it in. The tone is great too: heaps of bark and attack, bitey and sizzling on the bridge and middle pickups or thick and creamy on the neck, always with plenty of definition and a natural fatness. We've dubbed this the 'Mermaidcaster', so I'll leave you with some spooky classic T.S. Eliot: “I have heard the mermaids singing, each to each.
I do not think that they will sing to me.”
Model: Tokai Custom Edition TST50
Made: Japan, 1987 approx (no serial on these, dated by catalog)
Finish: green flake over black
Body: alder
Neck: maple with rosewood board, 25.5" scale, 7.25" radius
Weight: 3.555kg
Mods: refinished by Wellwood Guitars (Hobart Australia)
Pickups: Tokai 'Standard Vintage Alnico' single coil x3
Case: none
Cosmetic condition notes: minor finish wear. Headstock has some minor dimples on the end and bottom edge. Neck is nice and clean, no major marks, just a few dimples on the back. The body is freshly painted as noted, so it's presently free from marks. Overall: excellent condition (7/10)
Playing condition notes: Action is low, neck is straight, intonation is good, truss rod works. All electrics tested and working properly. Frets are in great shape, minor wear only, 9/10 for fret life left. Wearing fresh 10/46 Moonshiners strings.