Tokai AST-56

Lefthanded Japanese Tokai Stratocaster AST-??56, maple neck, black solid body with white controls and pickups. purchased new in Stockholm 1985. 21 frets, 5-way selector (egg positions), single coils, whammy bar, tweed case.
All the original stuff from Tokai + a newly mounted (April 2007) Roland GK 3 midipickup attached to a Roland GI 20 midi interface, makes this guitar to the ultimate multiguitar.

I??ve never used any other electric guitar since the first chord on this. I??m a multigenre composer/guitarist and with this guitar I can tweak any sound that suites me. Single coils with a noise gate is a
must though when there??s Metal on the Menu. Sustain is great, don??t feel I need any active pickups for that purpose. On stage I used it with the Roland GP 8 plugged in to a Peavey clean stereochannel 150 amp (mid 80??s-late 90??s). Now I??m using it with a Line 6 POD -> Mackie micromixer -> ESI waveterminal soundcard -> Soft guitar amp plug in my Sequencer. Sounds like a dream.

The finish is the same as it was the day I paid for it( looks like it was made yesterday). It??s shining without any scratches. Nothing to complain about 23 years later. I??ve been a very lucky man if I been made at a Tokai factory.

It did withstand live playing! It probably would stay in tune forever without the whammy bar and temperature changes.
This instrument is more reliable then my best friend.

Haven??t needed any.

I??ve been playing guitar since 1968 when I 13 years old bought a Hohner for ??40 at the same shop I bought this beauty 17 years later.
This is my mistress. I??ll treat it better than my wife (her words). My kids wouldn??t dare to even touch it. Ten yers ago when there was
a fire at the attic in the building where I live (top floor). Panic and no tme to loose the family had to flie out on the street with our most precious belongings, the kids with their guinea pigs, my wife with her purse and papers and me without any proper clothings on, you??ve presumably already guessed it, a guitarcase containing a lefthanded Tokai and nothing else. Thats what I call a good rating.
I don??t recommend anyone to steel or break this property ??couse it??s invaluable to me.

This is a mid-80's Tokai AST 56, which was made for the American Market, but the Tokai web-site forum says the TST (Japan Market) and AST are exactly the same strat. Typical strat controls, but this one has the 5 way switch. The pickups are original, cloth wired Tokai, and are great! The body is I would say yellow sunburst, three colors, black, red and yellow. Neck is a v shaped beautiful vintage tint maple with 21 frets..The bridge, tailpiec, tuners etc., all look like Fender to me. Came with a tokai tweed case with whammy bar, and a strap!!! This strat deserves a custom shop sticker!

I have 2 custom shop strats and a 2000 Amer Dlx fat strat, this one is my favorite! I use it with a 65 reissue, a cyber deluxe or whatever. The sounds and tone got from clean to dirty and I play rock, country, blues (or at least try). I love everything about this strat, it "feels" like a custom shop Fender!

My strat was set up by a guitar tech by the person I purchased it from. I changed nothing, just played it. Everything's in top notch condition and everything works! The finish has a couple small dings, but more like a closet classic than a relic.

This strat, like all my others, is tough! Stays in tune, I don't worry about the finish because it has a few dings and light pick scratches from being 20 plus years old. I did change the strap buttons to strap locks. This strat is double D dependable.

No warranty, if it needs repair or service I'll have my luthier Bill Gruggett fix it. Check out his website sometime..

Dedicated playing for three years, before that, not much. I would buy this guitar again. I love the feel, tone, reliability, and the fact that now I don't have to shell out 1500.00 or more for a Fender 56 relic. This Tokai is in that same category if not better! Don't get me wrong, I love Fenders, but this particular MIJ Tokai is just great..Get one if you can! This one's a KEEPER!

Just like the true 56 stratocaster down to the last detail. Only thing that's missing is a bridge cover that was used on the original 56. Who cares though. I had one on my Jazzmaster, but I always took it off because the strings would sometimes rub on it. Deluxe tuners, beveled magnets, patent pending bridge, etc. Made in Japan. I bought during the mid 80's. Stevie Ray Vaughn used to promote this same model. I have an old Tokai ad, proving this.

Sounds just like the real deal. I changed out the TOkai pickups. Although I figured they were probably like the originals, I put some Tex-Mex pickups in and it made all the difference in the world.

No flaws at all. Bought it straight off the shelf at local guitar shop. Set up great.

I've beat this thing around a lot and it hasn't failed me yet. NO electronic repairs needed. I either gig with this as main axe or depending on gig, keep it as a backup.

This guitar is great. I get a lot of great sounds from it and it can be very versatile. For the $, why would you want anything else in a strat style? It's got the V neck which is fun to play. Having to do it again, I certainly wouldn't rule out the 62 model they had. I liked the feel of that neck better, but it only came in Rosewood. I didn't own a maple neck guitar at the time, and wanted to have one. The maple was only availble on the 56. I could have bought the original reissue Fender 62 and 57 for a couple hundred more, but to tell you the truth, the TOkai sounded and played better. Go figure!!

I don't know if this is allowed, but, I have had this guitar for approx. 8 years and use it as my primary guitar...I have just now got curious enough to find out about it... the best I can guess is that it is a post law-suit Tokai copy of a '56 Strat....and I wouldn't trade it for love nor money.It is in every way with the exception of the head stock and the paint job a Stratocaster...Forgive me for my technical inexpertise. The neck is a solid maple neck no laminated fretboard, almost but not quite birdseye..The previous owner said that he replaced all three pickups with original Strat single coils, but, he was subject to adding more icing to the cake.<grin>
the paint job is a translucent(almost see through) candy apple red..
The case I bought it with is a tweed case but may not have come with the guitar...

I love the sound...Right now I play it through a 60 watt Dean Markley.
and have played it through several different types of Fender Reverbs..
Even played it through a Peavy Studio Chorus...Its sound is created to personal preference...
I have the option of playing a $3,000 dollar Fender and always trade back to the Tokai for its versatility
How would I rate its sound.. Hard to answer. Any guitar sound is only as good as the amp you play it through and vica versa...

Can't comment on how it was setup at the factory. The history of this guitar is unknown to me...But the way it was setup by the previous owner was excellent ... Fast action no flaws...that I can tell..
The most amazing thing is that no matter what the weather is I can take it out of the case and with maybe only slight tuning on the b and little e string...It will be in tune...

This guitar has already past the test...Through live open air concerts to the smokey over airconditioned bar rooms...
I have used it for 8 years now without a back up.
I have never replaced anything but the strings...

I have never dealt with the companyDon't know if they still exist...
Any information would be appreciated....

I have been playing for approx. 35 years..
If this guitar was stolen I would only request one thing: Send me to a prison that would let me play my guitar, because I would hunt the thief down and do him great bodily harm...(smiles)
Yes I would look for another guitar just like it...