In 1989 there was a weird 5 digit system, but yours and this one has the brass ground plate that was phased out in 1987.Īlso, it has an = sign stamped on the neck which was gone by 1985. The numbering system from 1982-1985 was a Fender style system based on the model.ĥ digit serial number in 1984 should be a maple U neck, but yours is rosewood. I found another one like yours, so it is not a fluke, but it is very confusing. It thus fits with the serial numbers given in the article.

The pots on my Goldstar can be dated to May 1984 (45), it seems likely then, that my guitar was produced late 84 or early 85. These old Alpha-pots has a production date (year and month). Then yesterday I read this article about dating Burny’s and Fernandes by looking at the pots. This fits somewhat with the V1-pickups (I think I read once that V1 was in the Goldstar from late 84 until somewhere in 86). If I apply this to my Goldstar that would make it an early 85 or late 84. The serial number is 19825 (I guess that’s why the guy thought it was an 1982). Would have loved a 'Rock'n Roll Fanatics', but finding one of those left handed. 1) pickups and the headstock text reads: 'Quality Musical Instruments of the World'. Mine is a left handed ST-50 or ST-55 (I’m not sure if 3 tone burst is a special color) 50s style, all maple neck, 7,25” radius, ground soldered to shielding plate, round string tree, 8-screw single ply scratch plate, open slotted tuners, greyback V1 (Vintage mk. However I am interested in finding a way to date these old Tokai’s across the board (at the source if you will), so it can be applied to both American, Asian and European Tokais – they all came out of the same factory so there must be a system. The pickup-theory (E,U, VI, VII) and routing-theory applies better. I live in Denmark and the whole headstock-theory doesn’t really apply in Europe. I have been trying to date the guitar since. The guy or some guy before him has entered this guitar into the Tokai registry as an 1982 (I find the Tokai registry to be mostly useless) and this is all wrong but there is no way to change it. Anyway the price was okay and being left handed these guitars are rare ( any cool old guitar is rare when you shop left handed) so I bought it right away. The guy selling it claimed it was an 1982 – I knew this to be all wrong and guessed the guitar was built later.

Tokai guitar serial number checker