Tokai TST50 Stratocaster 1983 in Fiesta Red - 40 years on, the guitar that changed it all for me!

 

The Tokai TST50 in Fiesta Red -

One of my top guitars of all time!

On Monday 19th November 1983, I purchased a guitar that change everything for me - the Tokai TST50 Stratocaster in Fiesta Red for £199 from ABC Music in Surrey. 40 years later, I am still enjoying a couple these fine 1983 guitars, both in Fiesta Red.

For some years starting in the 1970's, I had been making do with unsuitable guitars whilst learning to play and because I had no money to buy a decent one. Occasionally I would be able to get my hands on someone else's guitar to try and to realise what I was missing or what was eluding me.

The controversial Tokai TST50 -

it outclassed the Fender guitars of the day  

I was ideally looking for a guitar suitable for the playing I wanted to do and the sound I wanted to create. In those pre-internet days, that meant looking at guitar magazines, visiting guitar shops and hoping the advice from the shop was good and not from someone looking to offload a guitar.

                                       1985 on stage with the Tokai TST-50 guitar

In 1980 when I was 14, the Shadows released an album called String of Hits and this was the right sound at the right time for me to aspire to playing and creating, for a short time, this was mostly attempted on a Starway Stratocaster copy guitar borrowed from my English Teacher at school. 

                                      1985 at the Hope Pub in Richmond, London 

                                                playing the Tokai TST-50 guitar

The Shadows at that time were recently back on tour and in the singles charts with singles from the string of hits album such as Don't cry for me Argentina and theme from the Deerhunter, I could see on their television performances and hear on the record a guitar style and sound I wanted to perform - that of the Shadows lead guitarist Hank Marvin.

1983 Tokai TST50 - the equal of the pre-CBS 1959 Stratocaster

The string of hits LP cover had artwork by a studio called Cream, and their album art was a joy in itself to look at, clever, stylish and just outstanding.

By early 1982, I was now playing often in various short lived bands with people at school, I was round my friend Dave Kent's house when he played me a 7 inch single from 1960, called 'Apache.' Like many before me, it had changed their playing and Dave and I listened to this single again and again, the 7 inch record material seemed to give it a special resonance, almost ethereal. What a fantastic sound. Dave purchased a used Musima guitar made in the GDR which was sort of Stratocaster like and had a trem arm.

The Shadows first album from 1961 -

it features Hank's first Stratocaster on the cover -

It would take me 17 years to get the same 1959 year guitar 

After leaving school, some months later I got back in touch with Dave around late 1983, I had only then recently purchased the Tokai, at the time I was working in London on an evening shift for a wine company, so in the mornings I had the time to myself and one Monday in November 1983 went to buy this great guitar so I could try and emulate the Hank Marvin sound I was after, whilst the house was empty.

The price of the guitar at £199 was then for me 4 weeks wages for this new icon and worth all of it. Getting home that day with the guitar in a cardboard box under my arm, which I had walked home 2 miles with, I only had a brief time to try it  out.

I plugged it in and briefly played along with a Shadows record. This was the sound and the right looking guitar. It even looked like Hank Marvin's guitar. This was the start of a journey. 40 years later it is still inspiring me to play.

The Shadows String of Hits album from 1980 - 

I was lucky to find this signed copy on sale

Soon enough with 3 schoolfriends and Dave's brother, we had ourselves a small band going and for a few years made a lot of noise down at the local youth club! I was meanwhile learning the Hank Marvin style and have been doing the same thing since.

Hank Marvin playing his 1958 Stratocaster in the late 1980's

Recently I put a book together with pictures of every guitar I have owned since 1977, it was called 150 guitars later, because that is where I am now, 150 guitars on from 1983.

A barely played 1983 one owner TST50 with rare decal mistake!

One thing is for sure the Tokai TST50 is one of the great guitars I have owned and has been seldom equalled. Nowadays I have 2 of these TST50's to hand, both from 1983. Next to a maple neck 1959 Stratocaster I restored in 1999, the Tokai is on a par with that, not much else is, except the recent Mexican made 50's guitars from 2018 onwards.

Playing eat again on the 19th November 40 years on, it is still one of the best guitars ever.

Hank B Marvin and the first Fender Stratocaster in the UK - Thanks to Cliff Richard, pop music was changed forever!

Shadows guitarist Hank Marvin with Fiesta red Fender Stratocasters -

picture in 1959 and around 1999

Think of a red Fender Stratocaster, perhaps a common sight today, but in 1959 the sight of one was a sensation. And Shadows guitarist Hank B. Marvin was said to be the first owner of such an instrument. This guitar changed the course of 1960's pop music, made possible by Hank's talent and Cliff Richard's generosity.

Hank Marvin, Jet Harris and Bruce Welch of the Shadows in 1960

Black and white photography was the norm in 1960, splashes of colour print were fairly uncommon except on magazine covers. Which is why very few colour pictures of Hank's original guitar exist, mostly on record sleeves.

Cliff Richard wearing the famous pink jacket and Hank's guitar

So, what was special about this guitar? Most guitars around in the UK were cheaply made and poorly made by today's standards, unless you could buy a quality often American made instrument.

Cliff Richard and his MK2 Drifters - Hank Marvin totes an Antoria guitar

Hank Marvin's emerging guitar talent was shaped by the receipt of a top of the range Fender Stratocaster in 1959, no. 34,346 to be precise. Featuring Fiesta red paint, Gold plated hardware and an attractive Birdseye Maple neck, it was modern and brilliant.

Matching suits, business like stagecraft and great talent - 

These factors put Cliff Richard and his Shadows at the forefront of British pop music

It made everything else look staid and out of date. When Hank plugged it in to a Vox Echo machine and a Vox AC15 amplifier, he was quickly able to grasp the possibilities it offered. A superior tone, ease of playing, ease of comfort to the player and the look, that was almost as important as anything. That great, functional and modern design.

The Shadows first album cover featured their Fender guitars -

Their early picture sleeves were almost a showcase for Fender instruments

The Fender Stratocaster was a triumph of design, of form and function. It endures today, having seen off many pretenders to its crown. Designed in 1953, first produced in 1954, by 1959, Hank's was at the pinnacle of development. 

Cliff playing Apache on Hank's guitar 1960 Cliff's ATV show

From 1959, many schoolbooks started to acquire doodles of that curious looking guitar. Many young people were wanting to own that guitar and play like Hank. The guitar, its sound and what Hank was doing with his playing style would spur many future big names to take up the guitar - Brian May for one.

Cliff Richard and the Shadows on their 50th anniversary final tour

Six decades on, Hank still produces great music on a Stratocaster

For Hank Marvin, that fabled red Stratocaster built him a career, paved the way for artists including the Beatles to follow a career in pop music. If you own one of these great guitars, you'll know why they are so great!

Hank Marvin Custom Shop 1959 Fiesta Red Stratocaster Greg Fessler Master Builder guitar review

Greg Fessler Master Builder Custom Shop NOS 1959 Fiesta Red Stratocaster review

This incarnation of the 1959 Stratocaster is a limited run guitar, with some of its features based on the 1959 Stratocaster that British instrumental guitar player Hank Marvin of the Shadows played from 1959-late 1961. 

If you're not familiar with Hank's playing, he is worth checking out for his signature guitar sound and technique that launched thousands of bands in the 1960's. See more pictures and info on Hank's guitar below this review.

Hank B. Marvin of the Shadows in 1960

with his famous 1959 Fiesta Red Stratocaster

This Greg Fessler 1959 Master builder Stratocaster is a great looking guitar, supplied in variation on the original style tweed case with red plush lining. It looks like the guitar that British guitarist Hank Marvin played between 1959 to 1961, which helped create the demand for Fiesta red guitars outside of the US in the 1960's and is certain to appeal to players emulating his style.

When you open the case you're greeted by an eyeful of a glorious fiesta red paint, Birdseye maple and gold plated parts. Much the same amazement ensues as when Hank opened the case of his 1959 for the first time over 60 years ago. 

The guitar is in NOS - New Old Stock finish, so looks 'as new' but brought forward to the modern day. Like you just opened the case on a 1959 guitar.

This is it! the complete package from the Fender Custom shop 
now includes a build sheet in a Custom Shop embossed folder (front).

The basic shopping list starts with a 2 piece Alder body, finished in Fiesta Red cellulose, a 2AA Birdseye Maple neck in a light honey tint lacquer which is not too dark and looks great, not too much 'pippiness' to the Birdseye Maple and there are lovely shimmers of flame in the Maple too.

The fiesta red has the right colour shade which takes on different hues 
in different lights, just like the original guitars from the era. 
The shade for the 59 was replicated from the original DuPont paint Coral Red colour.

Gold hardware abounds from screws to metal parts which gives it that look of quality and the gold really sets off the red and the maple neck. 

The neck is a 21 fret vintage style but augmented with medium frets which are easy to play and features a 9.5" radius, not 'vintage' but easier to play and that enhances the playing experience. 

The 2AA Maple is attractively finished in a light honey tint cellulose lacquer which has a deep shine. The profile is described as '1960 oval' (which is similar to the modern Stratocaster 'C' shape), derived from a revised shape introduced in late 1958 superceding the 'V' boat hull shape neck of the earlier 56-57 Stratocasters and is a playing improvement over the chunkier feel of the earlier necks. 

The neck is a nice and easy play, the fretboard looks visually flatter than a true 1958 7.5" radius and playing is easier than a V shape or a sharper 7.5" radius vintage profile board, so the trade off is valid, why make life harder? 

(The 1956 Custom shop Stratocaster in contrast features a really chubby D section neck and is not as comfortable to play which is why I sold mine. It was ok as a guitar, but this 59 has just a much easier playing neck and quite a few people have identified the 56 neck as less easy to play.)

Strings are Fender 10's and I changed these right away for D'Addario 10-46's which are lighter string tension and what I fit to quite a few of my guitars and changed again to 9-42 D'Addario strings which has improved the guitar for me, I also use their 9-42 sets on other Stratocasters I own. I find this make and also the Ernie Ball 10's strings do very well and last. 

Classic appointments from the pre-CBS era

The electronics are taken care of with a set of Fat 50's pickups which are slightly hotter than the standard 50's set. The fitment of a 5 way switch from standard is much welcome, (the 1956 Custom shop in contrast I owned was fitted with a 3 way switch as standard and includes a 5 way in the accessories, a measure that means it is often changed right away). A vintage tone circuit with modification is fitted to the 1959.

Soundwise, these pickups are very close to the originals, they give a great sound and that is what it is all about. 

Out of the box:

For a big ticket guitar this one wasn't set up much at all which was a disappointment for a guitar of this price level, however I was able to do the work. The neck was right but the rest of it needed adjustment. So, off came the strings and on with the D'addario 10's. I had to adjust the bridge height and the saddle heights, plus cut the nut slots deeper to get the strings lower at the first fret. 

The bridge now has the 2-3mm height from the body and the trem works nicely. 

The 10's felt a bit inflexible so I changed them for D'Addario 9-42's and this has improved the guitar all round, the neck relief is better and the string heights are lower. The guitar plays very nicely now.

Do remember to insert the small spring from the spare springs pack in the brown envelope in the case pack into the Trem arm hole as this helps push the trem arm upwards and loads the arm end against the threads so the arm doesn't droop. Otherwise the arm winds in too far before you get resistance and wears the block threads out quicker.

Build quality:

The build quality is very good, the finish is vey good and there is really nothing to fault here.

Hardware:

Its the usual appointments here, but the gold plated metal parts really set it off. The machine heads are Fender stamped Kluson type units and you can see they have been greased, which the Mexican 50's and 60's guitars don't show any evidence of greasing. The machine heads are smooth in action.

Value for money:

A matter of opinion to some but this is a big ticket buy for many people and it has obvious appeal to certain players. It is not a cheap guitar but people who are likely to buy this are doing if for the Hank Marvin look and sound.

Overall evaluation:

A nice re-creation of a 1959 style guitar with some modern updates. Not a cheap guitar, but it is likely to appeal to some for what it portrays - a replication of Hank Marvin's original guitar (albeit not publicised as such). It has the look and a great sound which is the ideal combination. Mine should have been set up better but at least I was able do that. The poor set up may be detrimental in some people's view, but is fixable and was an oversight by the guitar shop. No real problem as I was able to do the adjustment.

Would I buy this again?

Yes. It is the perfect guitar I was after back in 1983 - Hank Marvin's Stratocaster, replicated in almost every respect. That's why I bought this one and chose it from the 7 on offer because it closely matched the wood grain on the original guitar, besides the colour etc.

The flatter board makes playing easier, although I do find that the modern Mexican reissues from 2015 onwards have very nice necks and play almost as well.

The lack of set up was not a big issue, I was able to do the work and it now plays like it should, it sounds and looks the part and I am very pleased with it. 

Most will likely buy for the Hank Marvin / Shadows connection, or for the look, the colour combination here is excellent.

The original 1959 guitar:

Cliff Richard (now Sir Cliff Richard), a British pop singer from 1958 organised the purchase of a 1959 Fender Stratocaster for Hank Marvin the lead guitarist of his backing band the Shadows.

This guitar literally launched a thousand bands or more. Thanks to the generosity of Cliff Richard, the fortunes of Fender instrument sales mushroomed in Europe and beyond. It also launched the Shadows into a career that would last for decades.

When guitarist Hank Marvin combined the guitar with a VOX AC15 amplifier and Meazzi echo machine, a signature sound was born. 

Immediately upon the release of the Shadows' single 'Apache' in June 1960 which went to Number 1, it heralded the launch of an instrumental pop music boom in the UK. 

It also inspired players like George Harrison, Brian May, Mark Knopfler and many others who would become famous in their own right years later, to take up the guitar.

From this seed many players would follow Hank's technique, learning from his recordings.

The original Hank Marvin Stratocaster guitar like our 59 here was Fiesta Red with a Birdseye Maple neck and fitted with gold hardware. 

The guitar was a sensation, it was said to be the first Stratocaster in private hands in the UK at the time. The importance of Cliff Richard's generosity in the gift of that guitar is immeasurable. 

Cliff was also instrumental so to speak in pushing their A&R man and producer Norrie Paramor into having the Shadows cut an instrumental single of their own, the resulting A side, 'Apache' written by Jerry Lordan, changed guitar history and is said to be the best guitar instrumental piece ever recorded and one of the most recorded guitar instrumentals.

Hank Marvin enjoyed a career that still continues, living in Australia has curtailed the Shadows performances away from his home there, but he still plays live over there.

Recapture the magic with this new creation of his 1959 guitar in all but signature version!

A rare picture of Cliff Richard with Hank's original 59 Stratocaster

Cliff was being measured for this pink jacket in a Soho tailor's in 1958 when he formally met Hank Marvin and Bruce Welch, who went on to play with Cliff for decades until 2009. 

Jet Harris (left) and Hank with Hank's original 59 Stratocaster

from the Shadows first album LP cover

From the Shadows to the fore EP cover -

These record covers served as free advertising for Fender!

Guitar reviews for you - The VOX AC30 amplifier

                                        

                                                                                 

The classic look of the VOX AC30 amplifier

There can be few amplifiers more classic looking and revered than the VOX AC30 twin.

The staple of many groups of the 1960's, they were first used by Cliff Richard's backing band The Shadows in 1960 to give us the classic sounds we still enjoy today.

In fact the Shadows were instrumental in the development of the AC30, they needed something that could give them enough volume to be heard over the screaming fans of the early 1960's venues.

Groups such as the Rolling Stones, Beatles and Monkees all used the classic looking amplifier.

Essentially a valve driven amplifier with an optional Top Boost which later became standard, the AC30 was a loud amplifier, equivalent to a 100 watt job.

In the 1970's the move to solid state under new company ownership was less than well received by musicians and the popularity was damaged, indeed around this time, boutique amplifier makers such as the Mesa Boogie brand became popular, further woes to the brands that had failed to move with the times. A somewhat ironic outcome as 'reissues' of the classic amplifiers are all the rage.

I did have an AC30, a 1990's reissue which was mighty heavy and quite a thing but I moved to using an AC15 which was more manageable. The 15 and 30 were both the classic reissue and both had tremolo, the 15 had reverb too both being foot switchable.

The alternative for me now is a VOX AD120 which gives me the look and sound of the AC30 but is lighter to move and also has many modelling possibilities of other amplifier makes.

The AC30 still has its adherents in the tribute band and for those who follow the Shadows and 60's bands, originals and reissues alike fetch good prices. But  my personal view is I can get the look and sound from the AD amplifiers so that is my choice, having owned the 15 and 30.

Guitar reviews for you - Tokai TST50 Stratocaster in Fiesta Red 1983 lawsuit model

                                         

Tokai TST50 (lower) and Fender 59 Stratocaster (top)

The best maple neck Stratocaster that Fender made originally was the 1958 and 59 models. The slim C-shape neck was a joy to play and players like Buddy Holly and Hank Marvin of the Shadows.

In the 1970's a bloated CBS run Fender Musical Instruments suddenly became aware of a whole industry of Asian usurpers who were making guitars like theirs only better. Having owned a 75 Stratocaster and a 1983 Tokai, the Tokai is the better guitar.

The TST50 really hit the UK market bigtime in 1983 and 1984 although it had been in production since 1982. Essentially it was a replica of the 58/59 Fender Stratocaster. Having been precisely measured from a 1950's original, it could not fail to be a highly playable and amazing sounding instrument. It did not disappoint.

With a slim C shape neck, deep cut out contours on the body, it was a revelation. If you going to buy a copy, this high end guitar was going to be it. Until they fell foul of a trademark word on the strapline of their decal and Fender took action.

The original Tokai guitars had the Tokai name in a 'spaghetti' style as on the vintage guitars, during legal action, the logo became a block letter logo. It later reverted to a spaghetti style.

Essentially, Tokai had replicated the original Fender Stratocaster to a degree that was unheard of, having to change some wording to escape easy pickings for a lawyer, at a distance, the guitars looked like the real thing.

Although now available again with the Fender headstock shape that they had been forced to abandon in the 90's, the guitars are essentially superb as they ever were.

Original Tokai TST50's were £199 in 1983 with an optional tweed hard case at £50 on top. Second hand these guitars are around £400-900 depending on age, condition and finish.

They are amazing to play and I regret selling my first one and had to wait 18 years to find another. So if you do see one for sale, they are a good investment as well as player.