There were two SS60s, the 3 bolt one I had, & there's also this one, basically a '66 Strat copy with 4 bolt join. Sometime in 2005 Tokai moved export model operations from Korea to China. A few Korean 2001 Limited Editions had model 's on the headstock, that could be mistaken for a serial, but these had no letter prefixes. But they seem to be very rare indeed - if you see one, grab it! Up to 2005 Korean models had no serial numbers. I had an SS60 & the tuners on that were great. Tokai Guitar Serial Number Cn ->->-> //tokai guitar serial numbers//tokai guitar serial number cntokai. If you find one of the higher level models, they have better tuners. And it's not easy to find tuners to replace the traps. But they did have those trapezoid shaped tuners, & although they're not as bad as some of the cheaper Squiers, they're not wonderful, to be brutally honest. The base models didn't have ceramic pickups, surprisingly, as the Springys & Goldstars did. The only drawback that I have found is that the vast majority of SSs you see are the base models - the SS36/SS38/SS40 - basically the same guitars at different time points as the price went up from 36,000 yen to 38,00 yen, the model number changed. So if a 70s style Strat is what you want, I would contend that you're much better off with a Silver Star - it will be a lot cheaper, & it's very likely to be better made. And unlike Fender in the 1970s, Tokai managed to make the 3 bolt neck join work due to decent engineering standards & proper quality control. In terms of quality, they were made at the same time as the Springys & Goldstars so the quality is the same. The serial number with 7 digits (second being 0) suggests a 1980 guitar. If so, there should be a number stamped on the body end of the fretboard. There's no headstock plug which seems to suggest an earlier guitar. I have had three, I still have this one, a 1982 SS40. The 7okai logo was carried on into 83 when it was changed to the TOKAI block logo. The SSs were only released onto the Japanese internal market, so we have only seen them in the West when they have been imported privately from Japan.

Tokai guitar serial number