New Bass Day - a 2021 Tokai Made in Japan Hard Puncher.

[Jackopie1]

Hi all,

 

I'm pretty new here, and new basses do not come around too often for me, so I'm excited to share this - a new Made in Japan Hard Puncher TPB97.

 

But first - what a lovely, respectful community you have here; I've thoroughly enjoyed stumbling upon this website, and the couple of dealings I've had with people on the marketplace have been first class.

 

I love Ps, and have only gigged on two basses prior to this - a second-hand Godin PJ that lasted me 15 years before age-induced niggles made it worth upgrading, and an American Fender pro ii precision, which I owned for a year, but never really gelled with (and a number of little quality control issues were enough to put me off - although that's a story for another day).

 

Since summer, I've been getting around the country, visiting shops, and generally playing as many Ps as I could get my hands on. It's been great fun, making a day of it with friends on a number of occasions. This Tokai was one of the first I played, and for me, none of the subsequent Ps I played felt or sounded as right to me. It also has a feel of sturdiness and quality to it, that many of the basses I played did not.

 

The fit and finish are genuinely first class, and it has a hand-wound pickup apparently, which has a really resonant, piano-like vibe. It cost just north of a grand, so not exactly cheap, but it is lovely. Apparently, Tokai do a factory setup, and then export models get a second set-up at the closest distribution centre to the shop, so it has a nice action out of the case.

 

It was very hard to find anything at all about newer Tokai basses online, or on English speaking forums, so hopefully this will be useful to someone who is curious about their quality. I also played some of the cheaper new Made in China Tokais, which were not nearly as nice.

 

I've had it for a week, and I'm not gigging until NYE now, but can't wait!

 

All in all, just a very well made P Bass, but for those who like some specs:

 

 

U-shaped neck, but it measures 22mm at the first fret, so not too chunky. It suits me just right.

 

42mm nut.

 

Rosewood fretboard.

 

It comes with Gotoh hardware, GHS boomers on it, and has a compound radius (7.25 - 10).

 

The only downside so far is that the tweed case it comes with looks lovely, but there is a bit of play in the sides, and I wonder how sturdy it will be long term.

 

 

[Reggaebass]

I’ve got a Tokai jazz in a case that I must dig out again , but I’ve never tried their precisions, that looks really nice, great find 👍

[PaulThePlug]

Great reading 'hapiness-found' posts.

Compound Radius... Nice...

Edited December 11, 2022 by PaulThePlug

[Lozz196]

 Beautiful dark wood ‘board on that 

[Bassfinger]

Handsome!

[crazycloud]

If I wanted a very traditional P bass, this would definitely be top of my list as I've owned a couple of older versions and really liked them. That's saying a lot from me as I don't generally like traditional P basses, and I'm happy to hear the modern versions are just as good.

 

Congratulations on the new bass and I hope you have a lot of fun with it.

[Jackopie1]

8 hours ago, Lozz196 said:

 Beautiful dark wood ‘board on that 

Thanks! It's a little thing, but I'm a sucker for rosewood. 

[King Tut]

Looks really nice. I know the early ones had a great reputation but you doing hear a lot about their more recent offerings so thanks for the review!

 

 

[kodiakblair]

On 11/12/2022 at 11:31, Jackopie1 said:

This Tokai was one of the first I played, and for me, none of the subsequent Ps I played felt or sounded as right to me. It also has a feel of sturdiness and quality to it, that many of the basses I played did not.

Back in the 80's I was shopping for a Fender P. Played a bunch of them then , just for something to gauge against, tried a Tokai HP.

 

Never gave Fender a 2nd thought for the next 30 years 😃

 

Congratulations on your wise choice. 

[Bassassin]

Lovely bass! Stop me if you already know this but Tokai Gakki was one of the two factories which made Crafted In Japan Fenders from the mid 90s until 2015, the other being Dyna Gakki. The Tokai factory in Hamamatsu has a stellar reputation, going back to the replica-standard clones of Fenders & Gibsons they produced from the mid 70s onwards. Not surprised it's a good 'un.

[TheGreek]

IIRC didn't @Sibobhave an older one for sale a while back?

 

As @Bassassin says,  they are highly regarded.  I must try one.

 

[Sibob]

16 minutes ago, TheGreek said:

IIRC didn't @Sibobhave an older one for sale a while back?

 

As @Bassassin says,  they are highly regarded.  I must try one.

 

Not me I'm afraid.

Lovely looking Precision though!

Si

[petecarlton]

I've always wanted to try one of these - their reputation is first-class and yours looks wonderful.

 

Have fun with it!

[TheGreek]

2 hours ago, Sibob said:

Not me I'm afraid.

Lovely looking Precision though!

Si

 

Sorry,  it was @mustafunk1

 

 

[Jackopie1]

3 hours ago, Bassassin said:

Lovely bass! Stop me if you already know this but Tokai Gakki was one of the two factories which made Crafted In Japan Fenders from the mid 90s until 2015, the other being Dyna Gakki. The Tokai factory in Hamamatsu has a stellar reputation, going back to the replica-standard clones of Fenders & Gibsons they produced from the mid 70s onwards. Not surprised it's a good 'un.

I had no idea they were being used by Fender so recently. Good to know! 

[Grahambythesea]

Had no idea they were still manufacturing in Japan. I suppose therefore it came with a Japanese price tag?

[Jackopie1]

23 hours ago, Grahambythesea said:

Had no idea they were still manufacturing in Japan. I suppose therefore it came with a Japanese price tag?

Yeah, it wasn't xheap. £1,050. 

[soulstar89]

On 11/12/2022 at 11:31, Jackopie1 said:

Hi all,

 

I'm pretty new here, and new basses do not come around too often for me, so I'm excited to share this - a new Made in Japan Hard Puncher TPB97.

 

But first - what a lovely, respectful community you have here; I've thoroughly enjoyed stumbling upon this website, and the couple of dealings I've had with people on the marketplace have been first class.

 

I love Ps, and have only gigged on two basses prior to this - a second-hand Godin PJ that lasted me 15 years before age-induced niggles made it worth upgrading, and an American Fender pro ii precision, which I owned for a year, but never really gelled with (and a number of little quality control issues were enough to put me off - although that's a story for another day).

 

Since summer, I've been getting around the country, visiting shops, and generally playing as many Ps as I could get my hands on. It's been great fun, making a day of it with friends on a number of occasions. This Tokai was one of the first I played, and for me, none of the subsequent Ps I played felt or sounded as right to me. It also has a feel of sturdiness and quality to it, that many of the basses I played did not.

 

The fit and finish are genuinely first class, and it has a hand-wound pickup apparently, which has a really resonant, piano-like vibe. It cost just north of a grand, so not exactly cheap, but it is lovely. Apparently, Tokai do a factory setup, and then export models get a second set-up at the closest distribution centre to the shop, so it has a nice action out of the case.

 

It was very hard to find anything at all about newer Tokai basses online, or on English speaking forums, so hopefully this will be useful to someone who is curious about their quality. I also played some of the cheaper new Made in China Tokais, which were not nearly as nice.

 

I've had it for a week, and I'm not gigging until NYE now, but can't wait!

 

All in all, just a very well made P Bass, but for those who like some specs:

 

 

U-shaped neck, but it measures 22mm at the first fret, so not too chunky. It suits me just right.

 

42mm nut.

 

Rosewood fretboard.

 

It comes with Gotoh hardware, GHS boomers on it, and has a compound radius (7.25 - 10).

 

The only downside so far is that the tweed case it comes with looks lovely, but there is a bit of play in the sides, and I wonder how sturdy it will be long term.

 

 

funny i saw this. Just before xmas i went into central london and took a trip to denmark street. First popped in wunjo's and tried some new fender P basses (pro ii,50's vintera). i then went into rose morris a couple doors down. They had the exact Pbass you bought in store. I was blown away how well if felt and played compared to the new fenders. 

 

I decided i wanted to head to the bass gallery and compare to a JV 1983 pb62 fender MIJ. i also tried some fender 70's p basses and the tokai was the the most comfortable to play and just felt right. a 70's P with a ash body rosewood neck was second. 

 

whats interesting is the pick ups are alnico 2 rather than alnico 5. I probably preferred the sound of the ash body ever so slightly but my lord it was amazing to play. Felt setup where the others felt stiff 

[Jackopie1]

4 hours ago, soulstar89 said:

funny i saw this. Just before xmas i went into central london and took a trip to denmark street. First popped in wunjo's and tried some new fender P basses (pro ii,50's vintera). i then went into rose morris a couple doors down. They had the exact Pbass you bought in store. I was blown away how well if felt and played compared to the new fenders. 

 

I decided i wanted to head to the bass gallery and compare to a JV 1983 pb62 fender MIJ. i also tried some fender 70's p basses and the tokai was the the most comfortable to play and just felt right. a 70's P with a ash body rosewood neck was second. 

 

whats interesting is the pick ups are alnico 2 rather than alnico 5. I probably preferred the sound of the ash body ever so slightly but my lord it was amazing to play. Felt setup where the others felt stiff 

That's great! Rose Morris is such a great shop.

 

I really did like some of the Japanese pb62s that we tried, too.

 

I've had a chance to gig with it a couple of times now, and take it to a few practices, and it really is lovely in those settings. Nice and punchy - lives up to its name.

 

What is the difference between Alcino 2 and Alcno 5? My knowledge of different p pickups is not great.

[bloke_zero]

On 07/01/2023 at 21:55, Jackopie1 said:

 

What is the difference between Alcino 2 and Alcno 5? My knowledge of different p pickups is not great.

Alnico 2, 3 & 5 are a magnet type (aluminum, nickel and cobalt compund) with the number being 'strength' or softness. 5 is most used on bass, 2 is slightly softer - I'm more familiar with that on guitar. Good read here: https://www.fender.com/articles/tech-talk/what-are-alnico-pickups

 

[soulstar89]

On 07/01/2023 at 21:55, Jackopie1 said:

That's great! Rose Morris is such a great shop.

 

I really did like some of the Japanese pb62s that we tried, too.

 

I've had a chance to gig with it a couple of times now, and take it to a few practices, and it really is lovely in those settings. Nice and punchy - lives up to its name.

 

What is the difference between Alcino 2 and Alcno 5? My knowledge of different p pickups is not great.

that's great. would you say the sound is very different to fender p basses in a gig, practice settings?

 

yeah rose morris is a great shop. i don't know why but everytime i go to morris i play well lol. I also went to guitar guitar in camden and tried the new fender original vintage ii 60's p bass, the vintera 50's p bass (i really like this) and some custom shop p bass. the tokai just played better like it was already set up. 

 

where did try the Japanese pb62's? its tricky to find in london/uk.

 

I had zero knowledge myself. i did a google search and its to do with the strength of the magnet. apparently alnico 2 have a warmer sound with slightly less output compared to alnico 5. maybe tokai over wind the pickups and to compensate. who knows. they are definitely more punchy than fender pick ups. I would love to try a maple neck hardpuncher. I have been listening to paul jackson on herbie handcock's the flood live album in japan. My lord its amazing. gutted i found it so late  

 

 

[bloke_zero]

20 minutes ago, soulstar89 said:

I have been listening to paul jackson on herbie handcock's the flood live album in japan. My lord its amazing. gutted i found it so late  

At least you found it though. He was a monster player. I love the crazy part he plays on Chameleon - always shifting, always funky.

[soulstar89]

29 minutes ago, bloke_zero said:

At least you found it though. He was a monster player. I love the crazy part he plays on Chameleon - always shifting, always funky.

my days that is so weird you bring it up. i had that section on repeat all day yesterday. its insane. a legend. mikey clarke the drummer is unreal also. just a amazing album. I listening to it as i work now lol

[Jackopie1]

On 10/01/2023 at 09:15, soulstar89 said:

that's great. would you say the sound is very different to fender p basses in a gig, practice settings?

 

yeah rose morris is a great shop. i don't know why but everytime i go to morris i play well lol. I also went to guitar guitar in camden and tried the new fender original vintage ii 60's p bass, the vintera 50's p bass (i really like this) and some custom shop p bass. the tokai just played better like it was already set up. 

 

where did try the Japanese pb62's? its tricky to find in london/uk.

 

I had zero knowledge myself. i did a google search and its to do with the strength of the magnet. apparently alnico 2 have a warmer sound with slightly less output compared to alnico 5. maybe tokai over wind the pickups and to compensate. who knows. they are definitely more punchy than fender pick ups. I would love to try a maple neck hardpuncher. I have been listening to paul jackson on herbie handcock's the flood live album in japan. My lord its amazing. gutted i found it so late  

 

 

The 62s were fairly local on Ebay and FB Marketplace. There are a load at Fender Fever, which is in London, too.

 

That's interesting about the pickups - it does tally with what I've experienced so far with gigging and at home. It is sort of smoother in that there is possibly a little less clank than some of the Fender Ps I tried, but like you say, there is more punch there, to my un-expert ears at least! 

 

And wow - that live album is great. Really like Herbie Hancock, but haven't listened to much live Headhunters/Thrust stuff at all. Great recommendation - thanks!

 

Another thing - I've noticed my EBS Octaver tracks it really very well - no glitching on the D and G strings beneath the 5th fret, and follows the E string down to a low Ab. Not sure if that's to do with the bass, or the pedal, though.

 

Edited January 22, 2023 by Jackopie1
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