Tokai Hardpuncher

[machinehead]

Saw a lovely Tokai Hardpuncher today. Brand new, sticker price £399. Jap built, vintage cream, matching cream/whitish headstock, maple fretboard, gold hardware, (I'm undecided about gold hardware on a P but it has a pimped look) and .......white guard.

I am tempted but I think it would look better with a tort guard.

Can you get one to fit? Would a Fender one fit?

What would be a reasonable price on this bearing in mind they stopped making them in Japan recently?

Thanks for any advice.

Frank

[Buzz]

You could get one made, there are a couple of threads about pickguards for other basses in which the companies mentioned will do you a custom guard if you send them a trace or the original to work from.

The thread's and companies escape me at the moment, but that's why we have the search function.

[Shockwave]

[quote name='machinehead' post='7328' date='May 26 2007, 09:21 PM']Saw a lovely Tokai Hardpuncher today. Brand new, sticker price £399. Jap built, vintage cream, matching cream/whitish headstock, maple fretboard, gold hardware, (I'm undecided about gold hardware on a P but it has a pimped look) and .......white guard.

I am tempted but I think it would look better with a tort guard.

Can you get one to fit? Would a Fender one fit?

What would be a reasonable price on this bearing in mind they stopped making them in Japan recently?

Thanks for any advice.

Frank[/quote]

haha thats the exact same as mine! My pickguard needed an extra few holes because its a 50's style reissue one. However i reckon a normal replacement should have the correct hole placement no problem.

Though i pimped mine out with more gold hardware. I bought mine for £360 brand new.

Heres the original post about pimping mine up.

Hey guys.

As in previous threads, I told the story of getting my beloved P bass back from a freind of mine and wanting to kit it out for 70's 80's Funk.


Before picture.,

So i went about purchasing.

A set of EMG's. £30
A gold Anodized scratchplate £15
Gold Pickup and bridge covers (The pickup one had to be gold plated as no one has ever manufactured them) £40
Gold plated thumbrest £12
Optima 24KT strings £32

The Emgs were awkward to get in and i had to rout out the wood to get the battery to fit. Plus i had to replace all the pots that came with it due to the originals being absoloutly terrible.

Too bad my camera doesant pick up gold too well but here she is!







The Emgs really give the P some treble bite which i love, Though due to the maple FB it gives a clanky bass, even more clank! Usually i would love it because of that but i wanted a Funk bass , I will get it sorted eventually! I do love the sound seriously Just need to fiddle with the action.

I'll try and post better pics at somepoint.

What do you think ?

PS i know the Jack socket is chrome, trying to find a Gold one, But hell this bass is finished practically:P

Edited May 26, 2007 by Shockwave

[machinehead]

Thanks for the very detailed reply shockwave.

And that's an excellent job you've done there. There's something cool about having a bass that no body else will have.

BTW, where did you get the gold bridge and pickup covers?

Frank

[Shockwave]

[quote name='machinehead' post='7964' date='May 28 2007, 09:53 AM']Thanks for the very detailed reply shockwave.

And that's an excellent job you've done there. There's something cool about having a bass that no body else will have.

BTW, where did you get the gold bridge and pickup covers?

Frank[/quote]

I got the bridge cover from Chguitars a ebay seller, and the pickup cover was far harder to find. I had to get an original chrome 75' colour that had been gold plated. However i do know fender make a very expensive gold cover. You have to order it through though.

[solo4652]

[quote name='Shockwave' post='7402' date='May 27 2007, 12:14 AM']haha thats the exact same as mine! My pickguard needed an extra few holes because its a 50's style reissue one. However i reckon a normal replacement should have the correct hole placement no problem.

Though i pimped mine out with more gold hardware. I bought mine for £360 brand new.

Heres the original post about pimping mine up.

Hey guys.

As in previous threads, I told the story of getting my beloved P bass back from a freind of mine and wanting to kit it out for 70's 80's Funk.


Before picture.,

So i went about purchasing.

A set of EMG's. £30
A gold Anodized scratchplate £15
Gold Pickup and bridge covers (The pickup one had to be gold plated as no one has ever manufactured them) £40
Gold plated thumbrest £12
Optima 24KT strings £32

The Emgs were awkward to get in and i had to rout out the wood to get the battery to fit. Plus i had to replace all the pots that came with it due to the originals being absoloutly terrible.

Too bad my camera doesant pick up gold too well but here she is!







The Emgs really give the P some treble bite which i love, Though due to the maple FB it gives a clanky bass, even more clank! Usually i would love it because of that but i wanted a Funk bass , I will get it sorted eventually! I do love the sound seriously Just need to fiddle with the action.

I'll try and post better pics at somepoint.

What do you think ?

PS i know the Jack socket is chrome, trying to find a Gold one, But hell this bass is finished practically:P[/quote]


Hi - I bought a new Hardpuncher just like yours for £300 last week. Great neck, and full, mellow sound. I was struggling a bit with my right hand positioning, so I put on a thumrest. Looking at your photos, I'm completely confused, because I've installed my thumbrest on the other side of (ie above ) the strings! Try as I might, I'm struggling to see why yours appears to be underneath the strings. I've probably missed something completely obvious here, but please will you help me to be less confused!?

Steve

[Lfalex v1.1]

[quote name='solo4652' post='255087' date='Aug 5 2008, 09:32 AM']Hi - I bought a new Hardpuncher just like yours for £300 last week. Great neck, and full, mellow sound. I was struggling a bit with my right hand positioning, so I put on a thumrest. Looking at your photos, I'm completely confused, because I've installed my thumbrest on the other side of (ie above ) the strings! Try as I might, I'm struggling to see why yours appears to be underneath the strings. I've probably missed something completely obvious here, but please will you help me to be less confused!?

Steve[/quote]

Ah! You did get it, then! I hope you like it!
The thumbrest below the strings is a vaguely "retro" affectation upon which one rests their index/middle fingers and plucks the strings with a slightly hooked thumb. Fine if you play like this, but few do these days! Equally fine for the retro vibe!

Fender moved the bar to above the strings, at which point it became a thumbrest between pickups and back edge of the the neck.
This is an equally legitimate position for it, and it's arguably more appropriate to the majority of players!

You haven't missed anything!!

[solo4652]

[quote name='Lfalex v1.1' post='255323' date='Aug 5 2008, 12:53 PM']Ah! You did get it, then! I hope you like it!
The thumbrest below the strings is a vaguely "retro" affectation upon which one rests their index/middle fingers and plucks the strings with a slightly hooked thumb. Fine if you play like this, but few do these days! Equally fine for the retro vibe!

Fender moved the bar to above the strings, at which point it became a thumbrest between pickups and back edge of the the neck.
This is an equally legitimate position for it, and it's arguably more appropriate to the majority of players!

You haven't missed anything!![/quote]

Yes - I talked myself into buying it - and I'm really pleased. Compared to my Yamaha, the neck is wider (good for me), yet not as thick. Left hand is thus easier. Very smooth neck finish - lovely tactile feel to it. It's fairly heavy, and a little prone to some neckdive. However, an extra-wide padded strap has just about sorted this out. Rear pup was too uncomfortable as a thumbrest, and the side of the neck was too far forward, and too close to the strings - hence my need for a thumbrest. I was able to remove the screw in the mid-top of the scratch plate and use the hole for a single-hole thumbrest. I don't do drilling...
Overall tone is warm and round. Top end lacks a little brightness, but I'm fine with that. New strings will probably help. It all feels very solid and heavy. I'm now struggling to play the narrower-necked Yamaha, but the Yamaha is a little better for funk grooves. I'll keep them both for now.

Steve

[Tait]

[quote name='solo4652' post='255087' date='Aug 5 2008, 09:32 AM']Hi - I bought a new Hardpuncher just like yours for £300 last week. Great neck, and full, mellow sound. I was struggling a bit with my right hand positioning, so I put on a thumrest. Looking at your photos, I'm completely confused, because I've installed my thumbrest on the other side of (ie above ) the strings! Try as I might, I'm struggling to see why yours appears to be underneath the strings. I've probably missed something completely obvious here, but please will you help me to be less confused!?

Steve[/quote]

basically fender originally thought people would prefer playing with their thumbs plucking the strings so it there to rest your fingers on. then people played with their fingers so fender moved it into a position where you can rest your thumb and use your fingers.