1981 Tokai ES-100R (1959 ES-335) Nitro, All Original

This Tokai is in extraordinary all original condition, showing very little play wear. The Tokai ES-100 and ES-150 models were built to be as close to the original ES-335’s as they were able to. To accomplish this, Tokai closely studied original ES-335’s made from 1959 to 1964, characterizing their research as ‘exhaustive’. The result of this work was the introduction of two new models, the ES-100 and ES-150, each of which came in two version, Rock and Jazz.

This guitar is a 1981 ES-100R, the Rock version which came with Tokai’s ‘ES Rock’ pickups.

For the body Tokai followed the earliest models with three ply laminate top, body and sides. The top and back using maple in all three plies, and the sides maple and mahogany. The center block follows the originals using a solid maple block sandwiched between pieces of kerfed spruce which attach to the top and bottom, running the full length of the guitar. The bridge and tail piece mount directly into the maple block to deliver sustain like a solid body. The pickguard is a five-ply long style, the same as would be found on a 1959 ES-335.

Following the originals, the neck is one piece mahogany, but with a Rosewood fretboard and real mother of pearl dot markers. Per Tokai, the neck profile ‘remains absolutely faithful to the production cut on guitars made in ’59 and ‘60’.

Finish on the ES-100 models is nitrocellulose lacquer, reacting instantly to acetone.

Condition on this guitar is extraordinary, showing very little signs of play wear and very minor blemishes. The frets only required polishing. The guitar is all original including all of its electronics.

The guitar has been completely gone through and received a full setup:
- Polish frets
- Set relief (truss rod), action (bridge height), intonation, nut relief, tailpiece height and pickup height.
- Harness pulled and pots, jack and switch cleaned
- Entire guitar cleaned and polished
- Fresh set of D’addario .010 - .046 strings installed

The guitar plays and sounds as it should with no buzzing or dead spots.

These guitars were made to be true to an original ’59 335 and stands as one of the best copies of the early originals. These models were only made for a short time, with the ES models disappearing completely from the Tokai catalogs between 1985 and 1986. Finding one in this condition and still all original is quite rare.

This guitar will come with a non-original hard case (not pictured), but either a correct original case or a brand new Tokai case can be provided at additional cost.

This guitar is located in the US.

I am a serious collector of high-end Japanese guitars with an emphasis on 335’s. Please don’t hesitate to ask any questions or visit my website to see my collection or learn more about vintage Japanese guitars. https://www.guitarsofjapan.com/