Please Help with number in Pup cavity!

[Lozza]

Hi folks

Does anyone know where to find out what these numbers mean in the pickup cavity?

I have a Tokai Love Rocks (with the dimple) which has a serial number beginning with 40 which I believe should indicate it was made in 1984 - I say "should" because the headstock has been played with so I cannot be 100% sure the number is real.

However, in the neck PU cavity, the number 2890 is written (image attached). Does anyone know what this means? Would it confirm the age of the guitar at all?

Many thanks in advance!

Best
Laurence

 

[reborn old]

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[Lozza]

Ah thats very interesting, thank you.
I didn't realise that number corresponds to the serial number!
Well the number on the guitar begins 402... but the last 4 digits do not correspond to 2890 so it would appear that the headstock number has been altered - perhaps to look like a gibson serial number, since they also had changed the decal from Tokai to Gibson.
The guitar does feel old though... I am as certain as I could be that it wasn't build post 2000 judging by les pauls I've owned post and pre and the feel and sound of them.
Since it doesn't match the serial number, you have to think that this number wasn't written by the modifier, since if he was going to go to that trouble, he would write the corresponding number - so I guess there is always a possibility that the guitar is actually 4022890 and he didn't stamp the correct number back in. Who knows!!

My apologies to any female defacer of tokai's out there for assuming it was a man ;-)

 

[mono]

were they making dimple headstock Tokai's in 1984?

 

[Lozza]

I don't know! All the 83's I have seen have been the open book headstock... 84's I'm not sure about! I believe 84 was the year of the "mass production" so perhaps that is when Gibson started taking offense?

 

[reborn old]

were they making dimple headstock Tokai's in 1984?

The first I found was a 1984 LC model.
With this one, I'm glad the headstock is export shaped, at least.