- Ships to:
- Worldwide
- United States
Up for sale is a rare late-1980s Tokai Works / Bass Revolution four-string bass, believed to be the high-end TW-1501 model. This is one of Tokai’s more unusual original Japanese designs from the era, with a carved/radiused body shape that feels very similar to a Spector-style bass while still having its own distinct Tokai identity.
This bass features a slightly transparent navy blue gloss finish, curved alder or maple body, maple neck, striped dark ebony-style fingerboard, matching headstock, black hardware, Gotoh-style sealed tuners, and a unique high-mass bridge. The electronics are a very strong part of the bass: active PJ-style pickups with a control layout consisting of volume, pickup balance, and active two-band EQ. The sound is loud, clear, biting, and hi-fi, very much in the active PJ / EMG / Spector direction. It can easily dial in aggressive 1980s/1990s rock and metal bass tones in the Queensryche, Pantera, Alice in Chains, and Spector-style range. According to old catalogs I scoured, the pickups could be actual unbranded EMGs or very accurate clones.
The bass is also very comfortable. The carved body sits naturally against the player, the neck is narrow at the nut but still has enough depth to feel solid, and the bass weighs only 8.1 lbs. The nut width is approximately 1.53", with a comfortable D-shaped profile. It also has two strap buttons on the bottom, which can act as small “feet” when leaning the bass carefully against a wall.
The bass has been cleaned, restrung, and set up. The frets are in excellent condition, the truss rod turns, the electronics work properly, and it plays very well with low action. This is a rare, high-quality Japanese Tokai bass with a very distinctive look and a huge active PJ sound. Great choice for someone who wants Spector-style feel and tone without paying vintage Spector money.
This bass features a slightly transparent navy blue gloss finish, curved alder or maple body, maple neck, striped dark ebony-style fingerboard, matching headstock, black hardware, Gotoh-style sealed tuners, and a unique high-mass bridge. The electronics are a very strong part of the bass: active PJ-style pickups with a control layout consisting of volume, pickup balance, and active two-band EQ. The sound is loud, clear, biting, and hi-fi, very much in the active PJ / EMG / Spector direction. It can easily dial in aggressive 1980s/1990s rock and metal bass tones in the Queensryche, Pantera, Alice in Chains, and Spector-style range. According to old catalogs I scoured, the pickups could be actual unbranded EMGs or very accurate clones.
The bass is also very comfortable. The carved body sits naturally against the player, the neck is narrow at the nut but still has enough depth to feel solid, and the bass weighs only 8.1 lbs. The nut width is approximately 1.53", with a comfortable D-shaped profile. It also has two strap buttons on the bottom, which can act as small “feet” when leaning the bass carefully against a wall.
The bass has been cleaned, restrung, and set up. The frets are in excellent condition, the truss rod turns, the electronics work properly, and it plays very well with low action. This is a rare, high-quality Japanese Tokai bass with a very distinctive look and a huge active PJ sound. Great choice for someone who wants Spector-style feel and tone without paying vintage Spector money.
