Tokai Silver Star SS-36

About the Tokai Silver Star SS-36

The SS-36 is the lowest Silver Star grade of 1978 to 1981, Tokai's seventies-style big-headstock Strat, with unstamped grey-bottom pickups (ceramic on some, for more grunt in a seventies model, and always wired with the leads outside the bobbin hole, a Tokai trait), no soldering plate, a bright sunburst seen on more than one 1979, and a four-piece body on a 1981. The wood is the same as the dearer grades, the difference being parts and finish, so a few upgrades take it a long way. The grade is stamped in the fretboard past the last fret, a stamp that has been altered to read 86 on at least one, since no SS-86 ever existed, and there is no grade below 36, so a guitar that looks cheaper has been modified. Owners date theirs from 1978 to 1981. A high E that slips off the board at the low frets is a setup fault before it is a fret fault: check that all six saddles sit level and contoured to the radius (a tilted saddle pushes the treble strings outward) and that the nut slot is not cut off-centre; only then think about a refret for worn fret ends.

In one paragraph

The page's figures as one paragraph, assembled for quoting; not written by hand.

Sellers are asking a median of €668 for the Tokai Silver Star SS-36 today, 76% over the €380 it actually sells for (8 recorded sales, last 24 months; most sold between €370 and €440). There are 49 listings live right now across Reverb, eBay United States, eBay Germany, from €355 asking. Figures computed 18 October 2026 by Doirado from cross-platform listing data.

What owners have said elsewhere

Paraphrased from 11 discussion threads among 15 owners, 2021-2024. No names, nothing quoted.

The Silver Stars are held to be no lower in quality than the Springy Sounds or Goldstars, only different in spec, and the low grades like the SS-36 become great guitars with better hardware and pickups; the grey-bottom pickups are called awesome, and even a doctored SS-36 is called a great guitar with great grain. A 1979 SS36 rescued as a non-working parts guitar, stripped of knobs, covers and guard for a friend's SS80, was cleaned up and, low-end Tokai or not, plays and sounds better than most Fender SSS Strats its owner has tried; the owners' view is that the wood is quality and a change of hardware and pickups makes a winner.