Up for sale, a 1981 Tokai Cat’s Eyes CE1500 in near-mint, 100% original condition and in perfect working order, compete with a hardshell case. A rare, upscale model produced exclusively for the Japanese domestic market, this CE1500 is a remarkably faithful iteration of a Pre-War Martin D-28, with solid tonewoods throughout, scalloped X-braced construction, herringbone purfling, “torch” headstock inlay, “long slotted” belly bridge, and gloss cashew lacquer finish.

Circa 1972, Martin and Tokai began an official partnership, in which Tokai was the exclusive dealer of Martin guitars in Japan, while also producing officially licensed Martin models for the Japanese market under the "Cat's Eyes" banner by the middle of the decade. On many Cat's Eyes models, the text on the serialized instrument labels would also directly reference Martin, stating "C.F. Martin & Co. Japanese Counterpart."

The Cats Eyes models are among the finest steel string acoustic instruments to ever come out of Japan: this CE1500 square-shouldered dreadnought pairs a solid spruce top with Indian rosewood back and sides, mahogany neck, and ebony fingerboard. Offering richness and depth, this CE1500 has ample projection, highly responsive to player inputs. Notes simply leap off the fingerboard, with excellent balance across all strings and in all registers, and the top has a worked-in quality befitting the instrument’s age. This CE1500 weighs 4lbs 9oz, professionally setup here at Mike & Mike’s Guitar Bar with 12-53 bronze strings and comfortable action.

Neck Specs:

-Wood: Mahogany
-Shape: Very soft V, measuring .870” 1st fret, .960” 9th fret
-Fretboard: Ebony, snowflake inlay
-Frets: Slender,, faint wear beneath the plain strings on frets 1-2
-Scale Length: 25.4”
-Nut: 1 11/16”, bone
-Headstock: “Torch” inlay, diamond volute
-Tuners: Tokai single-line (Kluson-style)
-Serialization: 81-suffix (1981) stamp and model info on heel block

Body Specs:

-Wood: Spruce, Indian rosewood (all solid)
-Bracing: X, scalloped
-Hardware: Ebony belly bridge with “long slotted” bone saddle
-Plastics: Leopard tortoise pickguard
-Marquetry: Herringbone purfling (top), multi-ply rosette

This is a crack-free, well-kept example, and the cashew lacquer finish has ambered on top. Cosmetic wear is limited to a handful of minor dings on the top, largely relegated to the lower bout. The neck profile is smooth to the palm, with a few similarly light marks along the profile length that don’t distract the palm while fretting.

A black tolex hardshell case is included.