Greco Clear Sound Project

[jselect]

Tell me about Greco's Clear Sound Project series.
My understanding is that it was the successor to the Mint Collection series and was received from the 1989 to early 1990s, but is that correct?

My SA-75 has a cut off letter O and has a Mt. Fuji-shaped truss rod cover. From the serial, it seems to be manufactured in 1990.

 

[Homer J. Simpson]

Not a Greco (or anything-) expert but the catalogs indicate that the last year of the Mint Collection was 1989 and the only SA in the 1989 catalog is the "SA64-70". So the first year for the Clear Sound Project guitars might be 1990.

From the looks it seem the difference is really just the name on the sticker? What does a Mt. Fuji-shaped TRC look like?

 

[jselect]

Not a Greco (or anything-) expert but the catalogs indicate that the last year of the Mint Collection was 1989 and the only SA in the 1989 catalog is the "SA64-70". So the first year for the Clear Sound Project guitars might be 1990.

From the looks it seem the difference is really just the name on the sticker? What does a Mt. Fuji-shaped TRC look like?

Thank you so much for the info.

 

[Homer J. Simpson]

Well, it is a bit of a mystery. In the 1990 catalog only the (Tokai-made) SA-700 shows up, alas the 1991 full catalog is missing, the 1992 catalog has an SA-90 only and an SA-75 shows up only in the 1993 catalog. The "Clear Sound Project" moniker doesn't seem to appear in any of the catalogs, except for the "Clear Sound" (CS) acoustics in 1993. The spook seems to be over in 1994.

Yet there are SA-75s with 1990 serial numbers and what looks like the appointments of the guitar formerly called "SA64-" for a good reason (thin 60s neck, 5-ply laminate). There is even a version with Bigsby and the typical "Custom Made" tailpiece stud hole cover also with a 1990 serial number. Both guitars have the crown inlay and the Mint Collection open 'o'.

Here's where it's getting a bit more crazy: This is a 1990 "Clear Sound Project" SA-75BS with closed 'o' and different inlay, but a "Mint Collection" hang tag and I've also seen another cherry SA-75 with the closed 'o'.

However, the "Clear Sound Project" name seems to come up only in context with the SA- and FA- guitars and it doesn't look like it was meant to be a successor to the Mint Collection series - it's more like "lets stop calling them Mint Collection while we let this whole replica thing die".

 

[jselect]

Thank you for a very interesting consideration.
The image below is my 1990 SA-75.
It features a cut O Greco logo, a chevron truss rod cover,
a rounded lower part crown inlay that was slightly transformed from the original.
Almost the mint collection itself, but the label and model number have changed.

 

[jselect]

The SA-75 you introduced seems to be from the first half of 1990 from the serial.

The hang tag attached to the guitar has the letters ”Mint Collection” ,
and the model name is SA-75, so it may have been a transitional model.

I see some differences from my SA-75. Is this guitar and my guitar made by Tokai?

 

[jselect]

sorry.

 

[jselect]

The SA-75 you introduced doesn't have a crown inlay.
When the deformed crown inlay is inserted from the guitar of the Mint collection,
does it mean that the SA-75 as a clear sound project is completed?

 

[Homer J. Simpson]

Wow. I think I haven't seen such crazy figuring before, I can't even tell what that is, doesn't look like bird eyes, more like mountains photographed from a satellite or something... really stunning and all the other BS colored SA-75s don't have that.

The hang tag attached to the guitar has the letters ”Mint Collection” ,
and the model name is SA-75, so it may have been a transitional model.

Or they just used up the hang tags they had printed for the Mint Collection. This guitar is certainly different from yours.

see some differences from my SA-75. Is this guitar and my guitar made by Tokai?

I don't know about your guitar, but the BS colored guitar with the hang tag on Reverb.com has pics of the PU cavities and they are telling that it was not made by Tokai.

When the deformed crown inlay is inserted from the guitar of the Mint collection,
does it mean that the SA-75 as a clear sound project is completed?

It seems there is currently no SA-75 with a later serial number than 1990 out "in the wild" (only a 1991 SA-90 on Reverb) but it seems like they transitioned to the closed 'o' and the totally different inlay in 1990. What may seem super odd is that your guitar has the open 'o' and the somewhat restyled crown (you're right, looks like someone took a bite out of it ) but also what looks like a higher serial number. The explanation for that may be easy though, the production number wrapped around at 0 9999 and started from 0000 again (since there are just 4 digits).

Also, am I crazy or* does this guitar have the same serial number (0 9317) as the Bigsby-equipped one above? Looks like the Seattle seller bought it for cheap from Honolulu, mounted a Bigsby and tried to flip it for 3x the price.

(* Yeah, I know, that's not mutually exclusive)

 

[jselect]

As you say, I've never seen a guitar with such an amazing 3D figure.
This is an image taken by the previous owner, but it is not very clear,
so when it arrives, I will take a picture and upload it.

 

[jselect]

It seems that a lot has changed during the transition from the Mint Collection to the Clear Sound Project. The 1991 SA-90 I saw earlier in the reverb does not have a crown inlay on the head, which is a throwback to the unique inlay of the mint collection era. Then, I speculated that the crown inlay, which is unique to Greco, with a slight cut at the bottom, was only in 1990, and that it was returned to the Greco original because Gibson complained.

 

[Sigmania]

My understanding is that the open book vanished around 91/92 because of issues with Gibson, never to return.

Pretty sure I have seen a mint collection Greco LP with 1991 pots.

But I am no Greco expert.

 

[jselect]

My understanding is that the open book vanished around 91/92 because of issues with Gibson, never to return.

Pretty sure I have seen a mint collection Greco LP with 1991 pots.

But I am no Greco expert.

What is "open book"?

 

[Sigmania]

Headstock

 

[jselect]

I understand. SHAPE!

 

[Freebird]

I had a Tokai made Clear Sound Project, no serial number SA59-90. Purchased from Villager years ago, but no longer own.
I can dig up some pics somewhere. What are we trying to figure out here? Need pics of front and back of headstock? Sticker from inside sound hole?

 

[jselect]

I had a Tokai made Clear Sound Project, no serial number SA59-90. Purchased from Villager years ago, but no longer own.
I can dig up some pics somewhere. What are we trying to figure out here? Need pics of front and back of headstock? Sticker from inside sound hole?

What year is that？
I would like to see the pics of front and back of headstock, cavity of front and rear, and sticker.

 

[Freebird]

I think villager described it as a 1990 or 1991. And he described it as an SA59–90. That model designation may be more fitting of an early 80s model. I’ll try to get some pictures soon. I just need to find them on my computer.

 

[Freebird]

 

[Freebird]