What mods have you made to your Greco?

[bmarsh]

Sorry if this is already a thread. I guess if no one else cares, this thread will die an early death...


I know a lot of you like to keep things stock. But I am a constant tinkerer looking for the best tone to my ears. And I figure there are others out there like me. I've had some successes and failures and thought the forum might benefit from a thread on this. What mods have you guys tried in your Greco Strats, Teles, LPs etc?

I'll start...

As I've mentioned a few times on other threads, I've switched out pickups quite a few times on my '80 SE800 strat. First I should mention, this guitar sounded awesome out of the shipping box, but lacked brightness big time. Ended up being a wrong cap. But I didn't know what a cap did at the time. So having a LP brighter than my strat forced me into modding mode. Once I discovered it was the cap and not pickups it was too late, pandora's box opened. I swapped in tokai U pickups for the Excel and noticed things got slightly brighter and cleaner. These pickups didn't breakup quite as easily. The excels seemed to be creamier(excuse the language) and could take on a fuzz when through an overdriven amp. The tokais sounded more round? Not quite glassy tone though. I liked them...until I didn't anymore. I had a pro borrow my strat for a gig and listening to him made me realize I just didn't like the tone.

And then I did a stupid thing. I had the opportunity to jam on a '65 fender strat. Let me first say I'm not into all the vintage is always better garbage. I've played old guitars that sound like trash. But this strat's in between sound blew my mind. So I started researching pickups a bit. In other strats I've tried fralin real 54's and blues and liked them. But for around the same price I found I could score 60s fender mustang pickups. I read they were wound less but had almost the same output and that some guys swear by them in their strats. So I gave them a try. This turned out to be a great mod. I feel it brought my Greco very close to '65 original, scary close. Definitely 100x better than a 70s strat and close to a '69 I tried a while back in terms of brightness. I've gotten some cool compliments on the tone at local blues jams too. My old guitar teacher who runs one asked me immediately if I had dropped fralins in. Anyway, that's my story. Hope it inspires or helps folks try different things.

 

[JVsearch]

Great story!

IMO there's nothing wrong at all with trying to get the sound you like from any guitar, especially with a pickup change which does no harm to the guitar at all.

I'm thinking about trying some mini humbuckers in my Bacchus LP in place of the P90s.

Pickups seem to be a bit of a black art, so trying them out is the only way.

 

[Juni41]

I have put texas special pu in my SE800 Super Real + full shielding job + foam muting.
But I have put originals pu back a few weeks ago, just to compare.
S8 pickups are very low output pickups but I like them this way.


My EGF1200 comes with vitamin Q capacitors, cooper shielding and brass nut but it's slightly cut too low on the A string so I'm going to replace it with a bone nut.
Dry Z are still there of course.
I also plan to replace the old pots with new one (alpha as cts don't fit).

 

[marcusnieman]

+1 on the 65 Strat - my favorite year (neck profile, unique sounding pickups, etc):

Real 65 (this one stays under the bed)

Custom shop 65 (my #1)

 

[bmarsh]

Marcus, gorgeous '65 and custom shop strats. How do the vintage versus custom shop compare in tone? I hope to someday get an original but I don't think I could keep it under the bed. I'd probably put it in a nondescript case and act like it's a mex-fender. My old guitar teacher sometimes leads a weekly jam on his '58 strat, but he's big and could take someone out with one arm. My greco LP gets an epiphone case with a giant E on it when I'm out Around town in the sf bay area most guys are brand-namer's, but a few absolutely love tokai and greco...the latter I'm afraid to leave my greco out in front of unattended.

Juni, I have a vitamin Q in my se800, .022uf and I love it. Really surprising tone improvement. I expected all the cap talk to be hocus pocus. But there's definitely more going on now. Don't know how to describe it, but it does sound like the tone is traveling through some medium. Totally cool.

With my Greco LP and Strat I feel totally satisfied with my tone almost all the time for the first time in my playing life...my guitar skills on the other hand is another story. But having a vintage sounding strat that stays in tune even with the trem being used and a LP that sounds like a LP(unlike regular production gibsons these days that sound like a cheap toy) feels great. Took a long time to get there.

Now if I could only play as good as what my brain imagines, we'd have something!

 

[brokentoes]

http://www.tokaiforum.com/viewtopic.php?t=20094

 

[marcusnieman]

Marcus, gorgeous '65 and custom shop strats. How do the vintage versus custom shop compare in tone? I hope to someday get an original but I don't think I could keep it under the bed. I'd probably put it in a nondescript case and act like it's a mex-fender. My old guitar teacher sometimes leads a weekly jam on his '58 strat, but he's big and could take someone out with one arm. My greco LP gets an epiphone case with a giant E on it when I'm out Around town in the sf bay area most guys are brand-namer's, but a few absolutely love tokai and greco...the latter I'm afraid to leave my greco out in front of unattended!

Thank you.... truth be told, they sound pretty much spot on identical to one another. The old one is much lighter though.... old wood.

Bay Area was where I grew up - Alameda. Good little club there owned by a couple high school pals (1400 Bar and Grill) - they're doing live music and have some open mic nights too.... blues fans. Here' the link if you're ever on that side of the bay:

http://1400barandgrillalameda.com/Home.html

 

[gordon]

My Greco LP is probably the only guitar I ever had that will not be changed from stock. It has the Double Trick pickups and those silver japanese pio caps stock.
The sound is just amazing, open, with rich harmonics but also very tight and in your face. It's a mean machine

 

[Anonymous]

Changed the heavy stock tailpiece for a lightweight alu tailpiece on my egf-1200 and the bridge for a tonepros with brass saddles.Since original tuners were too used to stay in tune I went for a set of tuners from fake58 with aged shrunken buttons seen in beauty of the burst.Sounds an plays like it should now.

 

[Mitch Malloy]

I have all my old guitars Plek'd and I put Nashville Style Bridges on them so they will intonate. And that works. The original bridges won't get them there. And I put new tuners on them as well. All of them except the Super Reals seem to hold up. My Super Real Standard has the best tuners I've ever had still working on it. And my Super real Jr tuners are also still great. The mint Collection tuners all have to go though. I just got a deal with Tone Pro's so they are supplying me with tuners but theirs have a sleeve on them which requires a little drilling to make them fit. They claim it makes them stronger though and they won't bend like the old style so I'm going for it. The bending is a large part of what makes them go bad. I also put a new bone nut on one Mint Standard. So I guess I do a lot but you can't really see any of my changes but you sure can feel and hear them. The Plek is a MUST for me. It's amazing. I've learned a LOT about Grecos in the last 10 years and even more in the last 2. Doing these changes makes them world class guitars. I should also mention they are all Les pauls. For now. I plan to expand to more models in the coming years.

 

[bmarsh]

I have all my old guitars Plek'd and I put Nashville Style Bridges on them so they will intonate. And that works. The original bridges won't get them there. And I put new tuners on them as well. All of them except the Super Reals seem to hold up. My Super Real Standard has the best tuners I've ever had still working on it. And my Super real Jr tuners are also still great. The mint Collection tuners all have to go though. I just got a deal with Tone Pro's so they are supplying me with tuners but theirs have a sleeve on them which requires a little drilling to make them fit. They claim it makes them stronger though and they won't bend like the old style so I'm going for it. The bending is a large part of what makes them go bad. I also put a new bone nut on one Mint Standard. So I guess I do a lot but you can't really see any of my changes but you sure can feel and hear them. The Plek is a MUST for me. It's amazing. I've learned a LOT about Grecos in the last 10 years and even more in the last 2. Doing these changes makes them world class guitars. I should also mention they are all Les pauls. For now. I plan to expand to more models in the coming years.

Plek, is that like fret leveling? I see where gibson uses that term as a selling point for their lp standards. doesn't seem to help them, they still suck haha. But I have my guitars professionally set up and leveled if needed every few years.

 

[bmarsh]

Marcus, gorgeous '65 and custom shop strats. How do the vintage versus custom shop compare in tone? I hope to someday get an original but I don't think I could keep it under the bed. I'd probably put it in a nondescript case and act like it's a mex-fender. My old guitar teacher sometimes leads a weekly jam on his '58 strat, but he's big and could take someone out with one arm. My greco LP gets an epiphone case with a giant E on it when I'm out Around town in the sf bay area most guys are brand-namer's, but a few absolutely love tokai and greco...the latter I'm afraid to leave my greco out in front of unattended!

Thank you.... truth be told, they sound pretty much spot on identical to one another. The old one is much lighter though.... old wood.

Bay Area was where I grew up - Alameda. Good little club there owned by a couple high school pals (1400 Bar and Grill) - they're doing live music and have some open mic nights too.... blues fans. Here' the link if you're ever on that side of the bay:

http://1400barandgrillalameda.com/Home.html

Thanks for the info on the Alameda jam. I have some cousins who grew up there. I'll have to check it out.

That's pretty interesting that your custom shop and your vintage sound almost identical! I haven't seen that in my experience but great to know real gems are out there.

I was in Brooklyn last week for a wedding and found a secret vintage guitar store called RetroFret. You have to go in an unmarked door in an industrial neighborhood, up a dark staircase, out a door onto a rooftop, through another door and you arrive into a treasure room of everything you ever wanted. I was in shock. First thing I grabbed was a 59 fender strat through a tweed princeton. Sounded amazing but not as well built and playable as mid 60s strats. Next I grabbed a 56 les paul black custom through a brownface princeton I think. Best LP sound I've ever personally heard. Totally blew my mind. Went to a 60s jazzmaster which was fun. Then ended with a 66 strat through a vox ac10. Coolest guys running that shop. They said they wouldn't put something in their shop they personally didn't think was awesome. They said I could stay all and play everything if I wanted. Unbelievable.

 

[Mitch Malloy]

Yes Plek is an amazing German invention that levels the frets. Many of the large companies are doing it. Not just Gibson but high end companies. It's better than having it done by hand as I've done many of both. It's done with a computer and is frighteningly accurate. It turns my old Grecos into amazing Vintage instruments. All the top session guys in nashville have it done to their guitars as well. It's pretty much the norm here now. It takes guitars to their ultimate level of playability and sound. It improves the sound.. No fret buzz. Fantastic. And I'm a high action kinda player and it's till fantastic.

 

[bmarsh]

Nice! Yeah machine fret leveling and setup make a huge difference on a guitar. I also upgrade the tuners on my greco LP because there was slippage. I think they are vintage style schallers, but not sure. Now it's rock solid, stays in tune for weeks.

I also recently bought a $10 strat ashtray bridge cover for my sunburst se800 that fit like a glove and looks so classic. I love it. And I not a palm mute guy on strats so works perfectly.

What are people's experience with caps? I have a vitaminQ in my strat and it's really nice. But the LP with the DryZ's I have the original little orange drop-looking cap. Not even sure the value, probably a .022uf. But plenty of clarity and brightness. The tone is so good with the '79 eg900 and the dry's, I honestly am afraid to change anything!

Don't mean to go off but...I just can't believe how good some of these even mid-range greco's sound! Seriously, $650 after shipping from Japan for something that absolutely destroys a $2400 Gibson LP even with the stock Dimarzios, it's crazy! And with the dryZs in it now, fagetaboutit! It competes with custom shop stuff. Only question is, when can I save up enough for an EG1800! Sorry to digress from topic so much, just so stoked on these guitars!!!

I'm actually covered with the se800 and the eg900. I really would like to get an ES335 style and an SG. I've been close to pulling the trigger on some burny's or greco's on feebay, but haven't yet. There was a cherry red greco SG with double tricks and huge trapeeze tail piece I wanted so bad but someone snatched it up. I think the BIN was $1200 and I couldn't sell something to fund fast enough.

 

[Mitch Malloy]

I put new tuners on most of them as well. My Super Real Chambered doesn't ned them though he stock tuners are the best I've ever had. Joe Glaser famed guitar tech of the stars in nashville says he tuners have zero to do with a guitar going out of tune. He says it's all the nut and saddle. He's the guy that restored Frampton"s returned original Les paul. So he should know right? He's a nice guy too. I'm just not sure about that..