Anyone know about Gneco Strats

Hey everyone! I just received this jem from an ebay purchase! I purchased it because I could tell by the pictures in the add that it is a 2375 model! I know these where made in the late 1960s and very early 1970s and are very rare! I also know that they where labeled with different names or brands depending on what country the where being shipped to. My question is, has anyone ever heard of the name Gneco?

This guitar was a custom order as the truss rod cover is engraved with the original owners initials K S, and it was listed as a custom ordered model!

When I unwrapped it, I was happy to find a 1 piece ash body. (3 color Sunburst) The pickups are original maxon with a 5 digit # on each one. It has a 3 way switch. It also has the green capacitor on the tone pots usually found on JV and SQ models.

I know this is a Pre JV model, but I've never heard or seen the name Gneco!

Any help will be greatly appreciated!

Bob

Go to this link to see pictures! http://s1224.photobucket.com/albums/ee368/householdsaint/Gneco%20Sunburst%20Strat/

Hi Bob,

The late 60s/early 70s Greco logo looks like Gneco, so it's a Greco.
The early Greco catalogs are filled with custom possibilities so I guess they were the ones that invented the custom order in Japan.
This type of TRC was used around 72/73 to my knowledge but you can date it using the Maxon code, what's the code?

Jacco

Gneco is the early version of the Greco logo, so actually, you have posted this in the wrong forum!

That looks pretty nice, but how are you coping with the thin neck? I had a Gneco Tele, a bit later than your Strat and the nut width was about 39mm. The neck had a good profile though, and I liked the laminated construction as it gave me a feeling of security that the neck would never warp.

Mine needed a re-fret and if it had only been a slightly wider nut I would have kept it forever, it was a good guitar.

Thats a GNECO SE 430w stratocaster,1972 -1973 ..I had a later version of the same strat ,mine was a 1974 model ,the first versions had the bullet 3 hole trc till early 74,like yours, by 1974 they had ditched the trc..
Still a nice guitar ,mine weighed a ton..and needed a refret!

MOJO HOBO

householdsaint said:

This guitar was a custom order as the truss rod cover is engraved with the original owners initials K S, and it was listed as a custom ordered model!

Click to expand...

I don't want to ruin your story, but isn't it more likely that a former owner engraved his initials on the TRC himself?

Mike

stratman323 said:

householdsaint said:

This guitar was a custom order as the truss rod cover is engraved with the original owners initials K S, and it was listed as a custom ordered model!

Click to expand...

I don't want to ruin your story, but isn't it more likely that a former owner engraved his initials on the TRC himself?

Mike

Click to expand...

Mine also had initials on the TRC, and I have seen them on other Gnecos, so it must have been a popular thing to do? The guy that bought my Tele was adamant that they were the initials of one of the builders.

mojo hobo said:

Thats a GNECO SE 430w stratocaster,1972 -1973 ..I had a later version of the same strat ,mine was a 1974 model ,the first versions had the bullet 3 hole trc till early 74,like yours, by 1974 they had ditched the trc..
Still a nice guitar ,mine weighed a ton..and needed a refret!

MOJO HOBO

Click to expand...

Wow! It's nice to know exactly what model this guitar is. Does anyone know of any good catalog websites I could visit to gather more info about this and other Greco models! Thanks

hi
go here
http://psyco.jp/greco/cata.html
all the best
otto

householdsaint said:

mojo hobo said:

Thats a GNECO SE 430w stratocaster,1972 -1973 ..I had a later version of the same strat ,mine was a 1974 model ,the first versions had the bullet 3 hole trc till early 74,like yours, by 1974 they had ditched the trc..
Still a nice guitar ,mine weighed a ton..and needed a refret!

MOJO HOBO

Click to expand...

Wow! It's nice to know exactly what model this guitar is. Does anyone know of any good catalog websites I could visit to gather more info about this and other Greco models! Thanks

Click to expand...

It's a SE430S, not W for it would have been white then :wink:
You can also subscribe to Vintaxe where you find more catalogs with higher resolution but then you still need to know how to read Japanese

YES! Thanks JACCO for the correction,,I have only ever seen them in white ..Close but no cigar
It should have dawned on me W=white S=sunburst..a blonde moment!
Conflicting stories as what they were made out of ,,,,Mine looked like plywood,but i have seen other japanese guitar sites saying they were pancaked multi-piece ash..maple..?

MOJO HOBO

muccax said:

hi
go here
http://psyco.jp/greco/cata.html
all the best
otto

Click to expand...

What a great website! Thanks! 8)

JVsearch said:

stratman323 said:

householdsaint said:

This guitar was a custom order as the truss rod cover is engraved with the original owners initials K S, and it was listed as a custom ordered model!

Click to expand...

I don't want to ruin your story, but isn't it more likely that a former owner engraved his initials on the TRC himself?

Mike

Click to expand...

Mine also had initials on the TRC, and I have seen them on other Gnecos, so it must have been a popular thing to do? The guy that bought my Tele was adamant that they were the initials of one of the builders.

Click to expand...

Thanks for the info! Are these old grecos very collectable? What sort of value would you put on an SE-430S like mine? It seems to be 100% original.

householdsaint said:

JVsearch said:

stratman323 said:

householdsaint said:

This guitar was a custom order as the truss rod cover is engraved with the original owners initials K S, and it was listed as a custom ordered model!

Click to expand...

I don't want to ruin your story, but isn't it more likely that a former owner engraved his initials on the TRC himself?

Mike

Click to expand...

Mine also had initials on the TRC, and I have seen them on other Gnecos, so it must have been a popular thing to do? The guy that bought my Tele was adamant that they were the initials of one of the builders.

Click to expand...

Thanks for the info! Are these old grecos very collectable? What sort of value would you put on an SE-430S like mine? It seems to be 100% original.

Click to expand...

Very hard to say...
My observations seem to suggest that vintage accuracy and perceived build quality are some of the attributes that make MIJ guitars collectable. Once they reach that point then it becomes more about rarity and hype.

With these early Greco copies, they are a bit short on vintage accuracy, and people see them as not having great build quality due to things like plywood and pancake bodies with laminated necks. However, those things haven't stopped the 70s Gibson LPs starting to become collectable, we just had to wait until the late 50s guitars went ballistic and the late 60s ones followed them up, now it's their turn. Same with Fenders.

With the Japanese stuff there really isn't an earlier period of these types of guitars, so who knows. The golden period for MIJ is believed to be about 1977 to 1981, and there are people out there who believe these are the best guitars ever made anywhere in the world. Of course, I think they are wrong, but everyone is entitled to believe whatever they like.