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Grecomaniac

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Hi, I'm glad to find this forum which goes deeper into the needs of people who are interested in Japan vintage guitars. I'm a player and collector of Greco guitars for 5 years now and have gathered information about the Greco brand since that time. If you need some help mail here I will try to answer questions frequently. I'm German so my English isn't perfect at all, hope you don't care.

Some general information:

Grecos from 1972 'til 1975 the logo looks like Gneco. Les Pauls from that period have a bolt-on neck, but even these are killer replicas.

From each model there are different neck profiles, 50's chunky, 60's slim tapper, 70's soft medium, so better ask the seller if it matters.

Most of the EG-series had the numbers according to the yen price, so higher number means higher grade model.

I've had some EG-450 and EG-500 Les Pauls, if you get them from Japan they are not worth the high shipping costs and possibly taxes.

EG-series models start to be real killer at EG-700/800, if you can afford them, better choose these.

There are 77/78/79 higher grade les paul models with nickel hardware which are as good as the Super Real or Mint Collection series.

Serials on EG-models: The first letter is the month (G=July), the following first 2 digits the year (78=1978). You can't identify the model by the serial.

After the Mint Collection series (around 1985) Greco went back to bolt-on necks. These necks have no neck plate and are directly screwed through the neck end, it's sometimes hard to identify on photos.

Enough for now, I hope we can start a real information side here, you're welcome.

I'm a semi-pro musician for 35+ years and had always around 30-40 vintage Gibs and Fend's in my equipment. I've sold them all in the last years and have now only Jap vintage in my collection. I've never regret it for a second.
 
Grecomaniac said:
After the Mint Collection series (around 1985) Greco went back to bolt-on necks. These necks have no neck plate and are directly screwed through the neck end, it's sometimes hard to identify on photos.

Welcome to Tokai Forum!!!

After 1985 they went to bolt-on with no plates? I have a 1989 EG59-70 with a deep neck tenon set neck. Were these on the lesser models? I have never heard of that.
 
Hi, the bolt-on neck after 1985 was a hybrid between glued set-neck and bolt-on, it was partially glued and then fixed with one big screw. I think these models run for a while in the 80's beside higher grade models with set-neck, around 1990/91 they start to produce only these hybrid necks for a couple of years. Maybe there are also some higher grade guitars from that 90's period with a real set-neck, but I never saw one.
Regards
Volker
 
I've got a Greco EGC-600 Mint Collection Les Paul Custom. Is there anyway of being able to identify how the neck is joined to the body? Why did they go for this hybrid glue-bolt design? Surely once you've partially glued something, it'd make more sense to continue rather than drive a bolt through it?

Andy.
 
The Mint Collection series with its run of 1000 guitars was definitely with a real set-neck. What they've done later is a real secret to company's strategies. The big screw is visible on the neck end, so it is easy to identify if you hold the guitar in your hands.
Regards
Volker
 
Grecomaniac said:
The Mint Collection series with its run of 1000 guitars was definitely with a real set-neck.

The Mint Collection was limited to a run of 1000 guitars? Is that per year? I have a translation of the Greco catalog for 1982 and I can't see any reference to a limited run of 1000 for the Mint Collection.
 
Hi and welcome.
There is allready a few threads dedicated about Greco on this part of the forum so it's a bit sad to start a new thread each and every time someone want to add some infos about the brand.
 
Spleen said:
Grecomaniac said:
The Mint Collection series with its run of 1000 guitars was definitely with a real set-neck.

The Mint Collection was limited to a run of 1000 guitars? Is that per year? I have a translation of the Greco catalog for 1982 and I can't see any reference to a limited run of 1000 for the Mint Collection.

Hi,
according to some Japanese collectors I have following info: Until 1985 the Mint Collection series had a volume of around 1000 instruments for the whole run. In 1985 the guys who invented and built the Mint Collection series split off the company and other luthiers went on with this series until 1989/90, but it was more kind of a mass production in the second half of the 80's. As far as this info is from 2 Japanese collectors I can't say if these facts are completely right.
Regards
 
Thanks for the info! I'm the one who posted about the 3-pu greco standard. The guitar isn't double-binded and it has the pearloid type tuners. It also doesn't have the diamond inlay on the headstock, just 'greco' and a 'standard' truss cover. The tuners have 'greco deluxe' on them. Humbuckers are not the open types. They're the standard covered ones and the pickguard is still intact. It's a set-neck, by the way. I really want to know more about it so i'm trying to find a decent camera so i can take good pictures to post here. Thanks again for the time and info!
 
Hi & welcome from me, too!

I'm into Greco Guitars for half a year or so, and I think they're among the best Les Pauls I've ever had. I gladly own a 1980 EGF 1000 Super Real. I'm interestetd in the 70s Grecos as there seem to be some noce ones around for a decent price. But there are those that are not woth the shipping, too.

I found lots of Greco catalogues on the internet, you can find much more than on Tokais for example. I'm still looking for someone to translate, but the pics tell some stories too.

Grecomaniac, where in germany are you, as I'm german too!

Wolf
 
Grecomaniac, I need one of these real bad,,,whats the chances of you know where one might be had. Used would be better than new ! Like a FOOL i passed this one up at a local vintage guitar show this past November. :( $700 buck was a great price !

GrecoSG.jpg
 
I got an Greco '54 Re-issue Oxblood,
dark green, wraparound bridge, is it rare?
I've just loaded it with a set of P-94.
What EG-? was that....?
I'll post the pictures tommorrow?
Its serial is C77*****
March 1977 right?
thanks!
 
EG is the greco numerotation for the les paul models, it's followed by a number that gives you the price/quality of the guitar.
Yours is from 77 so I assume it's a chambered body, right?
 
YEs it is chambered but not pancake 2 pc mahogany body

Here it is!

http://www.geocities.com/rubis915/grecobody2.JPG

Thanks for the answers dude!!!
 
I've got a 1985 EG600 ( I think), and an 86 EG650. Is there a definitive way of determining if they have chambered bodies? The acoustic ring of each sounds as though they may be chambered, but they both weigh 10 pounds which is the same as my Tokai and Burny which I know to be solid. I usually think of chambered LPs as weighing in under 8#.
 
just got a greco-guitar device with spirit energy well thats what it says on the headstock , looks like a randy rhodes , but has a point on the top wanted to know anything you might know about it , thankd darrylicshon
 
So a new question / discussion here on Grecos:

I have 2 Grecos sold to me as EGF 1000 Super Real, both from 1980. Interestingly, they have different headstocks. The one with the lower serial no has a longer (~ 1cm) headstock and a slightly different bell-shaped truss rod cover (the white edge is thinner). I assume they're both original ...

When looking at the catalogue from 1980 it may be that the one with the shorter headstock may be a EGF 850, but I'm not sure ...
 
Pre-super real series have a bigger headstock,not vintage correct(maybe a Norlin style one)bigger than Burny and than Tokai(from more to less),so the neck/headstock could be an old part left.....
 
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