how do you tell witch factory made it from serial nr

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muccaz

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hi
can anyone tell me and easy way to tell wher a guitar was made ,,witch factory ....... i got a greco with 2 52xx and another with a8152xx both les poul custom
i think 2 52xx is kaneda... and a 8152xx is fujigen ,,,,,,
but can you help me
otto :lol: :lol:
 
Hi Muccaz, that was more than likely made by Dyna Gakki. I'm pretty sure they were only made in the 2 factories {MIJ} Fujigen Gakki and Dyna Gakki.

Cheers Mick
 
leadguitar_323 said:
Hi Muccaz, that was more than likely made by Dyna Gakki. I'm pretty sure they were only made in the 2 factories {MIJ} Fujigen Gakki and Dyna Gakki.

Cheers Mick

hi mick
thanks but is the 2 52xx number dyna gakki then ,,,, i think a8152xx is fujigen ,,,, right '
otto
 
I can't honestly comment on Dyna because i've never owned one of theirs, the one i own is a RR 65 fujigen model with the dry 1982 pups and i love it, so if i was buying another one i would buy another early eighties fujigen model. But in saying that i have read a lot of great comments on the Dyna built guitars as well, personally i think the guitars from Greco were better in the early eighties than the later ones although there is always an exception to the rule, remember this is my opinion only and i'm sure someone else will chime in with some more info.... :wink:

Mick
 
Revised.

The Grecos in the 1960s were made by Teisco and Fujigen.
The Grecos in the 1970s are made by Matsumoku and FujiGen with Matsumoku seeming to make only certain models like some Greco Fender copy models and a bolt on SG model. Greco serial numbers start around 1975. There are also Greco LP's from around 1977 with a sticker serial number in a MYYXXXX format and also Guild like headstock Greco LP's from around 1979. Then for the Super Reals in the early 1980s and the Mint Collection up till the early 1990s the serial numbered Grecos seem to made by just Fujigen judging by the body routing and wiring channels etc and have MYYXXXX and YXXXX (MYXXXX) serial number formats. No one really knows why Fujigen is using 2 serial number formats on the Grecos, maybe it's a distribution thing. Fujigen were using the MYYXXXX format only on Ibanez's up till 1987. The MYYXXXX format is the same as the Ibanez format and starts around 1975 and goes to the early 1990s. The YXXXX format starts around 1979 and goes to the early 1990s. Also in the late 1980s the Cor-Tek (Cort) made low end no serial Grecos (like EG-600 and lower) appear and also the Tokai made no serial Grecos with fret edge binding (EGC-75) appear probably because in the late 1980s Fujigen was reducing set neck guitar production. The Grecos with a bolt neck tenon from the late 1980s/early 1990s seem to also be from Fujigen and I suppose Fujigen were doing the low end Grecos this way because it's easier to do set necks this way and at the time Fujigen wasn't that interested in doing standard set necks because of the time it takes to get the action and angle right for set necks so they did a quicker to set up bolt on set neck joint on the low end Grecos. I think the Greco Dyna connection came after the early 1990s.
The Greco pickups from the 1970s and early 1980s like the U-1000 pickups were made by Nisshin Onpa (Maxon) and then around 1981/1982 the Greco pickups get a makeover and have different names like Screamin etc. In 1981 Fujigen started making their own pickups so maybe that's why the Greco pickups change.
 
japanstrat said:
Yes the Dyna Gakki 2 52xx serial and the FujiGen a8152xx serial Grecos are about the same in terms of quality.
FujiGen had been making Grecos and Ibanez's from the early 70s and Dyna started making Grecos around 1978/1979.
The Dyna serials are mostly on the lower end Grecos around the late 70s/early 80s like the Super Powers but the Dyna serials were also on some of the high end Grecos as well.
In the late 80s the Dyna serials are on most of the Grecos because FujiGen wasn't making many Greco LP's in the late 80s because they couldn't be bothered with set neck guitar making.
Most people know FujiGen but not Dyna because FujiGen made a lot of Ibanez guitars and the early Fender Japan guitars.
hi
the one with 2 52xx is a 3 piece top and 3 piece back.. flower pot logo .... but i think the hard ware has been changed is is not gold ....but crome hard ware ,,,,, but it has fret bindings and dry 1982 pickup ......... 50 style neck .... not easy to id an old greco ,,,,,,,,, :lol:
a good guitar ,,,,,,,, anyway :lol:
 
Are you sure it has a 3 piece back??. The models with dry 1982 pups have 2 piece top and backs, although i have seen one with a 3 piece top. And by the way those dry 1982 pups are very good.. :p

Mick
 
leadguitar_323 said:
Are you sure it has a 3 piece back??. The models with dry 1982 pups have 2 piece top and backs, although i have seen one with a 3 piece top. And by the way those dry 1982 pups are very good.. :p

Mick
hi mick
yes it i am sure ......but good sound from dry 1982 ... very easy to see it is 3 piece back it is 30/10/60
it is black a custom but i ?think all custom have gold hardware ,,, but this one have nickel or crome hardware ...... :lol: not easy to id
i got 30 guitars now all mij from the early 80
greco burny washburn fender jv squer sq ibanez yamaha an old kramer usa witch i think is an esp with made in usa on it :lol:
 
leadguitar_323 said:
Its possible it is made up of different parts but as long as you like it thats all that counts... :p

Mick
hi mick
did they make guitars from left over parts ..... :lol: or do you think it has been changed
otto
 
leadguitar_323 said:
I meant someone had changed parts on it.... :p

Mick

yes i think that too ...... but funny to change the hardware to nickel and the pickups to dry 1982 ,,,,,,,,,
when i got it .... i was thinking a highend guitar ,,,,,, becourse off the pick ups ,,,, but with a 3 picece body and top ?????...... i dont think so any more but but it has got fret bindings ,,,, otto
 
japanstrat said:
There is a 3 piece top Dyna made 1980 EG450 (45,000 Yen approx $450 US) Greco here http://cgi.ebay.com.au/GRECO-LES-PAUL-1980-MIJ-IMMACULATE-ALL-ORIGINAL_W0QQitemZ120204283673QQihZ002QQcategoryZ33034QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

The Greco 3 piece tops I've seen are EG500 (50,000 Yen approx $500 US) or below.
3 piece tops are usually (always) used on lower priced guitars.

The EG500 1979 Super Real Greco I've got has a 3 piece top and fret edge binding, a poly finish and has a Fujigen serial.
In the late 70s/early 80s even some of the lower priced Grecos had fret edge binding.

As the price goes up like with the EGF-1000 F=Flame (100,000 Yen $1000 US) so do the features like nito finish, 2 piece flame tops, pickups etc.
Better looking pieces of wood are rarer than uglier pieces of wood so the better looking wood is used for the high priced models.

Guitar makers are trying to make a profit so they aren't going to offer high end features on a low priced guitar otherwise they wouldn't be in business long.

hi
yes ,,,,, i was very happy when i got it becourse i did think it was a highend guitar ,,,,,, with fret binding and dry 1982 pick ups and oil caps ,,,,, but i dont know what to think now ,,,,,, not gold hard ware but nickel ,,,, and 3 piece body and top ,,, fat 50 style neck ...flower pot logo ... cloesed o in greco ... serial 2 52xx....so what do you think ... and egc 500 with changed hardware ....................????????
 
Well you seem to have a mixture of high and low end features and also a mixture of the Super Real/Super Power series and the Mint Collection series Grecos.
All I can think of is you might have a Greco that is a transition Greco when the Grecos went from the Super Real/Power series to the Mint collection series around mid/late 1981/1982.
 
japanstrat said:
Well you seem to have a mixture of high and low end features and also a mixture of the Super Real/Super Power series and the Mint Collection series Grecos.
All I can think of is you might have a Greco that is a transition Greco when the Grecos went from the Super Real/Power series to the Mint collection series around mid/late 1981/1982.

yes ..... but do you think is a highend model when it has fret bindings and oil caps +dry 1982 ,,,,,,,, is is possibelt is is a egc 1000 i got but with a 3 piece body ,,,, it is black guitar eb coulor
not easy with these greco to identify :lol: :lol:
i can add some picture if you need some
 
Some images would be helpful.

From what you are saying about your Greco you seem to have a low end body and neck (fret edge binding was on some low end necks) but have high end pickups.
I would tend to think the pickups are not stock and someone has replaced them.
A 3 piece top is a low end Greco. I have never seen a high end Greco with a 3 piece top.
 
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