Help me ID this Greco LP!

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TonePort

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ok, so im new in this forum but ive already searched the net for info about this LP i got from a trade, ive done my homework but still the info ive gathered was insufficient :eek: so here goes anyway:

first a little bit of history:

the previous owner is dead, and this was given to his nephews which they traded for my strat. some points that confuse me though:

1) the tuners (like all the hardware) are gold, but i replaced them as soon as got hold of it since the D peg was squinting;

2) one pup is covered while the other is open;

3) it says E77**** on the headstock so im pretty sure it's from the 1977 series;

4) there's this "Custom" inscribed on the truss rod cover;

i cant open up the bridge pup, only the beck pup does. rust has formed on the screws so it's quite difficult to unscrew the whole thing. ive also replaced the tailpiece and bridge and the knobs since one of the old knobs was missing.

at a local gear forum i stumbled upon this http://psyco.jp/greco/c06_02.html and my LP looks like the EG1000B, but someone said Custom models are EGC not EG.

here are some pics for reference:
Image004-3.jpg

notice the tuners

Image006-1.jpg


Image009-2.jpg

new tuners

Image010-1.jpg

new bridge and tailpiece, old thumbscrew

Image011-1.jpg


Image012-2.jpg

note the pickups

any help would be most appreciated. thanks guys!
 
It helps to post pictures of:

the control cavity
the back of the headstock with the serial clearly visible
the cavity underneath the neck pickup to show the tenon + any seams in the wood (i.e. solid maple top, multiple pieces of the body)
the bottom of both pickups (though one seems to be not original)
 
Again its difficult to say with out the above info as stated by imlikeajungle
what i can tel from your info is
yes if your serial starts E77 then it is May 77
The C for custom came at the end. ie Eg600C
The B you thought stand for Black beauty
There was an Eg1000C but not sure if it was avalible in black
I think maybe yours could be a 800 or 600
the uncovered pickup I would say is a Greco pick up but lower end
get the pics up and maybe we can help some more or maybe some one would like to add/change what I have said
 
I have those uncovered pickups with the metal 'ring' like you have in my EG800 (it has a sticker...) so it can still be an 800 like barburny says.
 
oh thanks for the replies guys, i'll try to post pics as soon as i get home. i just opened this today :D

i have a strong hunch it is an EG1000C if not B since most specs fit the image as per the catalogue: knobs, tuners, gold hardware, scratch plate support (i wonder what that's called), and the engraved Custom on the truss rod cover.

i took a nosey inside the bridge pup cavity and man, was it full of dust. i tried to see the tenon but it seems there is none (maybe the dust had covered the crevices). i'll try to post pics later tonight. thanks for the help guys.
 
I look forward to the extra pics
i would not like to do you out of a 1000 but my old Eg800pb(peter framton)
and im sure jungles frehely 800 have the gold hardware and custom printed on the TRC
the catalogues can be so misleading as greco often produced the models with different parts than the catalogues show
 
barburny said:
I look forward to the extra pics
i would not like to do you out of a 1000 but my old Eg800pb(peter framton)
and im sure jungles frehely 800 have the gold hardware and custom printed on the TRC
the catalogues can be so misleading as greco often produced the models with different parts than the catalogues show

thanks bud, im curious of the specs of the body actually and maybe an extra info would be most appreciated. when i first opened the control cavity the top looked like it has a solid cap and pancake on top, quite confusing actually. it's a bit heavy, like 5kg.

too bad ive got work even on a weekend, i cant post the pics needed. argggghhhhh!
 
whew! the pics are in.

Image000-2.jpg

the control cavity. the tone pot for the bridge PU has been replaced. the 3 other pots are originals

Image002-2.jpg


Yamato ceramic pots (i think). pic shows the old pot and the replacement pot (both 500K) for the bridge tone pot

Image003-2.jpg


Image005-2.jpg


the dowel and tenon(?)
Image006-2.jpg


Image007-3.jpg


i cant see any tenon extending under the bridge pup. dont mind the green wire though, i used that for grounding the pups and switches to the control cavity and cover.
 
detroitace said:
From the tenon shot, it looks like it's is a chambered one. Is that the case?

What gives you the idea that it's chambered? The hole you see is the tunnel for the wires to the pickup selector switch.
 
What gives you the idea that it's chambered? The hole you see is the tunnel for the wires to the pickup selector switch.

Well, the top looks a little thin to be a full cap and the tunnel looks a little
big and rectangular.
 
detroitace said:
What gives you the idea that it's chambered? The hole you see is the tunnel for the wires to the pickup selector switch.

Well, the top looks a little thin to be a full cap and the tunnel looks a little
big and rectangular.

Yeah, I see what you mean.... :wink:
 
marcusnieman said:
detroitace said:
From the tenon shot, it looks like it's is a chambered one. Is that the case?

What gives you the idea that it's chambered? The hole you see is the tunnel for the wires to the pickup selector switch.
Thats A chambered body
The tunnels for the wire is a lot bigger in chambered Grecos and quite common for a 77 model
 
leadguitar_323 said:
If that guitar is chambered it is definitely not a "1000" model, it would be more like a "500" .

Mick

thanks for the replies guys, that definitely helped :D you guys are right, it has a thin top (probably pancake) and large wire channels so it's probably chambered as you have stated (maybe that's why it resonates fully). given the specs found in this page http://psyco.jp/greco/c06_02.html (the first one in black) i wonder why the tuners, gold hardware, knobs and the TRC engraving matched. well, based on your suggestions, this page could've just fooled me hehe.

in which series does my Greco fit in?
 
Just for your information: the tenon is a 'dowel tenon', mine has the same thing but it is not chambered as far as I can see/feel (it's extremely heavy - reason I'm selling it).
 
Update: i forgot to mention that the body was solid and there was a pancake top from the way i see it. it's quite heavy, heavier than most chambered LPs ive held. it could be that the wiring channels and the pup holes are considerably larger, and due to the absence of a tenon (at least that's how i view it), but the body is definitely heavy as per more detailed inspection.

ive already changed the knobs to bell-type and also the switch to cream-colored 3way LP switch.

a little fret leveling and replacement of pick up rings and this baby's good to go.

:oops:
 
imlikeajungle said:
Just for your information: the tenon is a 'dowel tenon', mine has the same thing but it is not chambered as far as I can see/feel (it's extremely heavy - reason I'm selling it).

so there! i didnt see this post before LOL.

that explains it all.

and buddy, since we seem to have the same tenon construction, i'd like to know what series your Greco is in so i may have the slightest idea on which series mine fits in. thanks.
 
i did more research and ended up finding additional info from JapanAxe.com. sigh.

mine is to heavy to be chambered. i mean, it could have a huge chamber for the pick ups but the body is no way chambered whatsoever (methinks). quite confusing the descriptions offered were, including the catalog specs. i like to think of mine as having a 2-piece pancake top anyway LOL.


a follow up question: EG500CB models have rosewood fingerboard, while mine has ebony. right, since it is black, and i understand that rosewood is a brown wood, while ebony is black (correct me on this).

weird guitar really (at least for me).
 
Well oiled rosewood can go very dark and also rosewood can be "ebonised", i have a custom order Tokai with a rosewood board and the board is jet black, i know it is rosewood by the grain. The easy way to find out if it is chambered is to take the front pickup out and have a look .....it is fairly obvious.

Mick
 

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