Ok, so I hardly even know where to start on this one. I can't even infer what model number - if any - it might have had. So far, I haven't found anything even remotely like it.
It's a Greco Telecaster, in black with matching headstock, body with double binding, two - as yet unidentified - Maxon/Fujigen humbuckers, a cast one-piece Strat trem unit with cast 11 mm saddles and a 9,5 in radius rosewood fretboard.
The serial is February 1982, i e just a couple of months away from the end of Greco Fender copy production and Fender JVs taking over Fujigen's production lines in April. The number of exotic guitars coming out of that small time window is remarkable. They could be 1982 models that were never launched or Fujigen getting creative with the dwindling stock of Greco parts or a mixture of both. And of course, Greco being Greco, there could be always be store run originals or singleton custom order guitars mixed in there as well. Let's just say it's an extra-interesting period.
The double-bound body is rare, but not without precedent. Greco had the official CT600 model in production at the time, a semi-accurate 1962 Tele Custom copy introduced in 1981. That was only available in 3-tone sunburst however, and is extremely seldom seen today (the pictured guitar has a non-original pickguard).
Likewise, it's not the only dual-humbucker Tele Greco ever made. There's the TL600J, a copy of "the Tele-Gib", a 50's blackguard Tele that Seymour Duncan modded with a pair of Gibson PAFs for Jeff Beck. That's an earlier guitar, though, it's in one of the 1979 "Special" catalogs only and all I've seen so far have had late '78 serials, so probably a very limited run. The Strat trem is unprecedented, though.
Looking into the guitar, it's apparent that all routs are factory-standard, properly done before painting... but also altered at some point afterwards.
The pickup routs have been deepened at the ends with a drill press. It's neatly done, straight down and to a uniform depth, but not the "proper" way , i e with a router.
This would have made sense if the pickups had been obvious replacements, possibly with longer "legs". But they look like standard Greco humbuckers, dated Jan 24 1982, i e perfectly correct for a Feb 1982-serial guitar. However, the increased depth seems necessary if you want to set the pickup height to line up with the frame edges, so it does actually make sense.
The resistance value is abt 7,7k for both pickups, so PAF-type. If anyone could ID the specific model, I'd be most grateful.
The control rout has also been altered in the same way, a few quick passes with a drill press, apparently to accommodate a taller switch than the original rout was intended for. The switch is a DM-30 3-way with Fender-correct (41 mm) mounting-screw pitch, standard for post-1980 Greco Teles, but quite a bit larger and taller than the switches used in the late 70's. So, was the control rout made using an earlier template and router settings??
Oddly, the pots are 250k, i e Tele standard, not the 500k's you'd expect in a humbucker guitar. The pickups "survive" it pretty well, with no great loss in treble. But then again, they are fairly low-output at 7,7k. The one visible pot date code is Dec 1981, so very likely an original component.
The bridge block cavity has been very slightly altered as well, a mil or two extra room towards the back, done with a router this time. I can't see any significance to it beyond providing a small amount of extra downward movement for the trem. The trem itself is the same S.T.C. P-11 cast unit found in contemporary SE450s and SE700s.
The painted headstock has a decal with the logo and "Brazen Picker Professional", but no model name. This lines up with the style used on the rare high-end TL800 Nocaster copy, but any model name could just as easliy been snipped of, of course. The tuners are MH-S7's, Schaller M6 mini copies found on TL500s.
The 9,5 in fretboard radius is very rare indeed. Now, radius wasn't really a "thing" yet in the early 80's, all Greco Fender copies I've had and tried have had the traditional 7.25 in radius, except one: the 9.5 in Laox store original SE-700 (coming up in the "oddball Greco SE" thread), which as far as I know is the only HH strat with otherwise traditional specs Greco ever did. Either way, it's an exceptionally comfortable neck, with a nice C profile with medium depth.
So, what's going on here?
Well, none of the guitar's features seem anachronistic or out-of-place for a Greco of the time, it's just a pretty outlandish combination. I don't really know what to make of the post-finishing alterations. They seem to have been done to accommodate installed parts, the problem is that the installed parts all seem to be period-correct Greco originals, not later after-market replacements. This could point to a custom-order guitar, but would the crudeness of the alterations really be acceptable to a customer paying a premium for a personalized instrument? Still, they seem to be done in some kind of workshop environment, with access to a drill press and a router.
Speculation time: could this be an personalized employee guitar? I've no idea if that actually was a thing, but it's a pretty standard type of perk in consumer product industries. The alterations seems a bit too crude for a commercial product but would probably be acceptable for a factory employee cobbling together his/her dream guitar at work. "Dang, the legs of these pickups are too long for the routs... ah wtf, I'll do a quick fix".
The truth, of course, is out there. And will probably remain at that location, I suspect.
Either way, it's a great guitar, and one that I instantly bonded with. I'm a lifelong Fender-head, and Gibsons seldom feel quite right to me, so I love a good HH Tele or Strat for those classic rock sounds. I might install 500k pots at some point, we'll see.
Either way, lovely guitar and a fun find.
It's a Greco Telecaster, in black with matching headstock, body with double binding, two - as yet unidentified - Maxon/Fujigen humbuckers, a cast one-piece Strat trem unit with cast 11 mm saddles and a 9,5 in radius rosewood fretboard.
The serial is February 1982, i e just a couple of months away from the end of Greco Fender copy production and Fender JVs taking over Fujigen's production lines in April. The number of exotic guitars coming out of that small time window is remarkable. They could be 1982 models that were never launched or Fujigen getting creative with the dwindling stock of Greco parts or a mixture of both. And of course, Greco being Greco, there could be always be store run originals or singleton custom order guitars mixed in there as well. Let's just say it's an extra-interesting period.
The double-bound body is rare, but not without precedent. Greco had the official CT600 model in production at the time, a semi-accurate 1962 Tele Custom copy introduced in 1981. That was only available in 3-tone sunburst however, and is extremely seldom seen today (the pictured guitar has a non-original pickguard).
Likewise, it's not the only dual-humbucker Tele Greco ever made. There's the TL600J, a copy of "the Tele-Gib", a 50's blackguard Tele that Seymour Duncan modded with a pair of Gibson PAFs for Jeff Beck. That's an earlier guitar, though, it's in one of the 1979 "Special" catalogs only and all I've seen so far have had late '78 serials, so probably a very limited run. The Strat trem is unprecedented, though.
Looking into the guitar, it's apparent that all routs are factory-standard, properly done before painting... but also altered at some point afterwards.
The pickup routs have been deepened at the ends with a drill press. It's neatly done, straight down and to a uniform depth, but not the "proper" way , i e with a router.
This would have made sense if the pickups had been obvious replacements, possibly with longer "legs". But they look like standard Greco humbuckers, dated Jan 24 1982, i e perfectly correct for a Feb 1982-serial guitar. However, the increased depth seems necessary if you want to set the pickup height to line up with the frame edges, so it does actually make sense.
The resistance value is abt 7,7k for both pickups, so PAF-type. If anyone could ID the specific model, I'd be most grateful.
The control rout has also been altered in the same way, a few quick passes with a drill press, apparently to accommodate a taller switch than the original rout was intended for. The switch is a DM-30 3-way with Fender-correct (41 mm) mounting-screw pitch, standard for post-1980 Greco Teles, but quite a bit larger and taller than the switches used in the late 70's. So, was the control rout made using an earlier template and router settings??
Oddly, the pots are 250k, i e Tele standard, not the 500k's you'd expect in a humbucker guitar. The pickups "survive" it pretty well, with no great loss in treble. But then again, they are fairly low-output at 7,7k. The one visible pot date code is Dec 1981, so very likely an original component.
The bridge block cavity has been very slightly altered as well, a mil or two extra room towards the back, done with a router this time. I can't see any significance to it beyond providing a small amount of extra downward movement for the trem. The trem itself is the same S.T.C. P-11 cast unit found in contemporary SE450s and SE700s.
The painted headstock has a decal with the logo and "Brazen Picker Professional", but no model name. This lines up with the style used on the rare high-end TL800 Nocaster copy, but any model name could just as easliy been snipped of, of course. The tuners are MH-S7's, Schaller M6 mini copies found on TL500s.
The 9,5 in fretboard radius is very rare indeed. Now, radius wasn't really a "thing" yet in the early 80's, all Greco Fender copies I've had and tried have had the traditional 7.25 in radius, except one: the 9.5 in Laox store original SE-700 (coming up in the "oddball Greco SE" thread), which as far as I know is the only HH strat with otherwise traditional specs Greco ever did. Either way, it's an exceptionally comfortable neck, with a nice C profile with medium depth.
So, what's going on here?
Well, none of the guitar's features seem anachronistic or out-of-place for a Greco of the time, it's just a pretty outlandish combination. I don't really know what to make of the post-finishing alterations. They seem to have been done to accommodate installed parts, the problem is that the installed parts all seem to be period-correct Greco originals, not later after-market replacements. This could point to a custom-order guitar, but would the crudeness of the alterations really be acceptable to a customer paying a premium for a personalized instrument? Still, they seem to be done in some kind of workshop environment, with access to a drill press and a router.
Speculation time: could this be an personalized employee guitar? I've no idea if that actually was a thing, but it's a pretty standard type of perk in consumer product industries. The alterations seems a bit too crude for a commercial product but would probably be acceptable for a factory employee cobbling together his/her dream guitar at work. "Dang, the legs of these pickups are too long for the routs... ah wtf, I'll do a quick fix".
The truth, of course, is out there. And will probably remain at that location, I suspect.
Either way, it's a great guitar, and one that I instantly bonded with. I'm a lifelong Fender-head, and Gibsons seldom feel quite right to me, so I love a good HH Tele or Strat for those classic rock sounds. I might install 500k pots at some point, we'll see.Either way, lovely guitar and a fun find.
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