1982 Mint Collection Model Number Guess?

[japanstrat]

I'm very sceptical of high end features on low end guitars but there does seem to be some genuine cases. Muccaz claims that he has tested his low end Greco for nitro and says it is and my 1979 Greco Super Real EG500 has guitar stand damage to the finish (the same damage as Muccaz's nitro one) and therefore could be nitro because I can't explain it any other way. Who knows what Fujigen did for some guitars especially in the late 70s/early 80s.

http://www.tokaiforum.com/viewtopic.php?t=10519&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=0

 

[villager]

i think nitro was more commonly used pre 1980..

 

[MIJvintage]

1982 Greco gold top arrived Friday; here's what I have found out so far.....

Weight is 8 lb. 12 oz. (sans pick guard, as purchased) has a two piece center seam maho back/both halves are quarter sawn and exhibit a slight flame, cannot locate a seam on the maple top, typical black FUJICON caps, SCREAM'IN 1982 pups, long neck tenon, fret edge binding, head stock face veneer, has the smaller neck profile usually associated with the Mint Collection Lesters, gold top finish looks to be 3 layers in thickness, finish looks to be poly & original to boot

Everything looks to be original except for the tuners & the bridge; the tuners were advertised as changed & the bridge does not have the nicely oxidized patina that the tail piece & the pup covers have.

The toggle switch broke off in transit but is still usable :-?

Overall opinion: the weight is perfect, the neck profile is perfect, the overall relic/aged appearance is just what I like, and the pickups sound very nice. The neck pup has a very Strat like response, very much like my 1989 Mint Collection plain top but with even more Strat tone.
I can see this guitar becoming one of my favorites, right along side my favorite Burnys. Considering the build quality, the rarity of Greco gold tops, the perfect weight, and the great tonal response of the pickups, I believe this Greco will be a keeper.

Gold top - yummy

full frontal guitar porn :lol: ............................

Slight flame in the body back

2 piece center seam back, quarter sawn

original solder & FUJICON caps

long neck tenon

SCREAM'IN 1982 pups sound great

some very nice looking rosewood here...........

more..........

head stock face veneer

no center seam in the maple top; 3 layers of gold paint..........

 

[btmish]

Very Very nice MIJ. I am usually not a fan of gold tops, but for some reason I really like that one. A little more subtle or something than most. Have fun.

 

[JohnA]

I am a fan of Goldtops, and a big fan of Mint Collection Greco's Lovely guitar!!!

 

[Nani]

I would agree, seems to be a very worthy guitar. Maybe Sat isn't such a bad guy after all?

The bridge pickup route, was that where you scrubbed away the paint looking for a seam?

It's hard to think there would be a one-piece top on such a guitar, although it's possible. To me, it's more likely 3 pieces, and the seams are just hard to see because of the miracle of the poly finish!

But, it is only a small detail and doesn't affect the look of this beauty for me.

 

[MIJvintage]

The bridge pickup route, was that where you scrubbed away the paint looking for a seam?

It's hard to think there would be a one-piece top on such a guitar, although it's possible. To me, it's more likely 3 pieces, and the seams are just hard to see because of the miracle of the poly finish!

Yes, I sanded the paint off the route wall to locate a join in the maple top but found none; also sanded the bottom of the route & it has 3 layers of gold paint & no indications of a refinish, as was earlier mentioned as a possibility

A 3 piece top is a good bet but I cannot locate any join dimples in the gold top finish

 

[japanstrat]

Just sand the finish off then you can count the pieces.

This is another Y XXXX serial Greco with different wiring channels to the MYYXXXX Grecos which are a good bet to be from Fujigen because of the Ibanez/Fujigen serials being the same. I've seen quite a few Y XXXX serial Grecos with different wiring channels indicating a different factory and muccaz has one as well. The Fujigen MYYXXXX Grecos wiring channel goes down the right hand side of the pickup cavities as do the Fujigen no letter serial Orvilles and OBG's.

 

[MIJvintage]

Just sand the finish off then you can count the pieces.

uh, yeah, right....................

I could care less if this awesome beast was made at FujiGen or Mom & Pop's Guitar Factory :wink:

 

[villager]

A 3 piece top is a good bet but I cannot locate any join dimples in the gold top finish

well you wouldn't under 3 layers of paint..

 

[MIJvintage]

A 3 piece top is a good bet but I cannot locate any join dimples in the gold top finish

well you wouldn't under 3 layers of paint..

I have been able to locate join dimples on many guitars with solid color finishes, poly or nitro finished but it does depend on two basic items; the preperation of the surface before finishing & the finish thickness

I am still very interested to know if anyone can offer a valid model number

I recently A/Bed the 1982 Greco gold top against my 1980 EGF-850 (with the PU2 pups) and the gold top pretty much ate the 850's lunch & kicked it in the a** :lol:

 

[villager]

3 layers tho....

lot of paint..cover the join... greco made tight joins too...

 

[japanstrat]

One of the joins on the back of my Super Real is very hard to see. I had to use a magnifying glass and a certain angle before I could see it.

 

[japanstrat]

Very hard to tell the model from the 1982 Mint Collection catalog. It just has general prices with no finish info from what I can see. Just looking at the pickups they go from Dry (20,000 Yen) to Double Trick)18,000 Yen to The Groove (16,000 Yen) to Screamin (14,000 Yen) humbuckers and Hot Lick (8,000 Yen) is a P-90 pickup so according to the pickups being Screamin it's unlikely to be a high end Greco.


Mint Collection models and pickups sample.
Pickup prices.
DRY 20000 Yen
DOUBLE TRICK 18000 Yen
THE GROOVE 16000 Yen
SCREAMIN 14000 Yen
Models and pickups.
EG58-120 DRY
EG-59-70 DOUBLE TRICK
EG-56-60 HOT LICK
EG-59-50 SCREAMIN
EG59-45 SCREAMIN
EJR54-50 HOT LICK
SS63-70 DOUBLE TRICK
SS63-50 HOT LICK
EG59-65 SCREAMIN
JP-55 SCREAMIN
EGC95K DRY
EGC68-50 SCREAMIN
JS-98K DRY
JS-65 DRY
JS-55 SCREAMIN
RR-95K DRY
RR-65 DRY
RR-55 SCREAMIN
EGC58-100 GROOVE
EGC68-80 DOUBLE TRICK
EGC57-60 SCREAMIN
PC-98K DRY

 

[fiftywatt]

I am still very interested to know if anyone can offer a valid model number

I recently A/Bed the 1982 Greco gold top against my 1980 EGF-850 (with the PU2 pups) and the gold top pretty much ate the 850's lunch & kicked it in the a** :lol:

MIJ, I have one virtually identical to yours. 1982 model with fret edge binding, poly finish, Screamin '82 pickups, etc. Mine still has the "500" sticker on the headstock back. So mine is a EG57-50. I do have a photocopy of a Mint Collection era catalog showing specs for this model. Dunno if that helps or not. Yours could be a EG57-60 I suppose.

I absolutely love mine. It weighs close to 9 lbs but sounds huge. It has a fairly chunky big neck, so I'm guessing is is a leftover Super Real era neck. I spent years locating this one.. the Greco goldtops seem scarce to me. Congrats on your acquisition.

 

[MIJvintage]

fiftywatt, thanks for that; I only had links for the 1980 catalog for reference, which had the EG700G Super Power model for a gold top.
That is probably the model that I had previously (mine was an '81) and sold to a buyer in Hawaii, a couple of years ago

Since this latest one is an '82, I assumed it might be an EG57-??...............

Of the few Mint Collection Lesters I have owned, this one is easily the best sounding

Here's a thread in which you referenced your Mint Collection Lesters, the gold top being one of them
http://www.tokaiforum.com/viewtopic.php?t=9944&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=15

also, a very interesting opinion you have concerning the Greco DRY 1982 pups :wink:

 

[fiftywatt]

MIJ.. I looked at the pics of your EG57 again.. wow what a looker. Looks like the sister to mine. The stock Screamin' 82's in mine were very *blah* sounding, even with the nickel covers removed. Nothing special. I put Dimarzio Nortons in it and it came to life. Not a subtle upgrade at all. Mine also had some stock tiny vintage style frets. It now has Dunlop 6100's.. Big jumbos and a huge improvement.

Fore Greco pickups, I've only heard the Double Trick, Screamin '82's and Dry
82's. I don't care for the Double Tricks at all. My metallic wine red refin '84 has stock Screamin' 82's however. That guitar sounds so good, I wonder if those pickups aren't mislabled Dry 82's sometimes, because they sound as good as the D82's I've tried in the past. It's uncanny and I'm too cautious to even think of trying anything else in that one. If it ain't broke..

 

[MIJvintage]

Brian, thanks for the comments, and she does look very nice.

I believe I stated before that I am not a huge fan of gold tops, as I have always found them to be somewhat boring looking.
Wierd thing is, I like gold metalic Strats

I have always been a Strat guy & my preference is a rose' neck Strat but a guy has to have a Lester fix :lol:

What realy inspires me about this guitar is the sound; I realy got lucky on this one, as it sounds absolutely completely right.
The neck pickup could actually be the best sounding pickup in any guitar I currently own
It is beyond me to explain why; it is what it is.
Maybe it's just the combination of the pickup & the lumber, I don't know.........

I have owned four Bacchus BST-64V model Strats, and I do recall the one in the Fiesta Red finish had the best tone of the four.
All of the four examples were two piece center seam bodies, and the pups were the same Bacchus Alnico Specials but the FR example ruled the roost as far as tone.

Same with this gold top; unexplainable, yet oh so real

I would not change a thing on this guitar, and usually I don't...................(EDIT) except the broken toggle switch, the tuners, the bridge, and the pick guard; all era correct original GRECO pieces of course :lol: which I do have 8) ...............

just added this pick guard today, from a 1980 Greco EG-450. Perfect!

 

[fiftywatt]

I have always been a Strat guy & my preference is a rose' neck Strat but a guy has to have a Lester fix :lol:

What realy inspires me about this guitar is the sound; I realy got lucky on this one, as it sounds absolutely completely right.
The neck pickup could actually be the best sounding pickup in any guitar I currently own
It is beyond me to explain why; it is what it is.
Maybe it's just the combination of the pickup & the lumber, I don't know.........

Rich, I'm a big fan of gold Strats as well. I have a "Frankenstrat" with a Firemist gold refin Fernandes body (more or less the Jackson dinky style HSS sort of thing. I also gig with a goldtop PRS Singlecut Trem as well.

Your goldtop Greco is the same shade as mine. It has a pronounced yellowish tint to it. Very attractive. I agree with the comment about the lumber. I've seen that be the overriding factor with some of these older Greco's. The mahogany seems to be old growth and pretty seasoned wild timber. Not plantation grown mahogany like is common nowadays.

 

[MIJvintage]

........... meant to update this old & long dead thread :lol: some time ago but the top on my 1982 MC gold top is indeed a 3 piece top; the two joins reside just a bit outside of the TOM & tail piece studs ..........

now I won't have to strip all the gold paint off :lol: .......................


best **** gold top I ever played; sorry Scott ...........................