Infos on Greco EGC 550

[SIGuitar]

Hey,

I?m new to this forum and I have some questions about my Greco. I have purchased a Greco EGC550 a while ago for a refinish project. It is the exact guitar as on this page that I found on the net:

http://www.geocities.jp/visrds/esgrlpc1.htm.

I read somewhere that Grecos have mahogany back and maple top but as I sanded the old finish down, I saw that the wood has a very light color so don?t think it is mahogany. So now I?m wondering what kind of wood was used for those guitars? Infos on the net are really rare. Any ideas?
By the way the sereial number is 0 2160. What production year could it be?

Thanks so far!

 

[Koubayashi]

Hey,

I?m new to this forum and I have some questions about my Greco. I have purchased a Greco EGC550 a while ago for a refinish project. It is the exact guitar as on this page that I found on the net:

http://www.geocities.jp/visrds/esgrlpc1.htm.

I read somewhere that Grecos have mahogany back and maple top but as I sanded the old finish down, I saw that the wood has a very light color so don?t think it is mahogany. So now I?m wondering what kind of wood was used for those guitars? Infos on the net are really rare. Any ideas?
By the way the sereial number is 0 2160. What production year could it be?

Thanks so far!

A: The link doesn't work
B: Your guitar was made in 1990

 

[SIGuitar]

Don?t know why the link doesn?t work, but thanks for giving me the production year. Ok so here are a view pics:

http://i293.photobucket.com/albums/mm57/sigmaband/greco-egc55-9.jpg

http://i293.photobucket.com/albums/mm57/sigmaband/greco-egc55-5.jpg

 

[leadguitar_323]

Looks like a Tokai made Greco and i would be very surprised if its not mahogany with a maple top.

Mick

 

[SIGuitar]

I herd the same about those guitars, mahogany back, maple top. I?m not an expert but I think mahogany looks different. Here are some pics after sanding and clearcoating (the neck is unfinished):

http://i293.photobucket.com/albums/mm57/sigmaband/IMG_2543.jpg
http://i293.photobucket.com/albums/mm57/sigmaband/IMG_2545.jpg

 

[Koubayashi]

I herd the same about those guitars, mahogany back, maple top. I?m not an expert but I think mahogany looks different. Here are some pics after sanding and clearcoating (the neck is unfinished):

http://i293.photobucket.com/albums/mm57/sigmaband/IMG_2543.jpg
http://i293.photobucket.com/albums/mm57/sigmaband/IMG_2545.jpg

Mahogany is not very dark.
some is lighter but in general not too dark.
But it might also be that you didn't come through the sealer.

 

[leadguitar_323]

That must be a low end model and it looks like Alder for the body and a multi piece maple neck........never seen one like that....could be a cort made one from Korea ?

Mick

 

[SIGuitar]

I,m pretty sureI came trough the sealer. It looked much lighter than without the sealer and clearcoat, just like the neck which has no finish. The strange thing is that the top looks exactly like the neck or the back, think it is the same wood. Don?t know maybe it is an mahogany related wood or something. But I?d really like to know, as this guitar has a really great sound to it...

 

[SIGuitar]

And yes Mick, good idea it really could be Alder.. but like I said I?m not an expert :wink:

 

[Koubayashi]

I,m pretty sureI came trough the sealer. It looked much lighter than without the sealer and clearcoat, just like the neck which has no finish. The strange thing is that the top looks exactly like the neck or the back, think it is the same wood. Don?t know maybe it is an mahogany related wood or something. But I?d really like to know, as this guitar has a really great sound to it...

Mahogany is darker than that.
Looks like alder but could be basswood as well.
Is it soft? you can make dents in basswood easily.
How much does it weigh? Basswood seems to be lighter than alder.

 

[japanstrat]

It's one of those bolt neck Grecos that appears around 1989-1990.
They are not the same sort of thing as the Tokai or Cort no serial Grecos from the late 1980s although the Cort made no serial Grecos have multiple piece necks as well.

They have a Greco serial and a bolt neck and that wood ain't Mahogany.

They are at the lower end of the price scale and the lower end Grecos in the late 80s went down in build quality with the Cort made no serial Grecos and these bolt Grecos with a serial.
The Tokai made no serial Grecos are still pretty high quality but they were sold for a bit more.

In the late 80s, Fujigen didn't want to make the low end set neck Grecos anymore because set neck production takes more time and money to do and they were more concerned with the bolt on neck Fender Japan contract and the amount of profit returned from making the low end set neck Grecos probably wasn't that great so Fujigen didn't want to make many of them so that's why the no serial Tokai and Cort made Grecos appear in the late 80s as Kanda Shokai contracted Cort and Tokai to fill in the lower end production gap left by Fujigen.

These bolt neck Grecos with a serial from around 1990 might be made by Fujigen and seem to be made after or around when the no serial Cort and Tokai Grecos stop maybe due to production price rises from Tokai and Cort, so the low end Greco contract probably went back to Fujigen after going to Cort and Tokai but these Grecos were made for quick assembly with the bolt neck and were made with what seems like cheaper and multiple pieces of wood so Fujigen probably thought they could make some profit by making them this way.

 

[RetroSquad]

I herd the same about those guitars, mahogany back, maple top. I?m not an expert but I think mahogany looks different. Here are some pics after sanding and clearcoating (the neck is unfinished):

http://i293.photobucket.com/albums/mm57/sigmaband/IMG_2543.jpghttp://i293.photobucket.com/albums/mm57/sigmaband/IMG_2545.jpg

I have been resorting and refinishing high end vintage furniture for nearly 20 years. My knowledge of wood is good but I am not an encyclopedia. That said, I feel confident that the guitar in the image is NOT any kind of Mahogany. Looks like Maple to me. In addition, I have a Greco made 550C and my work on it makes me think it is also Maple and not Mahogany.

 

[Sigmania]

You are responding to a 14 year old thread. Would be shocked if the OP saw this.