Source for Greco info?

[Jeff Hitman]

I would like to find some catalog materials or something that shows the various models of the Greco Mint Collection made in the 80's.
Anyone?
-Thanks,
-J

 

[20 century boy]

http://www.tokaiforum.com/viewtopic.php?t=5350

 

[orvilleowner]

http://grecomania.hoops.ne.jp/cat.html

I haven't seen any catalogs from the second half of the 80's.

There are other sites that have Greco catalogs, try GOOGLE.

 

[Jeff Hitman]

Took some new pix of the guitar today. I'd like very much to find out the actual model number. From the serial number it was made in Sept of '89. It appears to be an EG-1000C but that's an uneducated guess.
Anyone? I can't find a single picture online in any catalog showing a white LP Custom from the Mint Collection.
-J

 

[joukov]

"I can't find a single picture online in any catalog showing a white LP Custom from the Mint Collection."

Maybe it's not Mint Collection?

 

[Jeff Hitman]

"I can't find a single picture online in any catalog showing a white LP Custom from the Mint Collection."

Maybe it's not Mint Collection?

I'm sorry, I didn't mean to say "Mint Collection". I meant to say ...

"I can't find a single picture of a white Greco Les Paul Custom in any catalogs online".

The date of manufacture being Sept 89 is established, so I ASSUME it's Mint Collection, though this is just an assumtion.

 

[marcusnieman]

Hey Hitman,

I also have an unidentifiable Greco - except mine is an ES 335 from 1979. Scroll down the topic list of this section to "Greco Limited Edition ES 335 - Identify This Please" and you'll see the very helpful replies I got to it's pedigree.

It seems that Greco made special runs of certain guitars for promotions or for dealers. Don't know if that helps but maybe it'll point you in the right direction.

 

[Jeff Hitman]

Took some pix of the insides tonight...it is a long neck tenon as you can see and the pots are full size with good quality orange discs too.
-J

 

[magentaplacenta]

Are the pickups labeled on the bottom at all?

Anyone know what all the white is inside the neck pickup cavity? Do they spray a base of white? That white color wasn't the original color for the entire body was it?

 

[Jeff Hitman]

Are the pickups labeled on the bottom at all?

Anyone know what all the white is inside the neck pickup cavity? Do they spray a base of white? That white color wasn't the original color for the entire body was it?

No markings or stickers on the bottom of the pickups. The white is the original color of the guitar. It looks the same under the tailpiece when you take it off. The aged yellowish white is just what the guitar has faded to over time.

 

[orvilleowner]

Anyone know what all the white is inside the neck pickup cavity? Do they spray a base of white? That white color wasn't the original color for the entire body was it?

I think that was the original color!

That LPC has a more Gibson-like headstock inlay, unlike other Greco LPCs, so that may make it a "Mint Collection" ... I see that other older "Mint Collection" LPCs did have rosewood fingerboards (but they also had 5 digit serial numbers in the 50s Gibson style).

 

[Jeff Hitman]

I've done some online searching (a LOT of it actually) and come up with only a few examples that have the exact same specs as mine with the split in the middle section of the headstock inlay. Note the headstock inlay. It's the same as mine. I'll put a pic of all three headstocks at the bottom so you can see what I mean...
-J

 

[orvilleowner]

The "other" LPC headstock inlay I was talking about is seen here:

It's from the Greco 1981 Vol. 13 catalog. The "true" Gibson "Split Diamond" inlay was used in the pre-lawsuit in-your-face-copy days.

I'm thinking the inlay in the above image was used in the 80s in the standard model line and the Split-Split Diamond inlay, like yours, was used in the Mint Collection (which was a more accurate replica, but not a lawsuit-exact replica).

I'm just guessing because those later 80s catalogs aren't available.

 

[Jeff Hitman]

The "other" LPC headstock inlay I was talking about is seen here:

It's from the Greco 1981 Vol. 13 catalog. The "true" Gibson "Split Diamond" inlay was used in the pre-lawsuit in-your-face-copy days.

I'm thinking the inlay in the above image was used in the 80s in the standard model line and the Split-Split Diamond inlay, like yours, was used in the Mint Collection (which was a more accurate replica, but not a lawsuit-exact replica).

I'm just guessing because those later 80s catalogs aren't available.

Your statements seem to be right in line with what I've been finding out in my own digging around. The headstock on my white LPC is apparently used in the later mint collection. The earlier "lawsuit" models were the Super Real series.
-J

 

[Jeff Hitman]

The "other" LPC headstock inlay I was talking about is seen here:

It's from the Greco 1981 Vol. 13 catalog. The "true" Gibson "Split Diamond" inlay was used in the pre-lawsuit in-your-face-copy days.

I'm thinking the inlay in the above image was used in the 80s in the standard model line and the Split-Split Diamond inlay, like yours, was used in the Mint Collection (which was a more accurate replica, but not a lawsuit-exact replica).

I'm just guessing because those later 80s catalogs aren't available.

Oh... one more thing. I've seen LPC's from the 70's into the early 80's with both the flower pot logo on the headstock AND the split bolt as I show above. I haven't been able to determine which models are which except to say they were all either Super Real or Super Power series. I'd be willing to be that the flower pots are used on the SR's and the split bolt on the SP's which were the immediate predecessor to the mint collection.
-J

 

[orvilleowner]

To be honest, I don't know if the terms "Super Real," "Super Sound," and "Super Power" were actual model/series designators or just advertising hype! Those terms didn't seem to be used in the model numbers for the various guitars, they just showed up next to the images in the catalog.

For what it's worth, the Les Paul Custom copies had "Super Sound" printed next to their images. All three terms were used for various LP standard models.

 

[villager]

super real was written on the LP's headstock in 1980 and 81,

and on the customs, its on the truss rod..dunno much about the super power ...just that they are not as good as the super reals...hehe

 

[20 century boy]

"super real" were the expensive models (eg-800 and higher) . "Super power" and "super sound" the cheaper models (eg-450-700). Most of the time it was written on the head of the guitar.

 

[villager]

Super reals, 1980 and 81.... there was an EGF-450,(avoid that one),
EGF-850, EGF-1000, EGF-1200...all were flamed to some extent...the EG 800 900 and 1000 were the pre 1980 model designation, and were all plaintops... the EGF-850 is like an old EG-900 the 1000 is like an old 1000, and the 1200 is very special, top of the tree, and had no similar model pre 1980.. ...

 

[20 century boy]

Super reals, 1980 and 81.... there was an EGF-450,(avoid that one)

Ha yes, you're right. :wink:
Their classification is really strange...