What do you think of this Greco EG?

[CrackTheSkye]

I have been on the market for a MIJ Les Paul for quite some time and have heard really good things about the Greco's especially from the 80's. I have found a couple on ebay and although I'm not to fond of buying a guitar on ebay it has proven to be the best place to find vintage MIJ LP's. Anyway what can you tell me about this guitar that's not already mentioned in the listing. Type of P/U's that came stock in these? Good price at current bid or no?

Thanks

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=150489853973&ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT

 

[greco_burst]

It looks in great condition, but i got some concerns, the serial number ink and font size etc...could be okay u know, just not sure about this one....the logo is vintage correct, fret binding okay, EG500 sticker, maybe just a mint one.
For a 30 year old guitar i would expect some sort of wear....

Its' a good listing but the excessive use of the word 'lawsuit' really shits me.

 

[CrackTheSkye]

It looks in great condition, but i got some concerns, the serial number ink and font size etc...could be okay u know, just not sure about this one....the logo is vintage correct, fret binding okay, EG500 sticker, maybe just a mint one.
For a 30 year old guitar i would expect some sort of wear....

Its' a good listing but the excessive use of the word 'lawsuit' really shits me.

What are you thinking? It's a fake? I also had some concerns of how good of condition it is in considering it's from the 80's. I expressed my concern with the seller and he claimed it was rare to see a guitar in such great condition and that he assumed the guitar hadn't been played much.... Obviously. Ive asked for pics of the side of the guitar body as well as inside the control/pickup cavity.

 

[greco_burst]

I have said i have concerns, coz i have not seen that serial font and ink type on 1980 greco....ok??

 

[CrackTheSkye]

I have said i have concerns, coz i have not seen that serial font and ink type on 1980 greco....ok??

What have u seen with 1980 serial font and number?

 

[soundcreation]

It's fine....


1980 eg500. Nobody is faking eg500's. Fret binding says 80.

Price seems pretty good at this point. I wouldn't go higher than maybe 600? They can be had out of Japan for around the same in the end.

Ishibashi has a black one for 40000 yen which would be about 480 US but shipping from japan would be probably around 150 +/- a few.

So if you like that one then I would say go for it.

 

[CrackTheSkye]

It's fine....


1980 eg500. Nobody is faking eg500's. Fret binding says 80.

Price seems pretty good at this point. I wouldn't go higher than maybe 600? They can be had out of Japan for around the same in the end.

Ishibashi has a black one for 40000 yen which would be about 480 US but shipping from japan would be probably around 150 +/- a few.

So if you like that one then I would say go for it.

Thanks. I wouldn't go any higher than $600 anyway. I thought about buying from Japan but figured it wouldn't be worth it with the shipping and the customs fees. How would this compare to a Gibson? I know the EG500 is the lower end of the Grecos but just wondered how it translated to the Gibson's. I'm looking to get the best quality/playability of a gibson in a MIJ counterpart for a lot less money.

Can you identify the p/u's? Also some more pics of the control/pickup cavity.

http://i1009.photobucket.com/albums/af212/PurpleTeabag/100_0899.jpg
http://i1009.photobucket.com/albums/af212/PurpleTeabag/100_0901.jpg
http://i1009.photobucket.com/albums/af212/PurpleTeabag/100_0902.jpg
http://i1009.photobucket.com/albums/af212/PurpleTeabag/100_0897.jpg

 

[soundcreation]

It's fine....


1980 eg500. Nobody is faking eg500's. Fret binding says 80.

Price seems pretty good at this point. I wouldn't go higher than maybe 600? They can be had out of Japan for around the same in the end.

Ishibashi has a black one for 40000 yen which would be about 480 US but shipping from japan would be probably around 150 +/- a few.

So if you like that one then I would say go for it.

Thanks. I wouldn't go any higher than $600 anyway. I thought about buying from Japan but figured it wouldn't be worth it with the shipping and the customs fees. How would this compare to a Gibson? I know the EG500 is the lower end of the Grecos but just wondered how it translated to the Gibson's. I'm looking to get the best quality/playability of a gibson in a MIJ counterpart for a lot less money.

Can you identify the p/u's? Also some more pics of the control/pickup cavity.

http://i1009.photobucket.com/albums/af212/PurpleTeabag/100_0899.jpg
http://i1009.photobucket.com/albums/af212/PurpleTeabag/100_0901.jpg
http://i1009.photobucket.com/albums/af212/PurpleTeabag/100_0902.jpg
http://i1009.photobucket.com/albums/af212/PurpleTeabag/100_0897.jpg

Buy from japan can be more than worth it if you know what to look for. Prices are nearly always cheaper there and even with shipping end up being better deals.

This one is good because the guy has obviously not totally over valued his greco like most others seem too.

It's hard to say with comparisons too gibson. The 500 would most likely be a poly finish...Greco poly is VERY thin so in terms of affecting resonance it really wouldn't make any difference...but nearly any Gibson is nitro and personally I prefer nitro for feel.

African Mahogany on the Greco vs "honduran" on most gibsons. Again not going to make much of a difference. That back on that guitar looks very nice but I'm still guessing it's at least 2 pieces maybe 3. I think I see the seams but it's really well matched. Depends on the gibson but most customs are probably one piece. Does it matter? Maybe. I prefer to keep body pieces to a minimum but it doesn't mean multi piece will be bad. And Greco's are very consistent quality. Probably where they win out over gibson. Not many dogs. A plus too (in my opinion) is it wouldn't be chambered or weight relieved. You'd have to go to Custom Shop level with gibson to get that now a days.

According to wiki the pickups in the 500 were the U1000

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greco_guitars

Those look like greco pickups so I don't doubt that probably what they are. My experience with the pickups from the super real era (maxon made them) has been fantastic. I think it's their real strength. Their pickups sound amazing. Now my experience is limited to my 2 and a few clips I've heard but none the less...

So in the end if you like it and the price seems fair to you go for it. Don't worry if it's "better than a gibson". Compared to a gibson it's got some pluses and some minuses but really it's not important.

 

[zepping]

Prob U-1000's since the wiki Greco page is probably partially built by japanstrat.
http://forum.japanaxe.com/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=1962


Not a fake. Dowel tenon joint. No ones gonna fake that. Or the volute headstock.

Great weight on that one, too.

A little over $600 would be ok, I guess. $650 max, and just because it looks like a museum piece and comes with a decent HC.

With a 3 piece top, you may have a hard time selling it down the road, if you wanted to. People are getting pickier as time goes on.


btw, now is a crappy time to buy from Japan (yahoo.jp), if you're USA. The yen/dollar conversion stinks right now.

 

[greco_burst]

The EG500C has UD pups, the EG500 has U-1000, this one is EG500C

 

[jacco]

There's nothing wrong with that serial font, it's normal for that period.
Like said before fret edge binding indicates 1980 and also does the Greco logo by the way the G and r are connected. It's a 1980 EG500C.

Warren, where did you find in the listing the serial on the pickups start with a 2?
I don't think the first digit indicates a certain type of pup for I have seen U-1000, PU-0, PU-2, UD & Dry-Z all starting with a 2. The 2nd digit is the year, 3th& 4th the month, 5th & 6th the day Maxon made it.
According to the catalog this is a UD pup, same a my 1981 EG500C (which also has the same serial font BTW). DC resistance on mine are neck 7.94 and bridge 7.78. They are pretty good. Neck has a nice dry, woody and airy sound and sounds a little hotter than the bridge pup (see resistance). I also like the bridge pup for warmth but it lacks a little bit of fullness & power.

The listing says that it's full LPC specs apart from the fretboard but I don't see someone saying that it's a maple top and not maho as a vintage LPC should have.
You can't be sure of it's chambered or not with EG500s. Mine weighs 3.9 kilo's/8.6 lbs and I always thought it had a solid top (also when checking the pup/control cavity or tapping on the top) but the body was split in half recently during transition and I discovered it's chambered after all!

So looking at it, it's indeed a nice crisp example but very common guitar. I also wouldn't pay more than 600. I would rather buy a Burny LPC of the same era which is about the same price and has a maho body and also feb (but can weigh much more and can it can be hard to identify if you don't know what to look for).

 

[soundcreation]

The EG500C has UD pups, the EG500 has U-1000, this one is EG500C

correct...my mistake...

 

[soundcreation]

There's nothing wrong with that serial font, it's normal for that period.
Like said before fret edge binding indicates 1980 and also does the Greco logo by the way the G and r are connected. It's a 1980 EG500C.

Warren, where did you find in the listing the serial on the pickups start with a 2?
I don't think the first digit indicates a certain type of pup for I have seen U-1000, PU-0, PU-2, UD & Dry-Z all starting with a 2. The 2nd digit is the year, 3th& 4th the month, 5th & 6th the day Maxon made it.
According to the catalog this is a UD pup, same a my 1981 EG500C (which also has the same serial font BTW). DC resistance on mine are neck 7.94 and bridge 7.78. They are pretty good. Neck has a nice dry, woody and airy sound and sounds a little hotter than the bridge pup (see resistance). I also like the bridge pup for warmth but it lacks a little bit of fullness & power.

The listing says that it's full LPC specs apart from the fretboard but I don't see someone saying that it's a maple top and not maho as a vintage LPC should have.
You can't be sure of it's chambered or not with EG500s. Mine weighs 3.9 kilo's/8.6 lbs and I always thought it had a solid top (also when checking the pup/control cavity or tapping on the top) but the body was split in half recently during transition and I discovered it's chambered after all!

So looking at it, it's indeed a nice crisp example but very common guitar. I also wouldn't pay more than 600. I would rather buy a Burny LPC of the same era which is about the same price and has a maho body and also feb (but can weigh much more and can it can be hard to identify if you don't know what to look for).

You mean your EGC500 was chambered like gibson chambers them? In the mahogany? Or it had one of those chambered maple tops?

Love to see pics of that body split in half. How the hell did that happen?

 

[jacco]

There's nothing wrong with that serial font, it's normal for that period.
Like said before fret edge binding indicates 1980 and also does the Greco logo by the way the G and r are connected. It's a 1980 EG500C.

Warren, where did you find in the listing the serial on the pickups start with a 2?
I don't think the first digit indicates a certain type of pup for I have seen U-1000, PU-0, PU-2, UD & Dry-Z all starting with a 2. The 2nd digit is the year, 3th& 4th the month, 5th & 6th the day Maxon made it.
According to the catalog this is a UD pup, same a my 1981 EG500C (which also has the same serial font BTW). DC resistance on mine are neck 7.94 and bridge 7.78. They are pretty good. Neck has a nice dry, woody and airy sound and sounds a little hotter than the bridge pup (see resistance). I also like the bridge pup for warmth but it lacks a little bit of fullness & power.

The listing says that it's full LPC specs apart from the fretboard but I don't see someone saying that it's a maple top and not maho as a vintage LPC should have.
You can't be sure of it's chambered or not with EG500s. Mine weighs 3.9 kilo's/8.6 lbs and I always thought it had a solid top (also when checking the pup/control cavity or tapping on the top) but the body was split in half recently during transition and I discovered it's chambered after all!

So looking at it, it's indeed a nice crisp example but very common guitar. I also wouldn't pay more than 600. I would rather buy a Burny LPC of the same era which is about the same price and has a maho body and also feb (but can weigh much more and can it can be hard to identify if you don't know what to look for).

You mean your EGC500 was chambered like gibson chambers them? In the mahogany? Or it had one of those chambered maple tops?

Love to see pics of that body split in half. How the hell did that happen?

It's in the maho, I don't know exactly how Gibson chambers their LPs and how that compares.
I can't wait to dissect it when I get it back. It's at the insurance company right now. It just happened 1 week ago when it was send from my luthier to my place. It was in a HSC and well boxed. I think some guy at the postal services had some fun with it..

 

[CrackTheSkye]

Thanks for all the info guys. I think I'm going to pass on this one and wait for a better higher end MIJ. Where are some good places to look and some good ones to look for? I'm looking to spend about $700 total. So if it's from Japan that $700 needs to cover shipping and custom fees

 

[JVsearch]

Love to see pics of that body split in half. How the hell did that happen?

It's in the maho, I don't know exactly how Gibson chambers their LPs and how that compares...

Gibson uses the "swiss cheese" method for weight relieving their LPs in the mahogany, but they also make some chambered ones that are very different and are really nicely crafted, they still have a full thickness maple top on all their LPs (could be an exception here and there that probably failed to become a regular model).

 

[JVsearch]

...DC resistance on mine are neck 7.94 and bridge 7.78. They are pretty good. Neck has a nice dry, woody and airy sound and sounds a little hotter than the bridge pup (see resistance). I also like the bridge pup for warmth but it lacks a little bit of fullness & power...

Pity you can't swap them around, it might work better!

 

[greco_burst]

It's interesting that the serial font and ink for a Gibson golden years serial format, is seen to be normal for a 1980 Greco?

The only type of font and ink colour I have seen for a Gibson golden years serial format was the same as my 1983 EG59-50 (burst / FEB / screamin), which as more chips on it than a packet of crisps :lol:

It's the same font / ink colour as my 1980 EGF850 I owned, now living in Italy

 

[jacco]

...DC resistance on mine are neck 7.94 and bridge 7.78. They are pretty good. Neck has a nice dry, woody and airy sound and sounds a little hotter than the bridge pup (see resistance). I also like the bridge pup for warmth but it lacks a little bit of fullness & power...

Pity you can't swap them around, it might work better!

Yeah the wires weren't long enough, they were installed this way originally.. I have come accross this more often in MIJs. I think the pups weren't matched before installing.

 

[jacco]

It's interesting that the serial font and ink for a Gibson golden years serial format, is seen to be normal for a 1980 Greco?

The only type of font and ink colour I have seen for a Gibson golden years serial format was the same as my 1983 EG59-50 (burst / FEB / screamin), which as more chips on it than a packet of crisps :lol:

It's the same font / ink colour as my 1980 EGF850 I owned, now living in Italy

Fujigen used 2 serial formats at the same time from the late 70s until the early 90s. I don't know why but logic dictates that either these were made in different locations or for distribution reasons