Yes, following my enquiries here about these, I 'took one for the team'! Honestly, it was purely selfless...I did it just for you! 
Okay...I bit the bullet when my research took me around a few Japanese guitar websites and I noticed that the discounts were bigger than the usual 20% (August sales?). However, it didn't look like most of these companies exported to the UK. By some chance, I happened to look in the Ishibashi U-Box; miraculously, a GAS-130 had been added a few days before.
I e-mailed my enquiry to them and Daisuke replied, giving me details of its condition and answering a few questions I had. I was persuaded!
So today I finally unveiled the new acquisition. Nice brown case, complete with 'Greco manual', allen key, etc. And a rather nice flame maple cherry guitar. The surface scratches Daisuke mentioned are noticeable on the back if you hold the guitar to the light but they are scarcely worse than a lot of supposedly 'new' guitars you see in shops. Ishibashi clean and service their second-hand instruments prior to selling them and this care is evident here. He said it had average fretware but again it looks pretty much fine to me.
I had been concerned about the neck profile but it immediately felt comfortable to me. Whilst not as chunky as my Tokai ES-100, it's by no means shallow. The action is low and comfortable.
Plugged in, the Dry II humbuckers deliver the goods, clean or driven, bridge or neck. There is a difference in sound from a traditional semi-solid, due to the more hollow nature and the 'Secret Hidden Room'! The 'SHR' also contributes to the lighter weight.
Overall, I would recommend any semi enthusiasts to check out the (appropriately named!) GAS series. Sure, they're not the vintage clones for which Greco is famous but they're good guitars in their own right.
Okay...I bit the bullet when my research took me around a few Japanese guitar websites and I noticed that the discounts were bigger than the usual 20% (August sales?). However, it didn't look like most of these companies exported to the UK. By some chance, I happened to look in the Ishibashi U-Box; miraculously, a GAS-130 had been added a few days before.
I e-mailed my enquiry to them and Daisuke replied, giving me details of its condition and answering a few questions I had. I was persuaded!
So today I finally unveiled the new acquisition. Nice brown case, complete with 'Greco manual', allen key, etc. And a rather nice flame maple cherry guitar. The surface scratches Daisuke mentioned are noticeable on the back if you hold the guitar to the light but they are scarcely worse than a lot of supposedly 'new' guitars you see in shops. Ishibashi clean and service their second-hand instruments prior to selling them and this care is evident here. He said it had average fretware but again it looks pretty much fine to me.
I had been concerned about the neck profile but it immediately felt comfortable to me. Whilst not as chunky as my Tokai ES-100, it's by no means shallow. The action is low and comfortable.
Plugged in, the Dry II humbuckers deliver the goods, clean or driven, bridge or neck. There is a difference in sound from a traditional semi-solid, due to the more hollow nature and the 'Secret Hidden Room'! The 'SHR' also contributes to the lighter weight.
Overall, I would recommend any semi enthusiasts to check out the (appropriately named!) GAS series. Sure, they're not the vintage clones for which Greco is famous but they're good guitars in their own right.
