1976 EG700 with Dimarzio pickups

Hi I just bought a 1976 EG-700 can anyone tell me if the pickups
are original? Or have they been changed, it says 'made in usa'
I thought the japanese made their own pickups?

Dimarzio started stamping model numbers in the early 1990s. So the PU's are pre 90's
So the PU's at least are hard to date.
I have no idea what year the guitar is though. But I'm sure someone else will chime in.

Thanks bart,
The guitar is 1976, according to serial nr. G76xxxx
Did Greco ever use Dimarzio in the 1975-78 models?

It seems like the Dimarzio PAF was used on the 1977 EG900.

My 1976 EG700B should have U-2000 if it still had the original pickups.

Any opinions on the U-2000 compared to a Dimarzio?

Here is a sample of a 1976 Greco Destroyer (copy of Gibson explorer) with U-2000 pickups played through a PodXT I think.

http://www.soundclick.com/bands/page_songInfo.cfm?bandID=723684&songID=5759008

my god, that is a fat tone. Aren't U2000's the same as super 70's? I've read on other forums that the super 70's used alnico 8 magnets.

japanstrat said:

Here is a sample of a 1976 Greco Destroyer (copy of Gibson explorer) with U-2000 pickups played through a PodXT I think.

http://www.soundclick.com/bands/page_songInfo.cfm?bandID=723684&songID=5759008

Click to expand...

There is one word I hate using, but I'm afraid I going to have too.......Awsome!!!

Great sound 8)

My guess now is that the pickups are Dimarzio Super Distortion
Top one: Square tabs, stamped "Made in USA" only, a 1970's pickup

Other one: Newer, "Dimarzio Pickups" & "Made in USA" , 1980's pickup

The 70s Ibanez and Greco Destroyers are great guitars and I wish I had one.
The Ibanez and Greco pickups before around 1982 were made by Maxon (who made the original Ibanez Tubescreamers) and they are very similar. The Ibanez Destroyers had Maxon Super 70 pickups with a Alnico 8 magnet and the Greco Destroyers had Maxon U-2000 pickups. IMO the U-1000 and U-2000 pickups are very similar to the Super 70 pickups. Some Grecos from the 70s have stock Super 70s instead of U-4000 pickups which were the top of the line Greco pickups before the introduction of Dry Z's I think. http://www.sf.airnet.ne.jp/~shake/greco/MyGreco/eg1350/eg1350_2.html

http://www.sf.airnet.ne.jp/~shake/greco/MyGreco/eg1200/eg1200_3.html

The difference between the Greco and Ibanez pickups is the Grecos had more pickup models than the Ibanez pickups like UD, U-1000, U-2000, PU-2, Dry Z and Ibanez had Super 70s and Super 58's and Super 80s. I think the Ibanez Super 58's are very similar to the Greco Dry Z pickups. The Super 58 pickups had an Alnico 3 magnet.

Thanks for great info japanstrat.

The earliest Dimarzio info I found was in the 1977 catalogue.
(I dont speak japanese so I go by the pictures in the catalogues...)
Would these Dimarzio PAF pickups have anything stamped on them
besides 'Dimarzio Pickups' or 'Made in USA' ?

All of the pickups for 1980 Grecos have a NXXXXX or a NXXXXX Nisshin Onpa (Maxon) stamp including the DiMarzio PAFs. The DiMarzio PAFs have "DIMARZIO PICKUPS" "MADE IN USA" imprinted on the baseplate.

From what I've gathered there are NXXXXX (1977-1982) or NXXXX (1977 and before) pickup serial number stamps on Grecos made by Matsumoku and Fujigen so the stamp isn't coming from the guitar factory it seems to be coming from Nisshin Onpa (Maxon). The DiMarzio pickups also have this stamp so it looks like Nisshin Onpa (Maxon) did the ordering of the DiMarzio pickups and put their serial number stamp on them.

Around 1982 the pickup serial number stamp is not used and this coincides with the Grecos having a pickup makeover and the Dry Z pickups become Dry 1982 and the U-1000 and U-2000 etc pickups end and the Sreamin etc pickups start. It also coincides with Fujigen starting to make their own pickups in 1981 so it looks like the manufacturer of the Greco pickups change from Nisshin Onpa (Maxon) to Fujigen around 1981/1982.

So I think your pickups aren't original.

Greco and Ibanez Nisshin Onpa (Maxon) pickup serial number format consisting of 5 numbers up to and including 1977. Ibanez Super 70 pickups have the same serial number format.

First number = Nisshin Onpa (Maxon) pickup code (1, 2, etc)
Second number = Year (7=1977)
Third number = Month (0=Jan ... 9=Oct then .=Nov, X=Dec)
Fourth and Fifth number = Day of Month (01-31)

Greco and Ibanez Nisshin Onpa (Maxon) pickup serial number format consisting of 6 numbers from 1977 to 1982.

First number = Nisshin Onpa (Maxon) pickup code (1, 2, etc)
Second number = Year (9=1979)
Third and Fourth number = Month (01=Jan ... 12=Dec)
Fifth and sixth number = Day of Month (01-31)