Ok, so Grecos are infuriatingly messy, sketchy and inconsistent in terms of internal production markings to begin with, so I wasn't terribly surprised when a neck-heel stamp I'd never seen before turned up in a Sept 1978 (with 1979 specs, an unusually early transitional model) TD500 Tele Deluxe copy.
The stamp reads "KSC-6DX" inscribed in a rectangle, and doesn't really resemble any other Greco production markings I've seen so far in format or content. A quick google search revealed two more guitars with the same stamp, both 1978 SE600 Strat copies, a model the TD500 shared a neck with, including the exact same "Sparkle Sound" moniker on the headstock. I'll try to go a bit deeper, but three instances says that's it's not a one-off thing.
So what could it stand for? Speculation time:
Let's assume that it's made by an external subcontractor, not Fujigen themselves. If so, "KS" could be Kanda Shokai, owners of the Greco brand. The "C", I've no idea. "6DX"? 60k level Strat and Tele Deluxe?
I've no idea if it the true meaning is even knowable by now, but this interpretation sort of works.
So, has anyone seen a similar stamp? And if it's made by a subcontractor, which one could it be? There seems to be word-on-the-street type rumours that Atalansia made necks for other manufacturers? Anyone got anything tangible on that?
My TD500
1978 SE600N 1978 SE600S
The stamp reads "KSC-6DX" inscribed in a rectangle, and doesn't really resemble any other Greco production markings I've seen so far in format or content. A quick google search revealed two more guitars with the same stamp, both 1978 SE600 Strat copies, a model the TD500 shared a neck with, including the exact same "Sparkle Sound" moniker on the headstock. I'll try to go a bit deeper, but three instances says that's it's not a one-off thing.
So what could it stand for? Speculation time:
Let's assume that it's made by an external subcontractor, not Fujigen themselves. If so, "KS" could be Kanda Shokai, owners of the Greco brand. The "C", I've no idea. "6DX"? 60k level Strat and Tele Deluxe?
I've no idea if it the true meaning is even knowable by now, but this interpretation sort of works.
So, has anyone seen a similar stamp? And if it's made by a subcontractor, which one could it be? There seems to be word-on-the-street type rumours that Atalansia made necks for other manufacturers? Anyone got anything tangible on that?
My TD500
1978 SE600N 1978 SE600S