Greco Les Paul Custom flame top 1987 legit????

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ermis33

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Hello everyone.
I am new to the forum and this is my first post here. I plan to get a vintage Les Paul high quality custom and I have been researching Greco LPs for some time now. Although there seems to be some confusion regarding the various models, I have figured out that the desired models are the super real, super sound, and mint collection series, but I am after a higher model with quality woods and nitro finish, Fujigen made from 1977 to 1989 (egc800 and upper, although not sure if the EG 800 model is nitro or not).
Having these in mind I just found a Greco LP custom for sale that seems to be a 1987 mint collection (open "o" on the Greco logo ) but instead of the typical plain burst top, this one has a very nice flame top in natural finish (solid maple top 5mm thick). The problem is that the seller does not know anything else about the guitar, if it is nitro or poly, what model it is,what is the fretboard wood, the pickups etc.
He just said he bought the guitar from a Japanese seller who told him it was a custom order model. So ...I could use a knowledgeable person' s opinion ...would the guitar be legit, meaning, could this be indeed the case and if yes, what would be the guitar' s specs, model and approx.value? For reference, the serial is F870505. And here is a
photo of a similar guitar advertised as EG700, but starting with the letter
J on the serial. ...
search
....Any help much appreciated!
 
Hi and thanks for replying.
I have some photos of the actual guitar and I will post them shortly. I meant 5 cm thick. The actual words of the seller were that the top of the guitar is solid,it has about 5 cm carved maple top.

Best regards.
 
OK. That makes more sense. Beautiful guitar!

Looks like a Custom built in June 1987.

Fret board should be ebony, but hard to see in the photos. Edit: apparently ebonized/darkened rosewood.

I haven't owned Grecos in years, so I can't speak well to the topic.

There are members on here that are well known dealers of MIJ guitars as well as other collectors with lots of experience that hopefully will chime in.

I have had lots of Fujigen built guitars over the years and the quality can be really good, but all of mine have had poly finishes.
 
Beautiful guitar indeed. Yes , it probably is the same model, I guess it' s poly, since most of the mint collection came with poly to my knowledge. If I understand correctly, it is not so much about whether it is poly or nitro, but more about whether it has a thick or thin finish layer... Did the poly finish in your MIJ LPs affect sound decisively compared to a Gibbie?
 
"Did the poly finish in your MIJ LPs affect sound decisively compared to a Gibbie?"

Hard to answer that without a side by side. Probably not decisively or even noticeably.

In my opinion, the most important factor affecting the tone of a guitar is the pickups. Interesting thread on here on tone.

http://www.tokaiforum.com/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=26302

That said, vintage Tokais that had poly used a thin layer that wore more like lacquer, and didn't look or feel so much like plastic.

I wouldn't let the finish coat dictate the guitar that I played.

Just my opinion obviously.
 
I agree with you totally! I am not a cork sniffer, quite the opposite actually....I don't even care about the headstock logo or shape. The only factors determining what instrument I play have always been my personal taste, my hands and ears and the "mojo" of the actual instrument. I actually play many different instuments and for instance I like my 1970s cheap Armstrong flute better than any of my other flutes which are modern and cost 4 times as much... It is just that lately I am using my electric guitars very much and at the moment I have only thick poly finished Epiphone LPs (one Saein factory Korean 1997 LP standard, one Unsung factory Korean 2006 LP Zakk Wylde Custom with passive EMGs and one 2012 Chinese made LP Custom Prophecy Plus EX with active EMGs). I also have a 2003 USA Fender Standard Strat and an Indonesian made EVH Standard Exotic, also poly. All of my guitars are exceptionally nice and I intend to keep them for the time being, but I want to add a more vintage LP and I thought, since all my guitars are poly , it would make sense to get this one in nitro, just for variety.... At some point I will also get a Gibbie, but I want a very specific model the LP Classic Custom with baked maple fb, and it might take some time until I can find one in the right price. Not being able to try the guitar is also a problem since most MIJ guitars are sold by Japanese based sellers and even the ones that are located in the EU are miles away from where I live. But if I find a certain guitar in the right price that appeals to me, the finish will not stop me. This flame one that I posted is being sold expensive though....
 

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