Greco EG550B Restoration: Part Three

Quick Links: Part One | Part Two | Part Three

This is the third and final instalment concerning a restoration job carried out on a lovely Greco EG550B. I'm thankful to report that this guitar now plays and sounds as good as it should. Now, let's get down to the nitty-gritty.

I'll start with the electronics, then. Everything was replaced, period. Among the upgrades were Alpha A500K Long Shaft pots, K40Y-9 0.015uf and K73-16 0.022uf tone pots; plus a Neutrik/Rean NYS229 jack socket. Wiring-wise, the original pickup leads were retained, while the rest was replaced with Gavitt Vintage Stranded Core Push-back Wire and Alpha RG174 Coaxial Cable (longer runs).

Next, hardware. Let's see now. The bridge and tailpiece were replaced, as were all pickup screws and springs. I managed to find a suitable replacement neck pickup ring, and added a new Gibson PRPG-020 Les Paul Custom Pickguard. Making the Gibson pickguard fit properly was a real challenge; as there was a lot of filing and sanding involved. Last but not least, the cracked output jack plate was replaced with a shiny new StewMac Plastic Jack Plate for Gibson® Les Paul® (the real deal, folks).

After the fretboard and frets were reconditioned, this Greco EG550B was strung with Ernie Ball Super Slinkys (10-46), tuned, set up; and put through its paces. I first tried it unplugged, and was surprised by the lively acoustic tone. I'd observed similar tones playing Strats unplugged, but this was the first time I'd ever heard a solidbody LP-style sing like this. Anyway, here are three YouTube videos I uploaded in honor of this guitar:

Greco EG550B demo - Unplugged

Greco EG550B Demo - Clean

Greco EG550B demo - Overdrive

Hope you enjoy the videos, as well as the pics I've posted below. Working on this Greco EG550B has been an unforgettable experience, I tell you. There's just this unmistakable build quality you sense with vintage Japanese instruments that's missing from their modern-day counterparts. They sure don't build 'em like they used to! Take care, and do drop by again soon :)

Greco EG550B Restoration: Part Two

Quick Links: Part One | Part Two | Part Three

In Part One of this series, we examined the external features of this fine instrument. Rust, corrosion, crud and grime was everywhere. Now, in this exciting (hopefully) episode, we'll open this Greco EG550B up and find out what ails her.

To begin with, I'd been warned that the guitar produced no sound when plugged into an amp. After unscrewing the output jack plate, the reason became apparent: the tip spring (hot contact) of the rusty output jack had somehow snapped off. Additionally, the plastic jack plate was severely cracked in a few places and would eventually fall apart. These two would definitely be replaced.

Moving on to the control cavity, everything seemed stock, and intact as well. 500K full-sized volume and tone pots, shielded cable; plus 0.022uF tone caps. Too bad the electronics weren't functioning as they should, even after servicing. As for the three-way box toggle switch, it was encrusted in salt and fared no better than the pots. They'd all be replaced, for sure.

Meanwhile, the frets, though still in good enough shape for many more bluesy bends; were badly tarnished and in need of a thorough clean and polish. The rosewood fretboard was in slightly better shape, but still grimy enough to warrant reconditioning.

The pickups? They were both functioning, thank goodness. Flipping them over revealed that both once had covers, but someone had desoldered them. All screws and springs were pickled through, new ones were definitely needed. The neck pickup ring was broken in two spots, and I knew I'd have to source a replacement. By the way, removing the neck pickup allowed me a clear view of the two hidden bolts securing the "bolt-on tenon joint" and the neat pickup cavity routing. You've got to hand it to the Japanese when it comes to precision work.

The gold hardware was in terrible shape on the whole, which was even more apparent after disassembly. I tried cleaning the bridge and stop tailpiece using electrolysis (VIDEO), but all that succeeded in doing was further disintegrating the already fragile "gold" coating; exposing even more underlying rust and corrosion.

Talking about the bridge, the tune-o-matic style bridge was not only missing its retaining clip; but had also collapsed in the middle. This meant that the middle strings (B, G, D and A) would be much lower than they should be; and it would be impossible to match string height to the 12" fretboard radius. To gauge just how bad the sag was, I used a 6" steel rule as a straight edge and compared this bridge to one taken from a 2014 Gibson LPJ. Gosh ... the difference was as obvious as night and day!

The most practical solution would be to simply replace the bridge; and most probably the tailpiece too. For anyone who's interested, do check out this excellent article by Haze Guitars entitled "Gibson Bridge Collapse." Well, folks, we've reached the end of this post. I hope you've enjoyed reading my humble offering, and do take a peek at the pics below. Thanks for dropping by, and hope to see you again real soon :)

Custom Explorer Bass Makeover: Part Four

Quick Links:    Part One | Part Two | Part Three | Part Four | Part Five

This is the fourth instalment of an ongoing series concerning a makeover on a custom Explorer-style five-string bass. After final-sanding the body with 220-grit sandpaper, Elmer's Carpenter's Wood Filler tinted with StewMac Red Mahogany ColorTone Liquid Stain (#5032) was applied liberally and left to dry overnight.

After sanding off the Red Mahogany grain filler, a second round of filler was applied, this time tinted with Dark Walnut (#5104). This was once again sanded off after overnight drying. As the grain still was not as dark as I wanted it to be, the wood was stained with Sumi black ink. After sanding off the ink, the grain was about as dark as it would ever be.

So now it finally time to stain the body with Cherry Red (#5038). Yes, I was rather pleased with the results. However, I noticed that the headstock face was a couple shades lighter than the body. This being the case, I had no choice but sand off the Tru-Oil applied earlier and restain the headstock face.

Having taken care of the grain-filling and staining, I could now apply conductive shielding paint to the pickup and control cavities. The next step should be applying a clear matte finish to the the body and headstock face. Thank you for dropping by. Do stay tuned for future updates on this Custom Explorer Bass Makeover. Stay home, stay safe; and I'll see you real soon :)

Greco EG550B Restoration: Part One

Related Posts

Part One | Part Two | Part Three

I've just finished restoring this beautiful Greco EG550B solidbody electric guitar (which strongly resembles a Gibson Les Paul Custom; no doubt). The journey has been long and arduous; but well worth the effort. And, not wanting to leave anything out; I've taken loads of pics. To do justice to this gorgeous Japanese instrument, I'll be spreading this tale over three posts; this being the first.

Right off the bat, the serial number on the back of the headstock (07013) suggests that this guitar was either manufactured in 1980 or 1990. The EG550B is featured in the Greco Guitar Catalog 1974. Nope, I could not glean any specs from that catalog as it was in image format and I can't read Japanese. Then there's this Reverb listing that features a 1990 EG550B in much better condition. You might want to check it out if you're into gold hardware.

By the way, this particular guitar differs slightly from what you see in the catalog or on Reverb. The difference is that while both these guitars feature gold-plated covered humbuckers, this EG550B has open (uncovered) coils. Perhaps a previous owner removed the covers to brighten the tone, who knows?

One very interesting feature of this guitar is the neck joint. The first impression you'd get is that it's a typical set-in neck, such as found on Gibson Les Pauls. But no, it's actually a mortise/tenon joint fortified with three bolts. I guess you could call it a "bolt-on tenon joint," for want of a better term. One of the bolts is clearly visible in the neck heel area. The remaining two are hidden from view in the neck pickup cavity.

As you can see from the pics, time has taken its toll on this fine example of Japanese craftsmanship. The body needs a good clean and polish, that's for certain. All the gold hardware, from the tune-o-matic (TOM) bridge and stopbar tailpiece to the truss rod cover screws; is badly tarnished and/or corroded. And yes, the pickguard is missing.

I think I'll stop here for now. Thanks for dropping by, and do enjoy the pics. Stay safe, and keep on rocking the free world. See you all real soon :)