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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 :)
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 :)
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