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This lovely old warrior arrived with us as a long retired but one previous owner late 1973 Matsumoku built Greco SE-500. As normal with long retired guitars, the electrics were very worse for wear - and the neck was bordering on fretless. Low frets on guitars mean it has been played and played - it is usually a sign of a very nice guitar. Tipping the scales at 4.5kg (9lbs 15oz) this is a proper late 1970s Northern Ash weight, but not quite a boat anchor. The 5 piece necks on 1973 models were always a little heavier than later one piece skinnier models so the balance seems fine.
The SE-500 bridge units were the first units that genuinely resembled the Fenders, and this one is original with the solid steel block and it sustains beautifully - a combination of the weight and the bridge working together perfectly. There are 2 odd saddles - the E and B are saddles from an earlier SE-430 bridge, and 2 of the fixing screws are different from the rest. With the "if it ain't broke, don't fix it" mentality, I have kept this as it is - it works absolutely perfectly, and keeps the costs down to get this to you for a friendlier price.
Not everything survived though - the tuners had seen a lot of work and were loose beyond repair. In there place is a set of Chrome Gotoh SD-91 with black buttons - a bit of collars and cuffs for the scratchplate and string guides. The frets were almost completely gone, and were a proper challenge to remove; but in their place is a fresh set of Jescar 55090 Tall Narrow which always works on an old full C Harayama style neck.
The pick-ups were sadly shot to pieces - and these have been replaced with a set of Maxon Excel PU-119 units from a 1979 SE-700 which gave them up for a set of Haeussel Desperados. PU-119 pick-ups enjoy a great reputation for a true Fender-like chime and clarity - we have in the past upgraded a few Player Plus Fenders to PU-119 instead of the often disappointing noiseless coils they come with. Some folk would rather have the soul and character of an older pick-up rather than the results of more brutal cost cutting by the 'big boys'. These PU-119s are 5.8-5.9k, and as they are from an SE-700 that had a 5 way switch, the middle is RWRP - quite rare as the vast majority of PU-119 were governed by 3 way selectors. The pots are new CTS250k, the selector is a CRL, and the knobs are the premium comfort knobs as found on the very top end USA Strats. A small design difference but a magnificent one. Precise changes easy and accidental changes unlikely. We mounted this all on a black sratchplate, and cut the scratchplate with the little access cover for the truss rod - a design detail seen on 1973 Grecos. The lower tone control governs the bridge pick-up, the upper tone control looks after the neck and middle. The lower tone control is a push-pull that when pulled up will put the neck and bridge pick-ups into series when the neck pick-up is selected. When the neck and middle are selected, the bridge pick-up joins the neck in series, and the series pair in parallel with the middle. 2 more very useful tones.
The outcome of these modifications is a fine sounding guitar with the traditional configuration, renewal of the critical components that spell reliability, and renewal with premium items usually found on guitars costing many thousands of pounds. Not many vintage guitars of this era will have new frets - once this level of expenditure is made, its usually a keeper! It purposefully doesn't have a new guitar look as it isn't one - it's 51 years old, and probably the best value route into the vintage/giggable/'no need to separately insure' area. Quality out of Matsumoku back then was really worrying the CBS boys - a few hours with this one, and you'll see why.
We can always continue with the modernization and upgrading now or in the future, but this one is good to go as it is, and has as friendly a price as we can given the love it has had in the last month.
Details
The Look
Naturally aged natural Ash with black scratchplate - a real 1970s vibe here.
Headstock
Old school Gneco decal but all new hardware on it - new SD-91 tuners, trees and nut. A splash of black to match the plate.
Neck
This is a classic full C Harayama 5 piece neck - again, right in the 1970s.
Pick-ups
3 glorious PU119 units from 1979 - donated by a premium SE-700 that went onto even greater things.
Bridge
The original Matsumoku produced unit with all its little modifications since new. Not pretty, but in keeping with the character of the guitar, and most of all perfectly functional.
Controls
new CTS pots and CRL 5-way with soft-touch Fender knobs. A push pull on the lower tone puts the neck and bridge pick-ups into series when the neck pick-up (and neck and middle) is selected.
Gallery
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