1972 Greco EG-420
A fine example of a 1972 Greco EG-420 is now available at Matsumoku. The 420 retains the dimensions and playing character of the 360, but has these amazing pick-ups. The neck is an early Maxon attempt at the Jazz / Rock combination, and whilst they are not indecipherable from each other, they do sound great. These pick-ups are controlled through the original pots (250!) and have none of the scratchiness of many 50 year old examples. Have a listen to them on the video with Vox AC30 and Selmer amps, and then a bit of GT-100 effects to see how they perform. These were produced in the Fujigen factory and there are plenty of folk who have the opinion that the quality control of these guitars were superior to those coming out of Gibson at the time.
These are not pure faithful Les Paul copies - these didn't appear until 1975, but they are still lovely to play and have character of their own. E to E on the saddles is 50mm, the nut is 41mm instead of the 43mm you may expect. The 12" radius will seem familiar, the bolt on neck may not.
The original saddles and tail piece have succumbed to the effects of time, and are no longer shiny and new. We can replace these with equivalent Gotoh units if this is an issue. Just contact us via the website to discuss any modifications you might like. The original tuners function very well and the guitar generally has that run-in vintage feel, but other than the bridge finish, no significant signs of being 50 years old. I bet a ECL/CMI '72 out of Kalamazoo would be well over 3k now.
We have given it a thorough service, careful nut and bolt rebuild, and a fresh set of strings and now it's ready for anther 50 years.
1972 Greco EG-420
Not on this one. Just enjoy it.