1973 Greco SE-430
Pre Serial Number
 
1973 - 1975 are, for me, the most interesting years of Matsumoku's Stratocaster style. Seeing the scale length come right, seeing the bridge design evolve, yet somehow absolutely nailing the neck feel across all years. They all look similar from a distance, but get up close and the differences are there. The pick-ups in this model date the guitar to 1973, and as they tended to sell faster than they were made in those heady days, we can reliably assume this found its first owner in the same year. 
 
This has survived nearly 50 years remarkably well. It arrived here in a slightly sorry state - unplayed for many years, grimy and more fluff under the plate than there is in my Dyson. But, as usual with these, a perfectly straight neck. After a deep clean and rebuild, the nerves build as we add tension to the neck for the first time for many years. Of course, it remains dead straight and requires only a tiny bit of intonation adjustment to have it back on full song. The pick-ups are typical Maxon - love or hate, but celebrate the difference! All the really good talented players who regularly pass through here and give it a try almost instantly default to a load of Hendrix songs, smile and nod in appreciation; adjust the gain on the amp, then reel out their SRV repertoire. 
 
This may be all you want in an additional guitar for the collection, in which case the guitar can be stringed and made stage ready for you. Alternatively, we can use this as a basis for a DreamBuild - despite the non-standard construction, Gotoh still produces hardware to suit it with only minor modifications. We can make those run-in frets work perfectly for another few years of hard playing, or we can look at refretting. We can keep the patina of the original sunburst finish, or we can carefully strip it and refinish it. 
 
As it is, and how we would prepare it to pass to a new owner, we would ask £985 for this old beauty, or that could set the basis for a DreamBuild where the final price will be determined by the upgrades we make. We recommend spending the budget on the sounds and the hardware, but if a refinish is what you want, we will provide. In any case, it passes to you stage ready to your preferences. No DreamBuild leaves here without a luthier's final touches. They make the difference.