These Gneco Teles, especially the buttery biscuit base 280 models are getting very thin on the ground now - even more so in this condition. The selector and pots have been recently upgraded, but the pick-ups are original Maxons in a condition I have never seen before.
 
This 280 model retains its wafer thin tuning pegs, and truss rod cover - they can't be from 1972 can they? The pick-ups have not discoloured and the brass plates still look like its 1974. They can't be original can they? The fret dot markers are the exact colour and texture of the 71/72 Teles from Matsumoku, the neck plate is missing a Matsumoku stamp, so this could be either a replacement Chushin style Made in Japan (they are the same size) plate; someone is going to extraordinary lengths to recreate a 71/72 spec Greco Tele (unlikely - not even here!); or Kanda Shokai contracted out to a different manufacturer for this one. We can't decide. We want to say this is from 1972 - the body is right, the paint has aged precisely, the pick-ups are spot on for detail and resistivity. There is a crack on the heel that has been there a fair while. The decal has an odd detail on it that we haven't seen before on an early 70s Tele, but it feels and plays like the old ones.
 
Never mind the suspiciously immaculate condition of metalwork, this is a cracker of a Tele. The noises it makes are sublime - up to and including the microphonic howl you can tease from the bridge unit at high gain settings.
 
The 3 piece neck feels just right - suspiciously deep lacquer and just a tiny bit of wear along the top edge - all way too pristine to be 50 years old. Right? Surely. We have 5 year old guitars here with more parking knocks. Can't be a 72, can it?
 
We took a chance on this one, and we're suggesting you do the same. Don't buy this if you need to be absolutely sure that it is a 1972 TE-280, instead buy this because you love a Tele that looks like the top 2 layers of a trifle, and sounds and feels exactly like a 50 year old MIJ Tele.
 
Thing is, if someone has "re-issued" this more recently, they have gone to such lengths and efforts that it would actually be worth more than an original. If I could be sure of this guitar's provenance, I would price it at millions of pounds so no-one buys it and I can keep it forever, but however much I want to believe it is a time-capsule example of a TE-280, I am selling this as an absolutely fantastic Maxon-equipped Tele with reliable modern controls and a dependable gigging / studio mate. 
 
Body: Ash
Neck: Maple
Bridge: Original T-Style back-loader
Pick-ups: Original Maxon
Controls: modern 3 way blade with modern Master Volume and Tone
Weight: 3.46kg (7lbs 8oz)
 
Perfect as it is, but we have a few upgrade options you can discuss with us.