1973 Greco SE-430 No.2

Another glorious 1973 built Greco with the 5-piece construction neck - so special that some folk have asked us to build guitars around them. During this period in Matsumoku's history it wasn't faithful accuracy to Fender dimensions that counted, it was creating a strong stable comfortable neck. We have never seen a 1973 neck that needed any adjustment after 50 years - this one included.

This guitar arrived here from Japan after a long cherished life in the hands of its original owner and aside from regular servicing and a fresh set of strings, it needed for nothing. The frets are low but level - a refret is not far away; but when guitars are as comfortable to play as this one, lets get the most from them.

This would make a very good starter instrument - they were of course the entry level back in 1973, but these are a different class altogether from new starter guitars. It is tempting to spend as little as possible on the first guitar, but this really doesn't do any favours to the student as they always need the same value as the guitar itself to prepare for actually playing. This SE-430 is so slick, so gentle and has a decent acoustic ring even when not plugged in.

The Maxons pick-ups are low output heaven - their distinctive brightness pairs with a small valve amp perfectly. These were the original iteration of the pick-ups in the USA-bound Goya guitars - a fair few very famous guitarists found their sounds and styles on these. Take a listen to how this one sounds in the video below:

Its in great condition, needs nothing for another few years, but will need a new set of frets to get to its 100th birthday. Of course there are signs of life on the finish, but its all genuine - its taken 50 years to get it looking like this!