1979 Greco SE-700 Early Sixties Black on Black

This 1979 Greco SE-700 has a 2-piece body and retains its original PU-119 pick-ups with unusual but original black covers. This is another vintage Greco that blows the minds of Fender traditionalists - the neck will feel very familiar to a sixties Oval C, the weight and balance will give the impression of a very expensive original. The colour scheme is reminiscent of the Fender Black-outs and large headstock Highway One editions - it does look sensational.

These PU119 pick-ups are held in high regard amongst the MIJ crowd - they respond well to subtle control changes on the guitar and the amplifier and exhibit a good clarity and slight nasal characteristic when driven. Everything on this guitar remains original - the bridge and tuners are all in great aged condition - most importantly perfectly functioning. The black scratchplate was an option at the time, and gives this guitar a really purposeful look.

At a fraction over 3.59kg (7lbs 14oz) this has "that perfect Strat" weight and feel to it - there are a few parking knocks and scars on the body that give it that authentic vintage touch too - we have attempted to catch them all in the photos. None of them down to the wood. The frets have lots of life left in them, this is fast slick and comfortable like all SE-700s - arguably the sweet-spot of the range.

The serial Number on this one is I790431, an early November 1979 Fujigen build from the time they were really showing off to impress the boys from Corona. A Fender guitar from this CBS era is hit and miss - there were some real howlers, and even the good ones are likely to have been upgraded by now. During this era, Fujigen and their contemporaries were just the opposite - getting better and better. This guitar feels like one of their very best. This SE-700 will put guitars twice, even three times its price to shame.

Despite being in fantastic condition, we can talk about upgrade ideas, we can recommend Tall Narrow frets on these lovely necks; we can give it a Gotoh 510T tremolo; we could convert the electrics to Sao Paulo spec (rail humbuckers), but these are all fun indulgent options - this guitar is genuinely good to go as it is.