Greco SE-450S

The first couple of years of the 1980s must have been exciting at Fujigen - Fender were in town and had decided that if you can't beat them, you have to join them - Fender Japan was in sight. The late 1970's had produced incredible quality guitars at very worrying prices for the Americans - all the modern developments of the CBS era were being delivered - 5-way switches, bullet rods, 3 point micro-tilt neck fitment - all present in the Greco range alongside the traditional pre-CBS styles.

2 models in the range featured these CBS style developments - the SE-450 and the SE-700 - the latter being one of the best kept secrets and a firm favourite amongst our customers and visitors. The SE-450 was the entry level post-CBS era tribute with the PU-S5 pick-ups (an iteration of the ever-popular PU-100), the 5-way switch providing the parallel in-between tones, and the 3 bolt neck. Some 450s were sen ash, some were alder - this one being the latter and a flyweight at 3.18kg (7lbs exactly).

Where the Early Sixties 700 had a thick slab of Rosewood and a late 60's neck profile, the Spacey Sounds 450 had maple, and fans of the MIJ JVs and Squiers will immediately recognize the slim C neck. A few years later, this guitar would have be sold as a CST-50 Squier by Fender. Have you seen the prices of those today? With this one, you don't pay the headstock tax.

As the 1980s rolled on, the warmth and character of the alnico pick-ups were falling out of favour against the ice-picky more punchy ceramics - the all of nothing types that were feeding long floor pedal chains and solid state amps. These older alnico magnets were developed for simpler days when it was you plugged into an amp. Of course, this feeds an OD-1, or a Maxon 808 perfectly well, but delivers marvellously with just a cable and a small valve amp. Now we going full circle, plugging into a Focusrite and doing all the clever stuff on a computer screen, these old pick-ups start to make sense again.

I can't think of a better guitar to begin a journey on, or to develop intermediate skills. Starter guitars bought with a mouse click and delivered in 24 hours serve a purpose, but will quickly let you down. This is the sweet-spot, and will serve you for many more steps along the journey. The seasoned professional here happily admits he would gig with this in a heartbeat.

A previous owner has had a tiny section of the rear of the headstock removed - either for an unusual approach to an F chord, or perhaps a Japanese icon of the time had done this and therefore it became necessary - we're not sure. Make sure you see that in the photos, but know that it is invisible from the front, and doesn't affect the guitar's performance. Black on black on Sunburst makes up for this!