Greco SE-600N

By 1978, Fujigen was setting the bar for a quality Strat and as CBS accountants were sucking the soul out of Fender, Fujigen was on the up and up. Controversial opinions are that in these years, MIJ was the better guitar - at least more consistent in quality; and certainly more affordable. The Japanese market was still going nuts for demand, and Fujigen capacity was largely being soaked up by domestic demand which is why Grecos were a rare sight outside Japan.

The SE-600 was a tribute to the early 70s, whereas the SE-700 harked back to the mid 60s and the SE-800 looked a decade further back. The 500? Well, that was for folk who just wanted a great Strat. It is true that we are missing a bullet rod (the 450 and Super-Real 700s would give you that), but everything else screams 1973, and California Jam. Eagle eyed catalogue experts will equip the 600s with PU-100 pick-ups, but by 1978, Excel PU-119 pick-ups were appearing more and more often in the mid-range guitars - this 600 has a set of sublime PU-119s. A bit more output, and a lot more in the lower frequencies that often cause the comparison with Texas Specials.

A Slim C neck profile feels very comfortable, and 45 years of playing have given this a worn-in and familiar comfort - the handshake is fantastic. Impossible to pick up without a few minutes playing - even if no plugged in. As with all the premium models, there is a very solid steel block on the tremolo, that when set to float a little, will ring and resonate beautifully. This is carried through to an amplified signal - the sustain is just right for all types of tone - those resonant high frequencies can be muted with the tone controls if a jazzy tone is called for.

It's got plenty of scars - nothing remotely horrendous - just adding to the character of this fine guitar. That angry looking crack on the end of the headstock has been checked out, we have photos of the integrity of the headstock - quite often, cracks in the lacquer look a lot worse than they are on the natural finishes. You can say it was when you attacked a pedestal camera!

We'd be happy to send this off to a new owner just as it is, but it could be the perfect guitar for an upgrade project - we can be even more 1970s and put some Jescar 55090 frets on; put a Gotoh 510 tremolo on it; whilst the Excels are dreamy pick-ups, we could put something either hotter, more versatile, or anything you wish in there - a glorious stage-worn natural Strat is the ideal back-drop for anything. Contact us to discuss the options and the resulting price.