Guide / SELECTED VINTAGE GUITARS
Greco: Japanese guitar history, the EG series and Mercury basses
Classic twin-humbucker guitars, Mercury basses and independent GO designs: Greco offers a useful introduction to Japanese vintage instruments.
A brand dating back to 1960
Kanda Shokai established Greco in Japan in 1960, before the period most players associate with Japanese vintage guitars. We see the brand as a worthwhile example of refining familiar designs. A well-preserved instrument deserves comparison with current standard-series guitars from American brands; playing experience and condition should guide the choice.
1979: more than familiar American shapes
The 1979 catalogue places familiar EG and SE guitars alongside GO designs and GOB basses. The GO II 750 is shown with neck-through construction. It is a useful reminder that Japanese manufacturers also pursued independent ideas while studying American instruments.
Greco — katalog 1979, Vol. 10, GO II 750 ↗
About the source: The catalogue documents the 1979 range.
EG800: variations on a classic construction
The 1979 catalogue shows several EG800 variants, including EG800C and GS, PB and PR versions. The range illustrates how one familiar design became a family of instruments with different finishes and equipment.
Greco — katalog 1979, odmiany EG800 ↗
Our EG800
Our sunburst 1979 EG800 has two Maxon PU-2 pickups and received new Medium Jumbo frets and a nut. It combines a period design with preparation for further use.
Selected Vintage Guitars — Greco EG800, E25169 ↗
Mercury Bass and choosing an instrument
Our 1979 Mercury Bass PB-500 has a passive split-coil pickup and maple fingerboard. It received fret dressing, shielding and a setup; the listing also identifies a non-original headstock engraving. We present service work and alterations alongside each instrument’s strengths. Compare the available examples at ul. Dąbrowskiego 307, 60-406 Poznań.
Selected Vintage Guitars — Greco Mercury Bass PB-500, B25139 ↗