A Guitar And Gear Support Forum

I picked this up today. Loved it at first sight. It plays really well and has wonderful tone, even with those old strings. This is in fact my first Greco.

Has anyone here ever had one of these? I've only had a chance to do just a little research trying to figure out the details about it. Seems that there is a lot of info on 70s Greco LP copies, but not so much on these. I know there are some Greco guys here.

One of the things I'm curious about is the bridge pickup, which doesn't look like the others I've seen online. Wondering if it's been swapped.

Congrats, that's an awesome beauty for sure!

Great looking guitar! I’ve never owned a Greco before. Cool vintage tone toy!

Ah, one of those proto-Rondo guitar brands This leaves me hopeful that someday some of Rondo's instruments will have decent resale value (I know, I'm not holding my breath, but it makes for a good chuckle). Sounds like fun, I like how they played around with pickups back then. Today most of the import guitars just do cheap ceramic versions of the most mainstream pickups.

Nice TMC. Actually that is the first hollow body Greco I've ever seen. All I've seen are LP copy lawsuits.

Some more pics and observations.

I think the nut may have been replaced, as it seems slightly narrower than the nut slot. As it is bone I would expect it to have yellowed to some degree if it is 50+ years old. However, it is very white.

I'm also surprised by the size of the frets, as my other other 60s/early 70s MIJ guitars (UNIVOX, Teisco, Heit, Silvertone, etc.) all have tiny frets. The fact that there is absolutely no wear on the frets also makes me suspicious that the guitar may have had a refret at some point with larger wire. If the frets are new, they are very well done, level, and impeccably dressed. By the excellent set up you can tell that somebody loved this guitar, that it was a player.

These pickups are apparently a kind of generic late 60s make that are found in various brands of MIJ guitars, including Greco. The magnet is ceramic, though the low output, as well as the warmth and "woodiness" imparted by the guitars hollow body (no center block, just a post under the bridge) seems to mellows out any spikiness or harshness, leaving a very full, responsive, and musical tone.

Below is link where a guy disassembles and rewinds pickups that look quit similar to those in my Greco 920. They are different in that they are both the same output as my neck pup, and they have adjustment screws instead of rods.

https://www.thefretboard.co.uk/discussi ... ic-pickups

The bridge pickup measures 7.53K. No markings on the base plate. Note the black and white cloth wires, which is different than the single grey wire on the neck pup. Definitely looks original to the period.
The neck pickup measures 4.76K.
A shot of the post beneath the bridge. No center block in this guitar. Acoustically it is quiet loud, full, and crisp.

Very cool vintage iron there TMC, you are definitely on a roll lately!

What a cool blast from the past! Those horns could do some serious damage - HNGD.

Whoa! That's amazing Cats. I really dig the vibe.

Looks like it's a late 60s ES-920.

https://reverb.com/item/1782209-greco-e ... oss-walnut

I just love the way the old finish sinks into the grain and ages. And that old dry wood can be crazy light. For awhile I got to play an es175 iirc felt as light and delicate as a baby bird but it lived to be rode hard.

Sorry for bumping my own old post, but I came across this photo today of EVH playing a semi hollow Greco and wanted to attach it to the thread for reference purposes.

Very nice and old looking. Stetson, vest, even spurs would look at home with that.