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Greco guitars are a range of electric guitars manufactured exclusively for the Japanese market by Kanda Shokai. Kanda Shokai is a musical instrument wholesaler mostly known for being part of Fender Japan.

History

Greco first started in 1960 and production began in earnest around 1966/1967 with Telecaster like models. Kanda Shokai at first used the Greco brand name for the solid body models and used the Canda brand name for their Acoustic models which was based on the company name Kanda (Canda). Also in the mid/late 1960s Kanda Shokai produced Greco branded guitars based on Hagström and EKO designs for Avnet/Goya in the USA and these guitars were made by the Teisco guitar factory and were very similar to the late 1960s Ibanez guitars based on Hagström and EKO designs which were also made at the Teisco guitar factory.

In the early 1970s they made Gibson like models with bolt on necks which were very similar to the Ibanez Gibson like models at that time and most of these models had a Greco logo that looked more like "Gneco". By the mid/late 1970s most Greco Gibson replica models were being made with set necks and open book Gibson headstock designs. Some other Greco Gibson replica models from the 1970s had a different headstock design (more like a Guild headstock design) that had a Greco logo with equally sized letters. Some Greco Gibson Les Paul replica bodies up until around 1982 were laminated and some were chambered (semi-hollow).

Starting in late 1979 Greco introduced the Super Real Series which were very high standard replicas of Gibson and Fender models. In 1981/1982 the Mint Collection was introduced which continued the high standard of the Super Real Series.

Also in 1981/1982 Kanda Skokai and Yamano Gakki become part of Fender Japan and Kanda Shokai stopped producing the Greco Fender replica models. Since the end of the open book headstock Gibson replicas in the early 1990s Kanda Shokai have produced various models using the Greco brand name such as the Mirage Series (similar to the Ibanez Iceman), various Gibson copies (not using the open book Gibson headstock design), Violin basses (VB), Zemaitis Guitars and various other models as well.

Greco models were made by Matsumoku up to the late 1970s and from around the mid 1970s up until the late 1980s/early 1990s most Greco models were made by FujiGen Gakki and Dyna Gakki. Dyna Gakki currently make the Greco Japanese models. Some notable guitar players that have used Greco guitars include Ace Frehley who used Greco Les Paul replicas when Kiss were on tour in Japan and Elliot Easton of The Cars.

Electric guitars

Greco has produced a lot of different models over the years and this is a listing of some of the most common models.

Gibson like models

EGF —Les Paul Flametop models.
EG —Les Paul models.
EGC —Les Paul Custom models.
PC, RR, JS—Les Paul Custom (Phil Collen, Randy Rhoads, John Sykes) models.
EJR —Les Paul Junior models.
EGS —Les Paul Special models.
SS —SG models.
JP —SG (Judas Priest- Glenn Tipton) model.
FV —Flying V models.
MSV —Flying V (Michael Schenker) model.
TB —Thunderbird Bass models.
EB —EB-3 Bass models.
MM or MG —Melody Maker models.
SA —ES-335/ES-334 models.
FA —ES-175 models.
L —L-5 models.

Fender like models

SE —Stratocaster models.
TL —Telecaster models.
JM —Jazzmaster models.
JG —Jaguar models.
JB —Jazz Bass models.
PB —Precision Bass models.

Other Models

M Greco Mirage/Ibanez Iceman models. Also other Greco/Ibanez models such as the Korina 58 Flying V and Modern as well.

EX Greco/Ibanez Explorer (Destroyer) models as used by Eddie Van Halen. The Greco Destroyer used U-2000 pickups and the Ibanez Destroyer used Super 70 pickups.

BM —Brian May-based models.
RG —Rickenbacker-based models.
RB —Rickenbacker-based Bass models.
VB —Violin bass models.
RJ —Gretsch-based models.
WF —Gretsch-based models.
AP —Dan Armstrong (Ampeg)-based guitar models.
GO —"Neck Through" guitar models. The Greco/Roland G-808 guitar synth is very similar to the GO1000 model.
MR and MX —Ibanez Artist-based models.
BG —Boogie Fender-based models.

Timeline

1967: Telecaster like Greco models start.

1969: VB (Beatles Violin Bass) models start.

1970: EG Gibson like models start with the EG-360 with mostly set neck models from 1977.

1973: SE Fender like models start and the SE-800 models are produced from 1977 to 1981/1982. The SE models end in 1981/1982 when Kanda Skokai and Yamano Gakki become part of Fender Japan.

1976: EX Explorer (Destroyer) models start. MR models start and MX models start in 1979. They end in 1981/1982.

1978: M Mirage (Ibanez Iceman) models start.

1978: GO and GOB (bass) models start. They end in 1981/1982.

1979: The Super Real Series models start in late 1979. They end in 1981/1982.

1979: GOII models start. They end in 1981/1982.

1980: GOIII models start. They end in 1981/1982.

1981/1982: The Mint Collection Series with an open O Greco logo start. They end in 1990 but the Greco open book headstock Gibson replicas with a closed O Greco logo continue into the early 1990s.

Early 1990s onwards: Various models are produced with a Ibanez like headstock design.

Characteristics

The Greco Fender replicas from the late 1970s and early 1980s are very much like the early Fender Japan models. The Greco Fender replicas made by Matsumoku have Matsumoku stamped on the neckplate and the other Greco Fender replicas were made by FujiGen Gakki. As Greco have produced countless models over the years this section concentrates on the Super Real and Mint Collection Gibson replicas. Most of the Greco models included the original selling price in Japanese Yen in the model number (EGF-1800 = 180,000 Yen). The Super Real Series date from late 1979 to 1981/1982 and the open O Greco logo "Mint Collection Series" date from 1981/1982 to 1990. The Mint Collection Series have an open O letter in their Greco logo (an O letter with the top part of the O letter left out) and the "Super Real Series" usually had a closed O letter in their Greco logo. Mint Collection models with a K after the numeric price designation (e.g. PC-98K) came with factory-installed Kahler tremolo (vibrato) bridges. There are also some transitional models as well such as a Super Real model with an open O letter in the Greco logo instead of a closed O letter and some early 1990s open book headstock Gibson replicas had the closed O letter in their Greco logo instead of the open O letter. The Super Real EGF (flametop) and EG Series higher end models featured nitrocellulose lacquer finishes and fret edge binding and some of the Super Real lower end models also featured fret edge binding.

Long tenon neck joints and long tenon neck joints with dowel reinforcements were used. The long tenon neck joints with dowel reinforcements were very similar to the Gibson long tenon neck joints that were used in the early 1970s before Gibson switched to a short tenon neck joint. Both the Greco long tenon with dowel reinforcements and the Gibson long tenon that was used in the early 1970s extend to the beginning of the pickup cavity whereas a standard long tenon extends past the beginning of the pickup cavity and a Gibson short tenon does not extend to the pickup cavity and is not visible at all inside the pickup cavity. The Greco long tenon neck joint with dowel reinforcements was a very strong neck joint.

Some models featured chambered (not solid) body designs up to the early 1980s which weighed less than a regular solid body model and also had a slight semi acoustic quality. Some of the current Gibson models also use chambered bodies such as the Gibson Les Paul Supreme. The EGF-1800 (flametop), EGF-1200 (flametop) and EG-1000C (custom) models from the 1980 and 1981 catalogues featured "Dry Z" pickups (Gibson PAF like pickups) which have an excellent reputation. The pickups vary depending on the original selling price (which is in the model number, EGF-1200 = 120,000 Yen) and the Dry pickups were reserved for the top end models. The lower end models such as the EG-500 mostly used 3 piece maple tops while the higher end models mostly used 2 piece tops.

The "Mint Collection Series" features vary with price with some of the higher end models such as the EG58-120 model having most of the same features as the "Super Real" higher end models. Most of the "Mint Collection Series" had long tenon neck joints but some had medium long tenon neck joints. There were also some Greco Super Sound, Super Power and Rock Spirits Gibson replica models made as well. The Super Sound models were mid priced models from the Super Real years (late 1979-1982) and the Super Power models were lower priced models from the Super Real years (late 1979-1982). The Rock Spirits models were lower priced models from between 1979 and the early 1990s

Serial Numbers

Greco Gibson replicas started using serial numbers around 1975 and pre 1975 models had a Greco logo that looked like Gneco.

From the mid 1970s to the mid 1990s Greco models have mostly used 2 serial number formats for non Acoustic models.

The first format is MYYPPPP.

M = production month (A=January B=February ... K=November L=December).
YY = year (79=1979).
PPPP = production number.

FujiGen Gakki used this format for the Japanese Grecos they made. The FujiGen Gakki made Ibanez models from the 1970s/1980s also used this format. Matsumoku also used this format for some of the Grecos they made in the 1970s and the Matsumoku made Grecos have Matsumoku stamped on the neckplate to differentiate them from the FujiGen made Grecos.

The second format is YPPPP.

Y = year (9=1979 0=1980 or 1990).
PPPP = production number.

Sometimes a month letter is used in a MYPPPP format, with a space between the month letter and the year digit. Dyna Gakki used this format for the Japanese Grecos they made. Dyna Gakki make the current Kanda Shokai Fender Japan and Kanda Shokai Japanese Gretsch models. Dyna Gakki also make most of the current Kanda Shokai Japanese Greco models.

Since the mid 1990s Greco models have used other serial number formats as well.

Greco stopped using the open book headstock design on serial numbered Greco Gibson replica models in the early 1990s and Kanda Shokai then concentrated on their other model lines and Fender Japan. Some Greco open book headstock Gibson replicas starting from around 1988 had no serial number. There are two different types of no serial Greco open book headstock Gibson replicas. The Mint Collection open O Greco logo no serial Gibson replicas that have pickup cavity shielding paint, brick shaped nuts (no back slope) and scarf joint headstocks (the headstock is glued onto the neck, especially on SG models) were made by Cor-Tek (Cort) and usually have Cor-Tek (Cort) potentiometers. The other no serial Greco Gibson replicas with a closed O Greco logo were made by Dyna Gakki at the very end of the Greco open book headstock Gibson replica production around 1991 and they were ordered with no serial number as Kanda Shokai had uncertain retail release dates for them. The no serial Greco models that were made by Cort were ordered to fulfill Greco production numbers as FujiGen had decided to make less Gibson like set neck guitars in the late 1980s.

In the late 1980s Kanda Shokai had FujiGen making a small amount of mid/higher end MYYXXXX serial numbered Greco models and had Dyna Gakki making the YXXXX serial numbered Greco models and also had Cort making the lower end no serial number Greco models to make up for the Fujigen production decrease in the lower end Greco models. In the late 1980s the FujiGen made serial numbered Greco models decrease in number and the FujiGen MYYXXXX serial number format is mostly on the mid/high end Greco models. The reason for the decrease in FujiGen made serial numbered Grecos is that FujiGen were mostly making bolt on (Fender like) neck models for Fender Japan and Ibanez in the late 1980s/early 1990s and were avoiding set neck (Gibson like necks) contracts at the time. In 1987 Hoshino Gakki had to use Terada and Iida to make some Ibanez set neck models instead of their usual maker (FujiGen) as FujiGen did not want to make most of the Ibanez set neck models at the time (Ibanez Serial Numbers). FujiGen decided to expand their factory operations and in November 1991 established FujiGen Hirooka Inc (Template:Jp icon フジゲン広丘（株）設立) and from sometime in 1992 FujiGen were taking on new set neck (Gibson like necks) contracts.

Atlansia have supplied body and neck parts for Greco models as well. Tokai currently make the Kanda Shokai Zemaitis and Talbo models.

Pickups

1980 Super Real models and pickups sample.

Pickup prices.

DRY 20,000 Yen
PU-2 15,000 Yen
U-2000 12,000 Yen
U-1000 10,000 Yen

Models and pickups.

EGF1800 DRY
EGF1200 DRY
EGF1000 PAF
EG1000C DRY
EG900 PAF
EGF850 PU-2
EG800GS HOT LICK
EG800C PU-2
EG800PB U-2000
EG800PR U-2000
EG800 PU-2
EG700 U-2000
EG600PB U-1000
EG600PR U-1000
EG500 U-1000
EG500C UD
EF500J U-1000
EG500GS UD-DX
EG480 UD
EG450 UD

Mint Collection models and pickups sample.

Pickup prices.

DRY 20,000 Yen
DOUBLE TRICK 18,000 Yen
THE GROOVE 16,000 Yen
SCREAMIN 14,000 Yen

Models and pickups.

EG58-120 DRY
EG-59-70 DOUBLE TRICK
EG-56-60 HOT LICK
EG-59-50 SCREAMIN
EG59-45 SCREAMIN
EJR54-50 HOT LICK
SS63-70 DOUBLE TRICK
SS63-50 HOT LICK
EG59-65 SCREAMIN
JP-55 SCREAMIN
EGC95K DRY
EGC68-50 SCREAMIN
JS-98K DRY
JS-65 DRY
JS-55 SCREAMIN
RR95K DRY
RR65 DRY
RR55 SCREAMIN
EGC58-100 GROOVE
EGC68-80 DOUBLE TRICK
EGC57-60 SCREAMIN
PC-98K DRY

Greco pickup serial number format consisting of 5 numbers up to and including 1977. Ibanez Super 70 pickups have the same serial number format.

First number = Pickup Code (1 or 2)
Second number = Year (7=1977)
Third number = Month (0=Jan ... 9=Oct then .=Nov, X=Dec)
Fourth and Fifth number = Day of Month (01-31)

Greco pickup serial number format consisting of 6 numbers from 1977 to 1982.

First number = Pickup Code (1 or 2)
Second number = Year (9=1979)
Third and Fourth number = Month (01=Jan ... 12=Dec)
Fifth and sixth number = Day of Month (01-31)

Sources

External links

@@ Line 7: / Line 7: @@
 Kanda Shokai at first used the Greco brand name for the solid body models and used the Canda brand name for their Acoustic models which was based on the company name Kanda (Canda).
 Also in the mid/late 1960s Kanda Shokai produced Greco branded guitars based on [[Hagström]] and [[Eko_guitars|EKO]] designs for Avnet/Goya in the USA and these guitars were made by the [[Teisco]] guitar factory and were very similar to the late 1960s [[Ibanez]] guitars based on Hagström and EKO designs which were also made at the Teisco guitar factory.
 In the early 1970s they made [[Gibson Guitar Corporation|Gibson]] like models with bolt on necks which were very similar to the [[Ibanez]] Gibson like models at that time and most of these models had a Greco logo that looked more like "Gneco".
 By the mid/late 1970s most Greco Gibson replica models were being made with [[Set-in neck|set necks]] and open book Gibson headstock designs. Some other Greco Gibson replica models from the 1970s had a different headstock design (more like a [[Guild Guitar Company|Guild]] headstock design) that had a Greco logo with equally sized letters. Some Greco Gibson Les Paul replica bodies up until around 1982 were laminated and some were chambered (semi-hollow).