Tandro Posted June 13, 2015 Share Posted June 13, 2015 Hi all, hoping someone can help with some info. I never really knew anything about Greco (or the whole Japanese manufacturers and Fender stuff from the 70's/80's) but for whatever reason I came across some vids of Greco P and J basses and for the most part I just really like what I've heard so far. Did some research and came across the stuff with them, Fender, Tokai etc. All very interesting actually. Just wondering what the general consencus is out there, in terms of to get a Greco or not to get a Greco (P and J specifically, not like the Thunderbired for example). Any year/era better or worse than others? And what the going rate for one of them is now. I saw there was one some months ago (or last year?) that was a little over £300 that sold, but I've seen others nearer £500 that not sure if they got sold. I see this for £695: http://classicandcoolguitars.co.uk/basses/grecopb.htm I know condition would be a factor, but what kind of prices are reasonable for a Greco? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bassassin Posted June 13, 2015 Share Posted June 13, 2015 As far as I know, Grecos were never officially imported into the UK, this makes them rare over here, and clearly that seller's trying to capitalize on the rarity. I'd say that's a pretty outrageous price! Greco is the house-brand of Kanda Shokai, who from 1982 operated Fender Japan. Greco Fender copies all disappeared immediately Fender Japan was launched - and anecdotally the earliest JV Squiers actually began manufacture as Grecos. I don't know whether this is the case, but both Grecos & MIJ Fenders were made by the same factory (Fujigen Gakki) under the auspices of Kanda Shokai. Apart from either just liking the brand or finding a great deal, I wouldn't think there was a particular reason to choose a Greco over an MIJ Squier/Fender, or another Fujigen-made clone from the same era - late 70s Ibanez for example. They're all very good. Jon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FlatEric Posted June 14, 2015 Share Posted June 14, 2015 I can't speak about P or J types, when it comes to Greco but their own designed basses are, in my opinion - truly great! I have two GOB II 750 basses, and are high on the list of favourites. I do have a Greco copy which is a really nice, well made instrrument. It's the sort that Chris Squires/Paul Mac would "recognise" For me, Greco means high quality. Cheers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tandro Posted June 14, 2015 Author Share Posted June 14, 2015 Thanks guys. TBH I was never into Fender-ish things (don't hate me) and only picked up my first bonafide Fender this very week. But that actually has nothing to do with my sudden infatuation with Greco's. I've just been listening to a few 70's Greco's and I really like what I've heard. I've listened to other copies (and Fenders) but I keep going back to listening to those Greco's. Maybe it really is all in my head if various brands were made in the same factory etc. but I can't explain why I'm drawn to them. Well I can, cause to my ears they just sound good. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nick Posted June 15, 2015 Share Posted June 15, 2015 I acquired this lovely 1977 Greco JB-500. Can understand your sudden infatuation with Grecos.I've got a few quality vintage MIJ basses myself, and also had a fair amount, and this one compares well to the best Tokais etc I've had. It's a beauty.. However, like most of the MIJ basses from that period, I think they benefit from pickup upgrade. I've swapped the stock Gotohs on this out for pokier custom wound 74's from Hot Rod Pickups (ex Wizard) [URL=http://s1087.photobucket.com/user/nickonbass69/media/Mobile%20Uploads/2015-05/20150503_114936-1_zpsydbz7zeq.jpg.html][IMG]http://i1087.photobucket.com/albums/j476/nickonbass69/Mobile%20Uploads/2015-05/20150503_114936-1_zpsydbz7zeq.jpg[/IMG][/URL] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neepheid Posted June 15, 2015 Share Posted June 15, 2015 This is the Greco I'd love to snag: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skybone Posted June 15, 2015 Share Posted June 15, 2015 Greco is a Japan only brand, though quite a few have found their way to the rest of the world. I have it on good authority that Greco are and were made by Fuji-Gen Gakki... aka Ibanez (more info available at [url]www.ibanezcollectors.com[/url] ), as they have not only released "replica's" of famous American guitars, but variations of numerous Ibanez design guitars (Artists / Iceman / etc). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bassassin Posted June 15, 2015 Share Posted June 15, 2015 [quote name='Skybone' timestamp='1434374195' post='2798984'] I have it on good authority that Greco are and were made by Fuji-Gen Gakki... aka Ibanez (more info available at www.ibanezcollectors.com ), as they have not only released "replica's" of famous American guitars, but variations of numerous Ibanez design guitars (Artists / Iceman / etc). [/quote] Can I get a bit pedantic here? Fujigen Gakki isn't Ibanez, or owned by Ibanez. It's an independent factory contracted by Hoshino Gakki Ten (the trading company which owns the Ibanez brand) to build Ibanez-branded guitars. Kanda Shokai, which owns Greco, dealt with Fujigen in the same way, and the reason why both brands have produced similar, and sometimes identical instruments, is because of the factory which built them. The Iceman (Mirage in Greco-ese) was a collaboration between Kanda, Hoshini & Fujigen - Kanda owns Japanese-market rights to the design, while Hoshino has the rights to territories outwith Japan. Other than the 70s copy-era stuff (where identical Fujigen copies were sold under a plethora of worldwide brands as well as Ibanez & Greco) I don't think there are any other cases like the Iceman/Mirage. Plenty of Greco stuff has very obvious shared DNA with Ibanez but the original designs are pretty distinct. One final note of pedantry - while Greco was exclusively built by Fujigen from about 1977 onward, prior to that, manufacture was shared with Matsumoku, with both factories producing versions of the same models. Possibly not relevant to Tandro's original question, because he seems to be asking more about the 80s replica-standard instruments, which were all Fujigen products. Anyway - I have droned on for far too long, as a form of recompense, here's some [url="http://psyco.jp/greco/cata.html"]delicious historical Greco porn[/url]. J. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tandro Posted June 15, 2015 Author Share Posted June 15, 2015 That's some good info all. And I actually discovered that japcrap thread in the ebay section...who woulda thunk after all these years I've been on BC that would be there I would every so often see an Aria this or Westone that in the for sale section and just did not pay much attention (I'm such a snob ). I'm kinda leaning to the 70's and very early 80's Greco's copies. So based on that last bit of info from Bassassin, then anything Matsumoku would have to be pre '77, interesting. I was looking at Japanese Ebay sellers and the late 70's P's and J's seem to be between £300-£400. Does that seem about right what one should expect to pay, be it in Japan or the UK if you find one? But if you were to bring one in from Japan, with the shipping/duty/tax it seems you would be paying around an additional £100 (give or take) to get it here. So that £400 guitar becomes at least £500. Of the various ones I was looking at (even though my bass fund is zero) there was one I worked out the cost and with its particular shipping etc. it was gonna be £586 landed. I know these things come down to, "what's it worth to you". But that seems a bit high, no? What's the most that you guys would pay? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MothBox Posted June 16, 2015 Share Posted June 16, 2015 I picked up this Greco P, dated between 1969-1972, a few months back and absolutely love it. The signal is really hot. Very heavy though. [attachment=194370:Greco P 2015.03.20 (1).JPG] [attachment=194371:Greco P 2015.03.20 (3).JPG] There are some japanese bass demos on this youtube channel: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W-aUxi7kJjQ&index=9&list=WL Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skybone Posted June 16, 2015 Share Posted June 16, 2015 It was one of the many Gakki's, and now that you mention it, Fuji Gen Gakki made Tokai's. Oooops! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bassassin Posted June 16, 2015 Share Posted June 16, 2015 [quote name='Skybone' timestamp='1434455570' post='2799694'] It was one of the many Gakkis, and now that you mention it, Fuji Gen Gakki made Tokais. Oooops! [/quote] Where did you hear that? It would be odd if it were true. Tokai Gakki is a manufacturer in its own right, in recent years even building CIJ Fenders in their Hamamatsu factory. In the early 70s, when the Tokai brand first started being exported, demand was high enough at one point that they outsourced some production to Kasuga Gakki, who were able to manufacture to the same standard as Tokai. I've never heard that they outsourced to Fujigen - or seen any crossover models that would support that - but it's not impossible. FWIW "gakki" is a general term that refers to any musical instrument-related business, whether it's a factory or a trading co. like Hoshino. [quote name='MothBox' timestamp='1434425106' post='2799407'] I picked up this Greco P, dated between 1969-1972, a few months back and absolutely love it. The signal is really hot. Very heavy though. [attachment=194370:Greco P 2015.03.20 (1).JPG] [attachment=194371:Greco P 2015.03.20 (3).JPG] There are some japanese bass demos on this youtube channel: [url="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W-aUxi7kJjQ&index=9&list=WL"]https://www.youtube....index=9&list=WL[/url] [/quote] Very nice, that. It's not as early as you claim (certainly not 1969 - Fender copies only started appearing around 1971), from the accurate construction & detail I'd say '73 at the very earliest. MIJ copies (including Fujigen) prior to that will tend to have small tuners, head-end truss rod covers, multi-part necks & veneered butcher-block body construction. Yours looks like the [url="http://psyco.jp/greco/c02_06.html"]PB-420S in the '74 catalogue[/url]. The "Gneco" logo dates it to '74 or earlier, but if there are codes on either the pickups or pots, you might be able to date it more accurately. J. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MothBox Posted June 17, 2015 Share Posted June 17, 2015 [quote name='Bassassin' timestamp='1434477914' post='2800025'] Very nice, that. It's not as early as you claim (certainly not 1969 - Fender copies only started appearing around 1971), from the accurate construction & detail I'd say '73 at the very earliest. MIJ copies (including Fujigen) prior to that will tend to have small tuners, head-end truss rod covers, multi-part necks & veneered butcher-block body construction. Yours looks like the [url="http://psyco.jp/greco/c02_06.html"]PB-420S in the '74 catalogue[/url]. The "Gneco" logo dates it to '74 or earlier, but if there are codes on either the pickups or pots, you might be able to date it more accurately.[/quote] Thanks for the info. The shop I bought it from in Japan had it all taken apart for cleaning and found no serial to date it. Nothing left on the bottom of the original pots either to date, just a faint sign of it being made in Japan. The neck plate states it was made by Matsumoku. They had it dated as '69 to '72. The catalogue you posted looks just like it, and there is evidence of it formally having a bridge cover, whether that was an original or a later addition to the bass I don't know, it wasnt there when I bought it. Based on that I'd go with your suggestion of '73/'74. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skybone Posted June 17, 2015 Share Posted June 17, 2015 I'll go back to sleep. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alembic1989 Posted June 17, 2015 Share Posted June 17, 2015 (edited) I would love to own a Greco GOB 1200...anyone got one.? Edited June 17, 2015 by alembic1989 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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