The Jazz Guitar Chord Dictionary
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  1. #1

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    This came up for sale locally at a good price and I just couldn't help myself. I've never owned a Greco before, or a ES175 type guitar, but this one seems really nice. I've strung it up with TI 14s and it sounds absolutely wonderful. It has a really nice percussive 'thunky' thing going on.

    The pickups sound nice, I'm not usually keen on humbuckers.... I may end up putting in a P90 or HCC in the neck. I'm not sure who made the pickups for Greco.

    Unlike a Gibson, this has a laminated spruce top, I'm not sure what effect this would have on the tone of the guitar. It also does not have kerfed braces, I'm happy about that.

    I'm gigging with it tonight, will be interesting to hear how it sounds in that context compared to my Gretsch G400 Synchromatic I usually use.
    1970s Greco ES 175 copy-13479412_10209785507705578_1079340042_n-jpg

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  3. #2

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    Nice guitar! Congratulations, and play it in good health!

  4. #3

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    If it was made in the Matsumoku factory in Japan, you have scored a really nice guitar indeed. The 70's era Matsumoku-made guitars were about the closest approach to an actual Gibson that were ever produced.

  5. #4

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    Looks like a nice guitar. The 'burst reminds me of my 1970s Ibanez.
    Attached Images Attached Images 1970s Greco ES 175 copy-ibanez202355-jpg 

  6. #5

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    And my Aria PE180. I think this sort of rosy-iced-tea sunburst was a hallmark of nice 1970's era guitars.

  7. #6

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    Nice! One of the better copies! I have a Condor that is also nice, but a lesser grade copy than your Greco:



    (Note that the knobs, pickguard and selector switch grommet are added by myself)

  8. #7

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    There are nice guitars. I had one once; it had as good a build quality as any of my various 175s. It doesn't sound the same as a 175 though, partly due to the laminated spruce top.

    But that may not be a bad thing, depending on what you are looking for. I suspect the reason that many who are disappointed that some 70s japanese 'copy' guitars don't sound the same as the originals, overlook the fact that spruce laminate has a distinctly different sound from maple laminate, on any guitar, copy or original. Personally, I like the sound of spruce laminate.

    As noted above, many of these 'copies' have cherry s/b or 'iced tea' s/b finishes. Probably because Gibson was churning out lots of guitars in similar finishes in the 70s....

  9. #8

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    Quote Originally Posted by Franz 1997
    There are nice guitars. I had one once; it had as good a build quality as any of my various 175s. It doesn't sound the same as a 175 though, partly due to the laminated spruce top.

    But that may not be a bad thing, depending on what you are looking for. I suspect the reason that many who are disappointed that some 70s japanese 'copy' guitars don't sound the same as the originals, overlook the fact that spruce laminate has a distinctly different sound from maple laminate, on any guitar, copy or original. Personally, I like the sound of spruce laminate.

    As noted above, many of these 'copies' have cherry s/b or 'iced tea' s/b finishes. Probably because Gibson was churning out lots of guitars in similar finishes in the 70s....
    Also the Gibson ES175s were not entirely maple laminate. Maple was the outer and inner layer, but the middle layer was poplar or (later I think) basswood.

  10. #9

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    Quote Originally Posted by lawson-stone
    Also the Gibson ES175s were not entirely maple laminate. Maple was the outer and inner layer, but the middle layer was poplar or (later I think) basswood.
    Yup. And in the 80ies they even had mahogany laminate for the sides and back for a while. General consensus seems to be that those sound warmer than the maple/poplar ones.

    I don't know to what extend the Japanese used different laminates, but in my experience all their 175 copies sound a little brighter. Not necessarily worse indeed, just a little different. Maybe the pickups play a role too.

    I do know that Japanese 175 copies also came with maple necks at some point. I prefer the mahogany necks.

    But that Greco is a lovely copy, it got all the looks right!
    Last edited by Little Jay; 06-18-2016 at 02:25 PM.

  11. #10

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    hello, to continue this exhibition:
    here is a later model: Greco FA95 copy of the es 175-1959.
    produced in 1989.
    Neck: mahogany
    table and sides: maple laminate 3 folds and poplar one
    touch : rosewood
    the original pickups (maxon dry Z) have been replaced by the previous owner by kent armstrong magnum.


    I am very happy to play this Greco.
    Attached Images Attached Images 1970s Greco ES 175 copy-img_1397-jpg 

  12. #11
    I've done a couple gigs with the Greco now. It's sounds really good. It's far darker sounding than my Gretsch (solid spruce top/floating CC pickup). The action at the nut is a bit high, so that is something I will fix this weekend, and it could do with a fret dressing. That being said, it still plays really nicely.

  13. #12

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    Quote Originally Posted by entresz
    This came up for sale locally at a good price and I just couldn't help myself. I've never owned a Greco before, or a ES175 type guitar, but this one seems really nice. I've strung it up with TI 14s and it sounds absolutely wonderful. It has a really nice percussive 'thunky' thing going on.

    The pickups sound nice, I'm not usually keen on humbuckers.... I may end up putting in a P90 or HCC in the neck. I'm not sure who made the pickups for Greco.

    Unlike a Gibson, this has a laminated spruce top, I'm not sure what effect this would have on the tone of the guitar. It also does not have kerfed braces, I'm happy about that.

    I'm gigging with it tonight, will be interesting to hear how it sounds in that context compared to my Gretsch G400 Synchromatic I usually use.
    1970s Greco ES 175 copy-13479412_10209785507705578_1079340042_n-jpg

    That is smokin'. HNGD!

  14. #13
    I know it's probably a long shot what with the guitar being so gorgeous and all, but if you ever have the inclination to sell that beauty there is a home in Brisbane that would be more than willing to take her in

  15. #14
    Hi Bobby

    I'll keep you in mind if I decide to sell her! I'm currently on the hunt for 30s-50s Epiphone Triumph acoustic so will probably sell the Greco if I found one.

    I've fitted some Bill Lawrence L-90 humbuckers to it, they sound a lot more transparent than the typical PAF. Kept the originals in a safe spot so it can be put back to stock again. It's got some minor fret buzz around the 7th-10th frets that I need to address at some stage. Guitars are a bit like cars, there's always something to tweak/do.

    If anyone is considering getting one of these Greco 175 clones, I would recommend them highly. It's a top notch electric jazz guitar.

  16. #15
    Here is how it looks at present with the Bill Lawrence L-90 pickups.
    1970s Greco ES 175 copy-grec-jpg

  17. #16

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    Nice score. They are fetching silly money for certain era models around here now.

  18. #17

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    mine bought in Barcelona in spain 15 days ago.
    It looks like the same ...
    FA 750reco 1989 Super Real
    the best production years is 1979-1989 only for 10 years