1976 Greco L-100 Vintage Archtop Guitar Blonde L-5 CES w/ Maxon U-2000 Pickups, Japan Fujigen

Up for sale, a 1976 Greco L-100 archtop in exceptional condition and in perfect working order. Produced in Japan's famed Fujigen factory, this rare guitar is Greco's spin on the Gibson L-5 CES, and one of the higher tiered instruments in Greco's 1976 catalog. Features include a spruce top and figured flame maple back and rims, a three-piece maple neck, and a bound ebony fingerboard, with multi-ply binding and premium hardware and plastics used throughout.With a full 17” lower bout width and a body depth of 3 1/8“, this L-100 is full-sounding and articulate, qualities faithfully captured by the Maxon humbuckers. One of the more sought after vintage Japanese PAF iterations, the Maxon-made U-2000 pickups offer a tone that is detailed and rich, with plenty of sweetness from the bridge pickup, and more inherent bell-like warmth in the neck position. The guitar has a natural woody character and percussive, dynamic midrange chop that translates faithfully through the humbuckers, delivering sparkling trebles, focused low end, and a clear response in every pickup position. This Greco weighs 8lbs 11oz, professionally setup here at Mike & Mike’s Guitar Bar with 12-53 roundwound strings, low action, and accurate intonation.The five-ply neck features three broad pieces of maple separated by two slender walnut stringers, sporting a slender C-shaped profile carve with modest shoulders that measures .825” deep at the 1st fret and .935” at the 9th. The bound ebony fretboard features pearl block inlay, with Gibson-style fret-edge multi-ply binding, and the original medium jumbo fretwire benefits from a level and crown, exhibiting no wear. This guitar plays cleanly up the 25 1/2“ scale with a straight neck and a responsive, optimally-adjusted truss rod, and the bone nut measures 1 11/16” in width. The bound “open book” headstock features a pearloid Greco logo and inlay that closely mimics the L-5 “flower pot”, with stock Greco-branded Sealfast-style gold tuners that turn smoothly. The inked I76-prefix serial number translates to September, 1976.On the body, the electronics work as they should, with a three-way pickup selector and individual Volume and Tone controls for each pickup. The Maxon U-2000 pickups each have date codes stamped on the baseplates that translate to 1976. Original plastic parts include the switch gasket and set of witch hat knobs with gold inserts, while the tortoise bound floating pickguard is a brand-new, vintage-accurate replacement. The gold hardware includes the Nashville-style bridge and elaborate art deco trapeze tailpiece, mirroring the L-5 CES's appointments.The ambered binding shows some limited checking, and the gloss Natural finish highlights the tight, bookmatched flame maple figuring across the back. Extremely well-kept, cosmetic wear is limited to just a handful of minor marks and tiny dings on the body as a whole. The smooth gloss on the neck profile is flawless.The original faux leather padded gigbag is included.