1979 Greco SA-550 Vintage Semi-Hollow ES-Style Guitar Walnut w/ Maxon U-1000, Japan Fujigen

Up for sale, a 1979 Greco SA-550 semi-hollowbody guitar in excellent, 100% original condition and in perfect working order. Produced at the much-revered Fujigen factory in Japan exclusively for the Japanese domestic market, this Greco was designed to replicate the look, feel and tone of an early ‘60s ES-335.The construction of the body is unique in that it lacks a full center block, with fully hollow construction between the neck joint and bridge pickup, a sound post between the pickups to ensure an ideal arch to the top, and a center block extending beneath the bridge hardware. This construction yields a tone that splits the difference between the fully hollow, airy quality of an ES-330, and the attack and feedback rejection of a center block ES-335. The body is constructed of birch, with a maple neck and bound rosewood fretboard.Loaded with the original Maxon U-1000 pickups, these coils are wound in the spirit of Gibson’s PAFs and are harmonically rich, sweet and sonorous. The neck pickup has a round, warm quality with an accentuated midrange, while the bridge pickup is clear and smooth. Weighing just 7lbs 2oz, this SA-550 has been professionally setup here at Mike & Mike’s Guitar Bar with 10-46 strings, low action and spot-on intonation.The three-piece maple neck has a medium C-shaped profile carve with robust shoulders in every register, measuring .840” deep at the 1st fret and .920” at the 12th. The rosewood fretboard features fret-edge binding, pearloid block inlay and original medium jumbo fretwire. The frets are remarkably clean, retaining their full factory height and replicating the wide/flat fret dress of Gibson’s from this era. The frets show virtually no wear, and this SA-550 plays cleanly up the 24 3/4” scale with a straight neck and responsive, optimally-adjusted truss rod. The carved bone nut measures 1 11/16” in width. The headstock has “Greco Deluxe”-stamped Kluson-style double line, double ring tuners which turn smoothly and hold accurate pitch. The I79-prefix serial number dates to September of 1979.All the electronics work as intended, with the Maxon U-1000 pickups wired to a three-way selector switch and dedicated Volume and Tone knobs for each humbucker. The pickups baseplates have factory stamps dating to 1979, and each meters at just over 7.7k ohms. Hardware includes the Tune-o-Matic bridge and corresponding tailpiece, both of which display a light dusting of patina across the nickel plating. The original quartet of witch hat knobs is present and in excellent condition, and the four-ply black pickguard has some requisite light scuffing along the pick path. The Greco label is in great shape with hand-written model details, visible through the F hole.The gloss Walnut finish is framed by ambered binding which exhibits prominent checking and minor splitting, and all of the binding is stable and well-adhered. There is also some cloudiness of the gloss adjacent to the binding, more notable on the top of the instrument. Cosmetic wear is otherwise limited to a few faint finish scratches in the clear coat of the gloss on the body. The gloss finish on the neck profile is immaculate.A brown faux leather gigbag is included.