1983 Greco Mint Collection RR55 Custom Randy Rhoads Model Alpine White, Japan Fujigen

Up for sale, a 1983 Greco LP Custom Mint Collection model RR55 in perfect working order, sporting an Alpine White gloss finish. Taking its cues from Randy Rhoads' famous '74 Les Paul Custom (thus the "RR" model designation), this is an uncommon Greco model, with special care taken to include the small cosmetic mods which Rhoads made to his instrument including gold speed knobs and Schaller-style tuning machines.Crafted at the Fujigen factory, Greco's Mint Collection series instruments like the RR55 boast top notch workmanship, capturing many small details of vintage Gibson production. The guitar is loaded with a replacement set of vintage humbuckers which are wound notably hot, both metering at 11.9k ohms. Punchy and bold, the bridge position has a rich growl and cut with accentuated note attack, while the neck pickup is fat and round, retaining clarity in higher gain scenarios. At 10lbs 12oz, this Greco has plenty of natural sustain and sonic authority, professionally setup here at Mike & Mike’s Guitar Bar with 10-46 strings, low action, and accurate intonation.The neck has a moderately chunky C-shaped profile carve with well-rounded shoulders and optimal heft, measuring .850” deep at the 1st fret and .965” at the 12th, The rosewood fretboard features pearloid block inlay, with fret-edge binding on the medium jumbo fretwire. The frets have good meat, with moderate, uniform wear beneath the strings on frets 1-4 and progressively lighter wear beneath the plain strings extending to fret 9. This guitar plays cleanly up the 24 3/4“ scale with a straight neck and a responsive, optimally-adjusted truss rod. The nut measures 1 11/16” in width, carved from bone for optimal clarity and sustain. The headstock is framed by multi-ply binding and sports the iconic “open book” shape, with Greco’s tulip inlay. The Schaller-style tuning machines turn smoothly and hold accurate pitch, with consistent surface patina on their gold-plated buttons. The I83-prefix serial on the back of the headstock dates to September, 1983.All of the electronics function as intended, with the original wiring harness and full-size Japanese pots that date to January, 1982. The long neck tenon is visible in the neck pickup cavity, a structural bonus that increases sustain and resonance. The gold plating on the hardware has largely worn away, including on the pickup covers, ABR-1-style bridge, and corresponding stopbar. Plastics comprise the quartet of gold speed knobs, four-ply pickguard, black switch surround and replacement black switch tipThe Alpine White gloss finish is a rich cream color, framed by multi-ply binding, and cosmetic wear includes a handful of minor dings and scuffs from honest use on the body as a whole, both behind the bridge on top and across the back and body perimeter, with a targeted area of buckle rash on the back central to the lower bout. The neck profile retains its smooth gloss, with a few shallow marks along the profile length that have no impact on playability.A padded gigbag is included.