Picked up this Greco TV-500 Les Paul Junior recently, and there's not a massive amount of information out there, so I thought I should jot a few things down.
I'm fairly sure it's the same as the Ibanez 2343, given the relationship between the two brands - Greco for the domestic market in Japan, Ibanez for export.
It only appears in the1975 Greco catalog and was listed for 50,000 yen. Looking at the catalog, I'd love to get my hands on the SG version too.
Great little player, well balanced and the intonation is surprisingly good given the style of lighting bolt bridge that it has (came with 10-52 Moonshiner strings).
GRECO TV-500 LES PAUL JUNIOR SPECS
- 1975, made in Japan - I think FujiGen Gakki but could be wrong
- No serial number
- Cherry finish - although they all seem to fade to chocolate
- Pancake mahogany construction for the body (multiple pieces)
- Set neck, also mahogany, slim profile (two piece - neck / headstock is one piece, it has extra bit on the heel to add thickness)
- Weighs a little over 3kg
- Rosewood fretboard, 22 frets
- Usual Gibson scale length 24 and 3/4 inches
- Mother of pearl inlays
- Gotoh star tuners
- Lightning bolt bridge
- Chrome hardware
- Tortoise pickguard
- Speed knobs
- Maxon P-90 that measures in at 8.3k
- Full-size pots
- Greenie cap
- Fifties wiring (very neat and shielded)
Looks like the original case, based on the condition and it matches a catalog item. Vintage stickers from Japanese music stores add to the charm
That’s really pretty.
ReplyDeleteVery cool. Hey, I wanted to say that I really like your site, and I’ve built a few pedals based on you vero layouts. Thanks a lot for your great blog! I keep coming back to it to see what I want to build next.
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