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
Not my content, but these are some of the best explanations of the relationship between the pickup, pots and caps that I've ever seen. David from Ann Arbour Guitars knows his stuff and has the gear to demonstrate it really well.
I think my favourite video is the capacitor comparison. I'd say a few people are probably in denial about this, given the amount that can be spent on a single cap. Not that I'm about to throw away my tropical fish and mustard caps - I just like the way they look and I never spend too much on them.
I know, this is not a pedal and it's also just a Telecaster - not exactly big news - but hey, it's my blog and I'll post what I want.
Picked up this Profile Silhouette Telecaster on the weekend for a pretty decent price - second-hand Squier money. It had been sitting in a case in a garage for years - it used to belong to the sellers' auntie. I could not find a reference to this model anywhere, and there's very limited information available about these guitars in general, hence the length of this post.
The story goes something along these lines: Sometime in the 1980s the owner of an Australian music store took his favourite US made Strat to Japan and said "build some of these". Turned out they were very close to American Fenders and were half the price at the time. This sounds like a reasonable premise.
What I've read but can't verify: This is supposed to have pre-dated Fender Japan. Some say they were made in the Cushin Gakki factory, which is where Japanese Charvel and Jackson were made. Some say made by FujiGen.
PROFILE SILHOUETTE TELECASTER CUSTOM
What I think I have so far;
Two-piece Ash body, possibly Sen given the Japanese connection (bound front and back)
Rock maple neck, fat C I would say
Kluson style tuners, stamped "Deluxe"
Weird bridge, the same as Tokai Breezysounds (but with original tele bridge string spacing)
No identifying marks to be found in terms of serial numbers etc. Just a mark where a sticker was on the back of the neck plate
Code in the neck pocket is 8-116
Noble pots, which seem to be common on decent Japanese guitars from this period
Standard greenie 47n cap
DM-30 three-way switch, also common on Japanese guitars from the period
Poly finish
5 Screw scratch plate
I think this mark on the plate is where the Made in Japan sticker once was.
The bridge looks identical to a Tokai Breezysound, minus the Tokai branding. Obviously a departure from a traditional Telecast here - they've clearly gone for function rather than sticking with vintage correct.
It is however vintage correct spacing, not the smaller import size.
Nice fully machined metal knobs, hardware has a decent patina and despite not being correct for a Tele, I quite like the switch end.
I've read that some folks think that all Profile guitars had plywood bodies. This one most certainly does not. Solid wood, no front and back veneer to hide cheap wood underneath.
Regular Tele thickness
Nice skunk stripe and I'm pretty sure this is rock maple.
The neck join is really tidy - no stress fractures around the finish
It has Noble pots, which were in a lot of the better Japanese guitars back in the day. As expected, the wiring is not great.
47n cap, 500k pots. One linear, the other log
Pickups are not ceramic, that much is obvious - no identifying marks.
I haven't posted in a while, as I've been selling a few things, and doing a bit of guitar shopping at the same time, which has taken up way more of my time than expected.
A Yamaha SL500 or an Aria Pro II Leopard were looking promising at one stage, as I was looking around for a vintage Japanese Les Paul, and then I saw a Tokai Love Rock from the premium range appear second-hand for a decent price... slight change of plan and budget.
It's a 59-spec Les Paul, and it feels and sounds great. I wasn't sure about the Seymour Duncan Phat Cat P90-style pickups the previous owner had installed, but they sound good. The previous owner was selling the Love Rock as he's a Fender guy and could never get used to the neck profile.
TOKAI LS260 LOVE ROCK - MADE IN JAPAN, 2011
HOW DOES THE LOVE ROCK SOUND?
It's often difficult to describe sound, but I'll give it a go. Acoustically it sounds really nice - loud and clear, good note articulation - one of the best solid body electrics I've ever heard acoustically.
The neck pickup has a nice rounded tone, enough bass to make me happy but not enough to get muddy, and it's not too bright either. The bridge pickup has a good focused midrange bite, but it's not too hard on the ears. A bridge pickup that I can live with is usually a sign of a decent set of pickups to me, as I generally prefer the neck.
And of course, a 59 Les Paul is famous for sustain - who better to describe it than Nigel from Spinal Tap.
LOVE ROCK LS260 BUILD QUALITY
It's pretty much flawless, from what I can see. The action is low, and the fretwork is excellent.
The neck profile is on the slightly larger side of things compared to some modern necks, but still very comfortable. I like it.
Electronics and hardware are all great. The cavity is insulated.
It's one of the few guitars that I've bought where I don't feel like I need to change anything or tweak it for better playability.
IS THE TOKAI LOVE ROCK BETTER THAN A GIBSON LES PAUL?
The age-old question/debate for a high-end Japanese Les Paul - is it better than a Gibson? It's definitely better than a Gibson that I recently played, but I've never actually picked up a 1959 Les Paul. So better than some, yes, better than all, probably not. For the money I paid, there's no question that it's better value, as long as you're OK with a guitar called "Love Rock".
TOKAI LOVE ROCK LS260 SPECIFICATIONS - 2011, MADE IN JAPAN
Two piece Maple top - looks like a honey burst
One piece Mahogany back
One-piece Mahogany neck
Rosewood fretboard, 12-inch radius
22 frets
Switchcraft switch and jack
CTS pots
Sprague black beauty capacitors - which are gigantic... and completely pointless as a cap is a cap…. I’ve seen a few different options in higher-end Tokais, so I guess someone thinks this is a selling point.
PAF Vintage MKII hum buckers are stock - this one had Seymour Duncan Phat Cats installed (it did come with the original pickups in the case)
Pickguards are installed upon request, which is nice - no holes in the guitar if you prefer not to have one
Not sure about the weight - it's not light, that's for sure
