# NGD :1990 Greco Mint Collection Ultrathin



## knight_yyz (Mar 14, 2015)

Some of you may have seen the thread about me accidentally buying the wrong guitar. I was looking for an 80's or 90's MIJ les paul, and found this Beauty, but I didn't read the description properly. So, you are about to look upon the pictures of my 1990 Greco Mint Collection Series EGW-80 ultrathin. Arched top and back, and only about 1-3/8 thick from top to bottom at the binding. Took out the neck pup and found out it has the long tenon as well!! Open O on the headstock!! Screamin pups!

Here's the pics. I need to give her a good cleaning. And the best part, I knew it was going to come in some sort of hard case, but it actually is the right size!! I kept my epiphone case just in case and this one is a bit thinner than a standard case and fits the guitar beautifully!! Bonus!!


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## knight_yyz (Mar 14, 2015)




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## Budda (May 29, 2007)

Looking good!

I know gibson re-issued an LPC lite model, it was pretty interesting when I got to check one out.


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## ezcomes (Jul 28, 2008)

Nice! Congrats!


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## knight_yyz (Mar 14, 2015)

I just weighed it on my scale and it looks to be about 3.25 kg give or take as my scale is not that accurate. Just putting new strings on her now.

So she is a bit heavier than a strat, a lot heavier than my LP Hollowbody. 

These pups a freaking awesome!!!!!!! I wonder what it would sound like it my amp was not so clean. You can tell they want to break up, but my Vibroverb is too clean. LOL Still sounds awesome


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## Guest (Jan 31, 2017)

Any markings on the back of the pups?
They may be Maxons.


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## High/Deaf (Aug 19, 2009)

Cool guitar. Looks like the did a cross between an LPC and the L5-S. I've always wanted to play an L5-S.


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## knight_yyz (Mar 14, 2015)

the pups are screamin 82's I forgot to take a picture of it

I love this guitar, its a little heavier than my strat and the tone is amazing, I can't compare to a real Gibson, but it sounds much better than my upgraded Epiphone ever did. 

I hear the Custom Lite from Gibson came out in '15/'16, but was there an older model? I also hear they suffer from QC issues.


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## brokentoes (Jun 29, 2014)

Lookin' good. Seems to be in very good shape !!


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## knight_yyz (Mar 14, 2015)

It has lots of tiny dings , but there is no paint missing anywhere, used some Maguiars to give her a quick cleaning. Normally I would put 9-46 strings but I actually have none, so I found a pack of Dean Markley 11-49 Jazz lights and they sound really nice too.


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## cheezyridr (Jun 8, 2009)

nice one! me likey!



Budda said:


> Looking good!
> 
> I know gibson re-issued an LPC lite model, it was pretty interesting when I got to check one out.


i played one at the 12th fret. not that i could afford it, but i figured opportunities like that don't come every day. it was very cool, i liked it alot


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## sulphur (Jun 2, 2011)

I thought that Greco stopped making the Customs with the split diamond in the early '80s?

In this thread, there's a link to some Greco catalogs.
In the '85 catalog, they had gone to the "torch", or "ice cream cone" on the headstock.
There are gaps in the years of the catalogs, the nearest older showed the split diamond in '82.

楽器カタログの世界 - エレキギター・エフェクター・アンプ・キーボード '70s〜'80s カタログ

Source...

Can you 'date' a Greco LP custom from the Headstock? - Japanxe


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## Jimmy_D (Jul 4, 2009)

Nice guitar, if the electrics are original the date code on the pots would help nail the year, any close ups of the pots and control cavity? the date code is 3 digits, numbers and or letters.


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## knight_yyz (Mar 14, 2015)

I'm not sure if it is supposed to be a custom or not. Just Mint Collection series and on back says A90xxxx January 90. This model was only made for 2 years. Both catlogues are not available online I have searched like crazy. Greco 89, or 90 and there is no such thing, 

The "Mint Collection Series" with an open O Greco logo start (an O letter with the top part of the O letter removed). Most of the "Mint Collection Series" models with an open O Greco logo end in 1990. In the early 1990s most of the Greco guitars return to a closed O Greco logo but there were some open O Greco logo guitars made in the early 1990s as well.


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## sulphur (Jun 2, 2011)

In my last post, check that link with the Japanese writing.

Not so much that if it's a Custom or not, it's the headstock inlay.
Unless it's some "re-issued", by the mid '80s that wasn't available.


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## knight_yyz (Mar 14, 2015)

@sulphur , the very first thing the OP in the link you posted says his is a 1990 open O as well and it has the diamonds


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## knight_yyz (Mar 14, 2015)

@sulphur , the very first thing the OP in the link you posted says his is a 1990 open O as well and it has the diamonds


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## knight_yyz (Mar 14, 2015)

2 pots have 504042 and 2 have 504047 , which are on a lot of late 80's early 90's guitars


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## brokentoes (Jun 29, 2014)

If you look closely its a double split diamond, that started i believe in '89. Possibly late '88 and went to '90 or so. Non serial number'd ones were either made by Tokai or Cort (korea) for that time frame.


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## Jimmy_D (Jul 4, 2009)

knight_yyz said:


> 2 pots have 504042 and 2 have 504047 , which are on a lot of late 80's early 90's guitars


If the pots are original (and it sounds like they are) the date code is what you're looking for, it's only 3 figures - for example 8NK (November 1988) or 91K (January 1989), I think you're reading the code for Pot Model/Spec

1981 to 1991 Pot Date Codes;

Date Code, 3 characters:

Y-M-L

Year = year
M = month
L = type

Y= last digit of the year

M = 1-9, O, N and D; 1=January, 2= February, etc, O = October, N=November and D= December

L = K or P where K=normal type, P=push-pull


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## Jimmy_D (Jul 4, 2009)

brokentoes said:


> If you look closely its a double split diamond, that started i believe in '89. Possibly late '88 and went to '90 or so. Non serial number'd ones were either made by Tokai or Cort (korea) for that time frame.


If it's tokai the routes for the pup legs will be square not rectangular, but tbh while this guitar may fall into the time frame (late '89- early '90) where Tokai did make some Greco's, the only ones I've ever seen turn up have been regular-bodied customs.

From what I've seen when Tokai made a guitar with another companies name on it, it was exactly like one of their own regular models...


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## knight_yyz (Mar 14, 2015)

So, there is the route for the neck humbucker and the long tenon. 



The only other markings on the pots 9 D K, So December 89? normal pot


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## knight_yyz (Mar 14, 2015)

Most of the Greco open book headstock Gibson replicas were made by FujiGen Gakki. Some Greco open book headstock Gibson replicas starting from around 1988 had no serial numbers. The lower priced no serial number Greco Les Paul and SG models were made by Cor-Tek (Cort) and usually have Cor-Tek (Cort) potentiometers. The Cor-Tek made Greco guitars have square shaped, brick like nuts with no slope and also often have shielding paint in the pickup and control cavities. Other higher priced no serial Greco Les Paul and SG models were made by Tōkai and the Les Paul models have an EG-75 or EGC-75 model number stamped in the pickup cavity and sometimes have fret edge binding. The no serial Greco guitars made by Tokai have square shaped routing holes at the bottom of the pickup cavities whereas the no serial Greco guitars made by Cor-Tek (Cort) have thinner rectangle shaped routing holes at the bottom of the pickup cavities. Kanda Shokai stopped using the open book headstock design on Greco Gibson replica models around the early 1990s and then concentrated on their other model lines and Fender Japan. Atlansia have supplied body and neck parts for Greco models as well. Tokai currently make the Kanda Shokai Zemaitis and Talbo models.


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## knight_yyz (Mar 14, 2015)

I do not have any stamps in either of the cavities. There is a serial on headstock A90xxxx. The only ultrathin models made by Greco according to the catalogs is 1989 and 1990. 

This is what the seller says is in English in the 89 catlogue for the EGW-80. There is more but it's all in Japanese. I would love to get a copy of that catalog

EGW-80
Body: Maple top and mahogany back
Neck: Mahogany 3piece
Fretboard Rosewood 22F 305R 314Scale
Pickups: Screamin front and rear
Controls: 2 Volume, 2 Tone, 3way toggle switch
Finish: Urethane


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## sakana (Oct 14, 2016)

You must do a lot of reading at the MLP site.


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## knight_yyz (Mar 14, 2015)

I did a lot of research before I pulled the trigger but I have no idea what Mlp is.


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## Jimmy_D (Jul 4, 2009)

So you were right, those pots are December 1989 and as they are almost always older than the guitar (factory buys them ahead of time), all indications are it's an early 1990 model.

Certainly no older than December 1989

edit; looking at those pup routes this is not a Tokai made guitar, but I'm also sure it's MIJ and not a Cort,

If you do some looking into the shape of the control cavities on MIJ LP's I think you'll find the shape of yours is closest to Dyna Gakki, who made both Greco and Burny customs in the latter half of the '80s


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## bzrkrage (Mar 20, 2011)

knight_yyz said:


> I did a lot of research before I pulled the trigger but I have no idea what Mlp is.


My Les Paul forums....... have a guess what that site about.....
Les Paul Forums - MyLesPaul.com


Sent from my other other brain.


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## knight_yyz (Mar 14, 2015)

I finally found my vernier and measured the body thickness at 34.5mm at the binding


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## knight_yyz (Mar 14, 2015)

I had Dan at Mojoaxe make me a custom pick guard. I supplied the measurements and he did all the work. Fits like a glove. Before and after


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