I'm thinking of finally taking the plunge and putting together a Guitar Mill partscaster not because I want something crazy that Fender have never made, but just because I want something close to the classic Fenders they refuse to make anymore. Because if you are, this is the Stratocaster for you (it says so, on the headstock). I use flatwounds and rarely bend strings and find the taller frets are basically unplayable with any level of comfort - and Fender now puts those dreaded "narrow tall" frets on basically everything, even Custom Shop guitars. I've bought (and later sold) two American Original 60s, thinking I could eventually get used to the flatter radius and the taller frets: unfortunately I definitely can't. Even Fender Japan has been compromised, as their Traditional line also has 9.5" radius as standard. I've had the unfortunate timing of finally being in a position to buy some USA-made Fenders only after they junked the American Vintage line for the American Original. SSH (covered) Virgin killer pickups (N: 5k, N: 5k, B: 10.Forgive what is probably a silly idea for a thread (more of a frustrated grumble), but I'm just astonished/dismayed that Fender makes it so difficult to buy what should be a standard item in their catalogue: a made in USA reissue with vintage specs (7.25" radius, vintage frets, vintage nut width).Neck is straight and fretboard is now in great condition.Maxon sticker - also a removed sticker on the back (see sunburn of original colour).Ciggie burn on the point of the cutaway (see pic).Paint colour is an aged cream (you couldn't relic like this).Lastly, I have shielded with insulation tape (cavity and the back of the guard) to help reduce any noise. Lastly, I felt that the tone was a bit bright, so I have added a vintage. Previous owner had tried to modify it (looks like they cut the edges to reduce weight). Neck is dead straight.īridge - comes with the trem. I have levelled and crowned the frets and conditioned the fretboard. Note: Scallops only passed the 18th fret. I actually don't know, but it was dented so badly it wasn't repairable. In the case of the famous Dry Z microphones, known to be the closest to the original PAFs, we know. The Greco pickups, meanwhile, were manufactured by Maxon for instruments of the 70s (UD, U-1000 and U-2000 for example) and early 80s. I also had to replace the last fret (22) as the previous owner had. Greco guitars are usually equipped with a tailpiece, a bridge and tuners manufactured by Gotoh. You can barely see the scallops and they're actually much better. Pleased to say that it's now in pretty decent condition. I spent hours smoothing out the scalloped fretboard. (Win!) I used a number of different techniques, like goo remover etc, but in the end Meguiar's compound buff n polish was how I got the paint up.Īlso worth noting that the previous owner had ambitions of shredding his or her way to glory - a dodgy home scallop job had been left half finished. and smoked a lot while playing.Īs you can see the stains have been lifted - the smell is also gone. Literally. Clearly the previous owner was a bit of a shredder. Yep, covered in a thick layer of nicotine / tobacco staining. Originally built (fujigen) in 1987 the Device with Spirit Energy was Greco's attempt to keep up the times as metal emerged.Ĭondition: This guitar was the stinkiest guitar I have ever. I've just finished restoring this Greco SPF-40 and it's now looking and sounding great Restored: Truly unique Greco 1987 shred machine.