1980 Greco SA-900 Super Real
SOLD
Greco had been making a range of ES-335 inspired semi hollow body guitars since the early 1970's. However, it wasn't until the Super Real series was introduced in 1980 that they took the leap to make them as close to the originals as possible. As the name implies, the Super Real guitars of 1980 and 1981 were meant to be copies of specific year and models. Per the 1981 Greco catalog, the SA-900 pays homage to the 1961 ES-335.
This 1980 SA-900 is an excellent example, constructed in many ways just as the original 335's were. The guitar has a one piece mahogany neck with Rosewood fretboard, mother of pearl dot inlays and Kluson style Greco Deluxe tuners. It features a maple and mahogany three ply top, with a spruce-maple-spruce center block and features a lacquer finish, following the construction of the early originals:
Pickups are a matched pair and appear to be original with their covers removed. They are date coded to February 14th, 1981 which is consistent with the late 1980 serial number. Greco developed "The Groove" pickup during the Super Real era specifically for semi and full acoustic models:
"Our SA-1200 and SA-900 bodies feature the same 3-ply maple-mahogany-maple construction. The blend of tonal characteristics of maple and mahogany woods lends a depth of tone that truly deserves to be called Super Real.
Complimenting the 3-ply structure of the top and back is a center block of spruce and maple. The maple block is inset with spruce above and below to provide superior acoustical evenness and a dryness of sound we might call 'semi-acoustic magic'. "
"New specialty semi-acoustic pickup The Groove brings out the lovely rich tone of the semi-acoustic body. This piece is a great source of pride for Greco, as our technicians brought this development to life alongside the pros for total sound response.
Coils are arranged to provide optimum richness to the sound of the bodies of our semi-acoustic and full-acoustic guitars in our The Groove series of humbuckers, made specifically for the purpose of augmenting the sound of the body itself. Semi-acoustic...and full acoustic... are set up to give special emphasis to a bluesy sound. The Groove, developed after lengthy experimentation with numerous test pieces before we settled on its coil specs, is infused with a sound secret that goes against everything you think you know about humbuckers."
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This guitar is in excellent, overall condition with some scratches and dents you would expect to find in a vintage guitar of this age. Other than the pickup covers being removed, it appears to be in all original condition. This is an excellent example of one of the highest grade Greco SA models made by Fujigen during the golden era of made in Japan guitars. The guitar comes with a vintage soft case and original product card indicating it is a new model with a 90,000 Yen price.
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