In the early 1970s, Greco asked Hidesato Shiino, who was officially working for Yamaha, to develop guitar production and to become a marketing consultant.Īt first, Shiino was leading most guitar makers, not just Greco. The Ibanez and Greco instruments were manufactured by Fujigen and that is why the Japanese consider them as “twin brands”. during the first half of the 70s and Fujigen Gakki which started in 1974-75 until the 90s. These companies were Matsumoku Industrial Co. Even so, the guitars were similar enough to appeal to the Japanese audience and mark the beginning of a new era in the history of Made in Japan guitars.Īs mentioned previously, Kanda Shokai was primarily involved in the marketing and distribution of guitars and basses made by 2 subcontractors.
#Greco stratocaster vintage fret series#
That’s why Greco, to make a copy of the Gibson Les Paul (Greco EG series), had to rely on pictures of catalogs and artists! The original EG-360 series was quite different from the real Les Paul, both in the dimensions of the neck and in the manufacturing of the body. As a result, young people were encouraged to buy the guitars of their idols and to play Rock’n’Roll and of course, Greco soon realized that the market for musical instruments had to adapt to young people and offer them what they want.īecause of the high prices of Gibson in Japan, only a few jazz musicians could afford one and Greco had no real Gibson available. In 1971, Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, Grand Funk Railroad and other major bands of the time toured Japan. The young people had to save more than 5 months of salary to buy the guitar of their dreams.
The price of a new Stratocaster was 239,000 yen, more than US $ 660.00 (US $). The exchange rate at the time was around 360 yen for 1 US dollar the initial salary of a young Japanese was therefore 120.00 US dollars (US $). In 1970, the average salary of a young graduate from a university in Japan was 43,000 yen (JYE). It was at this time that Japanese youth discovered and wanted to acquire Gibson Les Paul Customs, SG’s, Fender Stratocasters, Telecasters and other guitar models. Guitarist Jimmy Page would greatly contribute to the commercial success of the famous Gibson Les Paul Standard with a Sunburst finish. Led Zeppelin launched 2 memorable albums (Led Zeppelin I and II). In 1969, the British band Led Zeppelin initiated a turning point in the production of Greco guitars. In 1966, the Beatles tour in Japan largely influenced Greco’s projects, which launched on the market a copy of Fender Telecaster with a solid body and a copy of the Hofner bass with a violin-bass design. There were many similarities with American guitars but it was still guitars with original design. In the beginning, Greco designed its guitars. The Greco brand was introduced on the market by Kanda Shokai in 1960. Kanda Shokai is a major distributor of musical instruments created in 1948. The first true copies were those of the Greco brand, produced by Kanda Shokai Corporation. Many of these instruments had a shape influenced by the guitars of big brands like Gibson, Fender, Mosrite, Burns, Vox, etc. Obviously, many Japanese guitar makers made instruments before the 70s, mostly with their own design. When talking about Japanese vintage guitars, we are referring mainly to guitars made in the 70s and 80s or even 90s.
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