#Made in korea tokai rickenbacker 325 series#
#Made in korea tokai rickenbacker 325 free#

NarumoвЂ™s involvement in this project and these live performances have resulted in a huge increase in GrecoвЂ™s sales. 2 Gibson whose finish was in brown sunburst, but Greco could not check the color on the back of the guitar вЂ¦ They had done a sunburst finish on the back and on the neck.

#Made in korea tokai rickenbacker 325 free#

The only thing that Narumo did not really like was that Greco was based on a photo of Paul Kossoff (of the Free rock band), provided by Narumo himself, to replicate the color of the prototype. The Japanese audience was surprised to see that a Japanese guitar was just as good, if not better, than the original. Narumo played in his concerts with the new EG-360 Custom and his Gibson. All Narumo musicians tested a Gibson, a Fender and the new Greco and all agreed that the EG was the best! The guitar was made in a few days and Narumo was very pleasantly surprised by the new EG Custom. Shiino oversaw the manufacture of a guitar prototype for Narumo according to the specifications they had determined. They both advised Greco to make guitars whose quality would be superior to that of the Gibson Les Paul for a more accessible price and with a thiner neck so that it is better adapted to the hands of the Japanese. Narumo began developing and supervising the production of Greco guitars with Shiino. He contacted his old friend Shigeru Narumo (1947-2007) who was then a well-known guitarist and grandson of the founder of Bridgestone Tire in Hatoyama, Mr. He worked as a consultant for ELK, Guyatone, Fernandes and Kasuga among others. In the early 1970s, Greco asked Hidesato Shiino, who was officially working for Yamaha, to develop guitar production and to become a marketing consultant.ДЄt 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 вЂњtwin brandsвЂќ. 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.ДЄs mentioned previously, Kanda Shokai was primarily involved in the marketing and distribution of guitars and basses made by 2 subcontractors.

#Made in korea tokai rickenbacker 325 series#

ThatвЂ™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 RockвЂ™nвЂ™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.Д«ecause 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, SGвЂ™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 GrecoвЂ™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.