GRECO SPACEY SOUNDS TE-500

GRECO SPACEY SOUNDS TE-500 – 1979 Japanese Thinline Telecaster.

I’d always hankered after a vintage Fender Thinline Tele and when I was on the hunt for one in the USA, I stumbled across one of these excellent Grecos – my search was over. It’s no secret that during the seventies some of the good Japanese factories were capable of building better Fenders than Fender, and this is an example of how good they became. Greco’s Fenders were so good that they were eventually amalgamated by Fender Japan with the builders who made these guitars going on to build Japanese Fenders.

**Please note: we had a strap-related accident with this after the photos were taken and it’s gained a couple of hefty dings on the edge of the body, hence the price reduction – we’ve added extra shots (the last 4 photos above) to show extra detail of the body.**

In excellent condition for its age and playing superbly, having had a full pro set-up courtesy of Xperience Guitars in Nottingham, this twin-humbucking beast is a cracker, and for a fraction of the cost of a 70s American-made Fender. Inevitably there’s a few minor scuffs, dings and scratches, and some oxidation in places to the metal parts, but overall it’s in very good condition for its age. Someone decided they didn’t like the pearl pickguard and sprayed it black at some point, but they made a very good job of it, so we’ve left it as-is. 

We believe this to have been made by the FujiGen factory – it dates from 1979 – by which time the quality of these guitars was easily-matching Fender’s own – the pickups are most likely by Maxon.

Our ace guitar-slinging apprentice Joel is not going to be happy when we sell this – it’s been his guitar of choice for demoing gear – but he can still use mine when this one goes.

Price includes VAT at 20% (for sales in UK/EU) – buyers outside the EU please contact us for tax-free prices. VAT-free sales possible to businesses and individuals in the EU (outside the UK) with a valid VAT Number.