This SE-500 is one of the last before the arrival of the Super Sounds decal and the serial numbers. It has the single piece neck (not counting the tiny bit by the lower E tuner) and the 9.5 radius, and retains the pancake style construction with a very nice 2 piece top (usually 3 or even 4 on SE-500s). A lovely deep sunburst - it polishes up beautifully, just a couple of parking knocks to show its 51 years in existence.
 
Well maintained Grecos from this era will go on forever, and even abused ones can be rescued. This one has just arrived from Japan and had clearly been cherished, refretted in the recent past and has obviously provided great service. It just needed a service and is now ready for another 51 years at least.
 
The Maxons are typically bright and airy - but with a huge bass response even on the bridge pick-up. half a century of use allows the DM30 switch to get the in-between settings with minimal dexterity.
 
With some original condition 70s guitars, sometimes a slight compromise is required for the sounds - not so this one. It happily sits alongside a modern Fender - have a listen to the demo video to hear how the guitar sounds plugged straight into the small valve amp.