2 things really stand out about this 1979 Greco - obviously it is a glorious looker - a proper stunner of a guitar with that deep lustrous finish, and the glorious wear on the fretboard. Many 45 year old guitars don't take a polishing particularly well, they wear their hazy lacquer with pride. Not so with this one, you would be forgiven for thinking this was an SE-800. The second stand-out quality is the versatility - we'll come to that in a minute.
 
In 1979, the SE-600 had the small headstock, the slim C neck profile, and PU-119 Excel pick-ups. Catalogue geeks will spot an 8-hole guard where a 1979 model would have an 11 hole guard. Are we sure it isn't an 800? The neck profile and lack of brass cavity liner tells us otherwise - the spec really resembles the 1980 catalogue SE-600 model, the date stamp on the guard is 23rd December 1978, but is prefixed with a 1, so quite possibly a specification being developed.
 
When the guitar arrived into UK from Japan, it was looking tired - exhausted would be a better description. The board wear and parking knocks are never an issue, but the cracked and broken pick-guard, the sweat-eroded and seized saddles and tuners had obviously spelled out 'final retirement'. But removing the worn out hardware and a gentle clean revealed that this guitar should and will go on for many years to come.
 
Guitars in that condition give us the opportunity to transform them into range-topping specifications, and add some modern versatility missing when new. The guitar looks so damn good, plays so comfortably, and has 3 Excel Maxons in rude health. So, here is what we have done:
 
New 'close as possible' colour pick-guard with spring cover, and a selector slot to accommodate a DM-50 5-way selector to get the full Strat tone palette; new CTS premium pots and a redesign of the controls to provide Master Volume, Master Tone and a Power Dial. A what?
 
A power dial. This works on the neck setting and bridge setting. With the knob set to zero, you will hear the PU-119 with all its high definition chime and clarity, as originally intended. Roll to 5 and you will reduce a section of the mid-range frequencies to remind you of an earlier low-output Maxon; and roll up to 10 for a mid boosted tone, knocking on the door of a humbucker. No batteries, no preamps complexity, just some imaginative wiring. An evolution of the Matsumoku PEQ controls perhaps. 
 
The bridge is a new Gotoh 510 unit - these are fabulous units and fitted to mega-bucks boutique guitars from Japan. The arm is a screw-in type, and the free-swing can be set with a grub screw. Tuners are new Gotoh SDS510 units to match the bridge. Only the best for this. Everything else is restored and original; once again we declare the best of new and old in perfect harmony.