Greco JS-65 1984 John Sykes Black Les Paul Custom EGC - Original SCREAMIN 1982 Pickups - Mint Collection - Made in Japan MIJ

1984 Greco JS-65 John Sykes Les Paul Custom Black Beauty - 2 original SCREAMIN 82 humbuckers - Made in the famous Fujigen Factory in Japan - MIJ

• Serial Number: I 45166 (October 1984)
• Body: Solid 3 piece maple top on a 3 piece mahogany body
• Neck: 1 piece mahogany neck
• Fretboard: Rosewood
• Fretboard Radius: Compound from about 9" to 12"
• Fret Edge Binding: No
• Inlays: Acrylic pearloid block inlays
• Frets: 22 x Medium Jumbo (1.1mm tall x 2.7mm wide)
• Nut Width: 42.5mm
• Width at 1st Fret: 44.3mm
• Width at 12th Fret: 52.8mm
• Thickness at 1st Fret: 21.6mm
• Thickness at 12th Fret: 25.5mm
• Nut: Brass (original)
• Tuners: Original nickel Greco branded sealed tuners
• Bridge & Tailpiece: Original nickel Japanese made SG 8107 F ABR style bridge & F.G.T 8001 tailpiece
• Pickups: 2 x Original double black SCREAMIN 1982 humbuckers (gold pole pieces on neck pickup, and chrome/nickel on the bridge pickup)
• Neck Pickup Resistance:  7.72K ohm
• Bridge Pickup Resistance: 7.84K ohm
• Pots: Original 500K pots with 42 date stamps (February 1984)
• Strings: Ernie Ball Regular Slinky 10-46 strings - E Standard tuning
• Weight: 9.06lbs
• Non Original Parts: Mirror pickguard, chrome pickguard bracket and mounting screws, knobs, strap buttons, and jack plate looks to be replaced
• Case: New quality made Profile G05TX gig bag
• Truss Rod: Works as expected with room in both directions

The JS-65 was Greco's take on John Sykes famous black Les Paul custom with mirror pickguard & pickup rings, nickel hardware, brass nut, and open black humbuckers. This model was new in 1984 as part of "The Personal Series Line Up" which was part of the Mint Collection from Greco - made with Mint Collection specs like the L.A.C. neck tenon (long tenon) - and was made in Japan by the world famous Fujigen factory.

Fitted with 2 Fujigen made SCREAMIN 1982 pickups, with the original stickers still in tact on the bottom of each pickup. Interestingly, the neck pickup has gold adjustable pole pieces, while the bridge has chrome/nickel adjustable pole pieces. All of the other JS-55 models I have seen are like this as well - I'm not sure why Greco made them this way - was this similar to John Sykes actual Gibson?

Note: The JS-65 came with DRY pickups in the catalogs, but this one came with SCREAMIN pickups. So either the sticker on the back was applied wrong and should be a 550, or this one got the wrong pickups, or the specs changed... My understanding is the only different between the JS-55 and JS-65 models was the pickups, and the 10,000 YEN MSRP price difference. Either way, these SCREAMIN pickups are original to this guitar, are highly coveted in their own way, and they sound fantastic.

When I got this guitar, it was missing the original mirror pickguard, and was missing a knob, so I sourced a new aftermarket mirror pickguard and chrome pickguard bracket that fit (although tight) on this guitar, as well as installed 4 new knobs, bringing it back to how it would have looked when it left the factory. The only other non original parts on this guitar appear to be locking type strap buttons, and the metal jack plate - although I didn't replace it, there are 2 sets of holes for a jack plate (under the jack plate itself - you can't see them normally) leading me to believe it's a replacement. Metal jack plates are definitely nicer to have than a plastic one.

Otherwise, everything else on this guitars appears to be original, and the guitar is in fair players grade condition. This one has had a rock'n'roll life, and there are scratches, scuffs, swirling, dings, dents, chips, all over this guitar - like everywhere - but nothing that affects the playability or sound of the guitar.

The original nickel hardware, including the bridge, tailpiece, tuners, screws all have varying degrees of corrosion, pitting, tarnish and rust to them - but overall it all works as expected, the bridge saddles move freely, and the tuners are work well.

The chrome/mirror pickup mounting rings are highly worn, and have corrosion/tarnish on them. It's like the chrome/mirror finish must actually be metal on top of the plastic rings. But they are intact and work as they should.

The guitar is made with what appears to be a 3 piece maple top on a 3 piece mahogany back, with a 1 piece mahogany neck - although it's hard to know for sure under the solid gloss black finish.

The Mint Collection series introduced the L.A.C. neck joint in their Les Paul's, which is a long neck tenon that extends well into the neck pickup cavity. In my personal experience, the Mint Collection Greco's are some of the best guitars to have come from Japan during this time. Everyone I've had was build solid, with great necks.

The neck itself, like all Mint Collection Greco's, has a great carve - it's a nice thick C carve starting out at 21.4mm thick at the 1st fret and increasing to 25.5mm at the 12th fret. This one also features a beautiful rosewood fretboard that has a lovely grain all the way up the board, along with acrylic pearloid block inlays.

The 22 medium jumbo frets have been played, and there is significant play wear across the entire fretboard, mainly on the lower 5 frets on all strings and the plain strings across nearly the whole guitars, but nothing that causes any issues with playing or the sound - the guitar plays incredible well and sounds great up and down the entire fretboard.

The original Fujigen made SCREAMIN 1982 pickups are aptly named - they can scream! There are lower wind pickups, similar to a PAF, measuring between 7.72K and 7.84K ohm, but with a thin ceramic magnet giving it a lot more power. They are very clear and articulate, but can handle fast playing really well. The mids and highs are very present, and the low end is very focused. They can clean up well when you roll down the volume, but can easily shred as well. There is a reason why these pickups have a following, and these are one of my favourite pickups to come from Japan ever.

All the guitars I sell, I test, thoroughly clean, and setup completely before I list them. Anything that is missing, damaged, or non original is mentioned in the listing.

I setup all my Gibson style guitars to Gibson factory specs - including neck relief, action, pickup height, intonation, and tailpiece height. So this guitar will be ready to play out of the box (after you tune it up - I ship my guitars with the strings loosened).

Comes with a new quality made Profile G05TX gig bag.

Overall, this is classic guitar you'll love to rip Whitesnake riffs on! It plays well, looks awesome, is built really well, and just sounds good.

You'll want this 1984 Greco JS-65 in your collection today.

CONDITION ------------

Overall it's in fair player grade shape.

I've tried to capture all of the flaws in the photos and in the description.

The pickguard, pickguard bracket, knobs, strap buttons and jack plate are not original.

Over the entire body of the guitar, top, back, sides, neck and headstock, there are many dings, dents, scratches, scuffs, swirling, and chips in the finish, with a significant amount on the back and sides of the body.

There is a large scratch on the top of the body on the bass side that runs from bridge pickup to the selector switch.

There is a large scratch on the face of the headstock that runs from nearly the truss rod cover to the edge of the top edge of the headstock.

The mirror pickup rings are heavily worn with lots of corrosion and tarnish, and some areas have the chrome/metal finish missing.

The black colour rear plastics have typical scratches and swirling on them.

The metal jack plate appears to be replaced, and there are 2 sets of mounting holes for it under the jack plate itself (it can't be seen unless you remove the jack plate).

The nickel hardware, including the bridge, tailpiece, gold and nickel pickup pole pieces, tuners, and screws all have some form of corrosion, pitting, scratches, and rust, but everything works as it should.

All of the nickel Greco branded sealed tuners work well - they are tight but smooth.

Around the strap buttons there's some significant marks/swirling.

There is some fret wear on frets 1-5 but on all strings, as well as fret wear on all of the plain string frets, but there is lots of life left in the frets and it plays well all the way up the fretboard with no buzzing or stuck spots.

The truss rod works as expected, with room in both directions.

There's no signs of a heel, headstock or any other repairs.

SHIPPING ------------  

Every shipment is expertly packed with great care and includes tracking, signature required on delivery, and full insurance coverage for both the purchase price and shipping.

Every guitar is fully wrapped in bubble wrap, in a cardboard box meant for guitars, with proper support inside. To reduce environmental impact, the packing material (paper, newsprint, gift wrap, bubble wrap, air packets, foam, carboard boxes and/or tube supports, etc...) used may be recycled.

Package dimensions are 118cm x 47cm x 17cm

Note: if you want an exact shipping quote, just send me a note with your postal/zip code, and I'll get a proper quote for your address. 

Note: If you're buying from outside of Canada, you as the Buyer may be required to pay import duties, tariffs, taxes and/or VAT upon delivery, depending on your location and the purchase price.

QUESTIONS ------------

Any questions? Want more photos or detailed shots? Measurements? Shoot me a message, and I'll be happy to answer them, or send more pics, or take any measurements you want/need.

Thanks for looking!