Vintage 1977 Greco SA-500, Made in Japan - Cherry Sunburst

Epic Axes is a musician-driven showroom in Los Angeles. Each guitar is personally selected, inspected, and tested to ensure top performance - only instruments we would play ourselves become part of our collection. Text us to book a visit.

Up for sale is a beautiful Greco SA-500 in Cherry Sunburst is a beautiful vintage Japanese semi-hollow guitar made in Japan in 1977 (serial D775078). Produced during the highly regarded FujiGen era of Greco manufacturing, these instruments are known for their excellent craftsmanship and faithful interpretations of classic semi-hollow designs.

Finished in a rich Cherry Sunburst, this guitar has aged naturally and shows honest wear consistent with nearly five decades of use. Overall it remains in good vintage condition. There are various cosmetic marks, small scratches, and signs of age throughout the instrument, which only add to its authentic vintage character. Please refer to the photos for the exact cosmetic condition.

The frets are in good condition. They were spot-leveled in a few areas where small pits had developed and then polished. As a result the guitar now plays cleanly across the neck with no dents, dead spots, or buzzing, and it feels very comfortable to play.

Electronics work perfectly and operate quietly. The pickups deliver the warm, open, and articulate tone that these vintage Greco semi-hollow models are known for, with great clarity and musical response. The original vintage Greco humbuckers are present, with stamped baseplate numbers typical of Maxon-made pickups from the period, delivering a warm, open late-70s Japanese PAF-style tone.

The guitar has been cleaned, inspected, and set up so it is ready to play.

A vintage hard case is included with the instrument.

Overall this is a great example of a late-70s Japanese Greco semi-hollow, a well-built, great-sounding vintage guitar with plenty of character and classic looks.

The following work has been done: full cleaning, lemon oil fretboard treatment, fret polishing and string height setup (2.3 mm at the 12th fret on the low E string), pickup height adjusted for balance and clarity, and a fresh set of D'Addario XL 10/46 strings installed.

Body

• Construction: Fully hollow body, set-neck
• Wood: Laminated maple
• Top: Laminated maple
• Finish: Cherry Sunburst, gloss polyurethane
• Weight: approx. 3.2–3.6 kg / 7.0–8.0 lbs
• Binding: Cream body binding (top and back)

Neck

• Material: Mahogany
• Joint: Set-neck
• Profile: Slim-to-medium vintage C
• Fingerboard: Rosewood
• Radius: approx. 12"
• Frets: 22 vintage-style
• Scale Length: 24.75" (628 mm)
• Nut: Vintage style
• Nut Width: approx. 43 mm
• Neck Finish: Gloss polyurethane

Hardware

• Bridge: Tune-o-matic style
• Tailpiece: Trapeze-style tailpiece
• Tuners: Vintage-style sealed tuners
• Knobs: Replacement knobs
• Strap Buttons: Standard
• Hardware Finish: Chrome

Electronics

• Pickups: Original Maxon humbuckers
• Pickup Covers: Original
• Controls:
  • 2 Volume
  • 2 Tone
  • 3-way toggle switch
• Output Jack: 1/4" mono
• Configuration: HH

Other

• Model: SA-500
• Year: 1974
• Made in: Japan
• Origin: Imported from Japan in 2025
• Condition: Good vintage condition
• Case: Included