1976 Greco Spacey Sounds TE-500 - Semi-Transparent Blonde - Thinline Telecaster Deluxe

Up for sale is a breathtaking 1976 Greco TE-500 Thinline Telecaster Deluxe from the highly coveted "Spacey Sounds" era. Built at the legendary FujiGen factory in September 1976, this instrument is a masterclass in Golden-Era Japanese craftsmanship, a fantastic example of why vintage Greco instruments have earned such a devoted following. 

This particular specimen is incredibly rare, featuring a semi-translucent White Blonde finish over a beautifully grained Japanese Sen Ash semi-hollow body. Over the last 50 years, the thin finish has aged naturally into a gorgeous, warm transparent amber/butterscotch patina, letting the striking ash grain take center stage. The naturally aged hardware and pickup covers have developed an attractive patina with light pitting that gives the guitar all the character you’d hope to see in a nearly 50-year-old instrument.

This TE-500 is in very good vintage condition with only light signs of honest playwear accumulated over the decades. The only notable cosmetic flaw is a small ding between the tone control and output jack; otherwise, it presents exceptionally well. It remains all original with the sole exception of the 3-way selector switch, which was professionally replaced with a vintage-spec Centralab switch for long-term reliability.

The heart of this guitar lies in its original, highly coveted Maxon Wide Range humbuckers. They deliver the legendary "snappy yet fat" tone—unmatched clarity and single-coil chime on top, backed by thick, woody humbucker warmth enhanced by the semi-hollow F-hole body. The Maxon WRHBs sound arguably as good as if not better than the original Fender WRHBs from the 70’s. 

The solid one-piece maple neck features a vintage-correct skunk stripe, a comfortable medium-C profile, and a 7.25” radius. The original Greco tuners hold tune flawlessly, the frets show virtually no wear with decades of life remaining, and the guitar has been expertly set up with low action and spot-on intonation across the entire fretboard.

If you’ve been searching for one of Greco’s finest Fender-inspired instruments, this rare blonde TE-500 is an outstanding example that offers vintage looks, exceptional craftsmanship, and phenomenal tone in one increasingly hard-to-find package.

Includes a deluxe padded gig bag. 

Ships fast and very secure with Reverb’s Safe Shipping insurance.