Greco MIK by Cort Identification thread

[Satellitedog]

Thanks for the comparison Vonserke!

I have recorded short snippets on both pickups today and will edit and post them tomorrow in the Tonefreaks section of MLP. I don't know what's going on with the pickups in the SG, but I'm not a guitar tech either. The current sound is less alive, less inspiring than I hoped it to be, so I'll take it to my local luthier next week for a general check up and measurements, and see what he thinks can be done to make it more raunchy.

 

[El Greco]

The standards on the other hand, are not so common as custom models and more difficult to id from a distance or crappy pics on YJ!

MIJ headstock with yellow mop inlay, Mint Collection truss rod cover and rounded bone nut

MIK headstock with thicker and darker Greco inlay, blank Gibson style trc and brick shape nut

Big white plastic inlays indicate a Cort Greco

Greco in Mint Collection Standards and SGs used very nice inlays, even the lower models have them, such as EG-59-45 and EG-59-50

Also MIK Grecos had cream plastic covers (switch and controls cavity)

unlike MIJ with black covers

And the tennon differences
typical MIJ tennon (Fujigen) it is rounded and extends from the bottom of the cavity, usually has the colour of the guitar (no conductive paint)

Cort tennon is also long but in the same level with the bottom of the cavity and covered with black conductive paint

Finally Cort Grecos don't have serial numbers. A Greco without serial is not always MIK cause Tokai made some Mint Collections at some point with no serials as well!

MIJ Greco serials are

the five digit style (first digit is the year)

and the 6 digit plus a letter (indicates the month and 2 first digits the year)

 

[wulfman]

Thanks for putting all this info together. The only thing I can add is a Terada-made Greco tenon which is also common in the late 80's and the Tokai-made Greco tenon.

 

[El Greco]

Yeah I didn't put that tennon

cause I wasn't sure if it is Terada or not! Thank you Wulf!

 

[Satellitedog]

I've uploaded stock MIK Greco pickup sound samples to soundcloud. You'll find them in my Tonefreaks thread:

http://www.mylespaul.com/forums/ton...-me-humbucker-sized-pick-ups-sg-standard.html

 

[21stcsm]

Great stuff!!!

 

[Udonitron]

Do not overlook the ever poignant open "e" as well.

 

[El Greco]

I'm bringing this thread back from the dead, because it seems that not all MIK Greco Customs were made with ebonite fretboard! Here is one that Bat*** is currently selling, with rosewood (?) fretboard, normal size inlays and little different pickup baseplates!

http://i1150.photobucket.com/albums/o605/vonserke/greco lp/s-l1600 3_zpsvmnm9wxu.jpg

http://i1150.photobucket.com/albums/o605/vonserke/greco lp/s-l1600 2_zpsuv1tbgry.jpg

http://i1150.photobucket.com/albums/o605/vonserke/greco lp/s-l1600 1_zpsnvl4qadg.jpg



Carry on gentlemen...

 

[zolko]

This is the best thread in that forum to identify various Greco late Mint Collection (and not only) Les Pauls.
It should be sticked.
So Grecos were made in four factories:
Fujigen
Tokai
Terada
Cort (Korea)
Hard to believe how many MIK (Cort) Grecos are selled on ebay as Made in Japan, From Japan. Sounds like conspiracy byt sellers avoid to show nut shape on photos, not mention showing tenon joint.
Thank you guys!

 

[PermissionToLand]

Hard to believe how many MIK (Cort) Grecos are selled on ebay as Made in Japan, From Japan. Sounds like conspiracy byt sellers avoid to show nut shape on photos, not mention showing tenon joint.
Thank you guys!

True, many even claim outright that they are made in Japan, which is FRAUD.

http://rover.ebay.com/rover/1/711-5...0001&campid=5338014323&icep_item=272963028700

http://rover.ebay.com/rover/1/711-5...0001&campid=5338014323&icep_item=162751797791

And they are also asking prices higher than many legitimate Japanese models.

 

[bertrand4070]

it is clear the mik custom are mostly ebonite, but is it possible some tokai-made custom have ebony board or they are all (mostly) ebonite to ?

 

[EG700]

Any idea what pickup this might be?

The guitar is MIK Cort Greco LP Std of circa 1990. I've got that i.d. from the tenon, the pickup rout, black paint, and other features.

The pickup, though, does not look like the Cort one shown earlier here. This one has long legs, and holes for pole pieces to come through the base plate. Both pickups look a lot older than the rest of the guitar. It does have a red wire, however.

Neither does it look like a Screamin'. It has a double row of pole-piece holes, and lacks the two holes at one end of the bobbin tops that the Screamin' has.

Any thoughts?

 

[Roxy13]

No idea but those are not what was in my Cort Greco.

 

[EG700]

No idea but those are not what was in my Cort Greco.

Thanks for the confirmation that these not the original MIK Greco pickups. Yours had the "short legs baseplate, red plastic wire and no holes for polescrews " of which El Greco has posted a photo above?

Mine has the red wire, and that's it! But it's not a Screamin' or any of its siblings either (IMHO), because it has a DOUBLE row of polescrew holes. Also, these pickups look old and beat-up whereas the rest of the guitar is in good shape. My glimpse of the magnet end under the tape shows it to be slim and bright, indicating alnico rather than ceramic?

I was expecting it would have the original pickups and might sound somewhat ho-hum. Someone must have already done the whole "tone quest" thing, and settled upon these. They sound good! Neck pickup is particularly sweet. This guitar can "sing" as-is!

I'm curious to know what pickups these are, but do not now feel any particular urge to change them.

 

[rayspang]

Not LP style, but Cor-Tek builds PRS guitars.

 

[Roxy13]

Thanks for the confirmation that these not the original MIK Greco pickups. Yours had the "short legs baseplate, red plastic wire and no holes for polescrews " of which El Greco has posted a photo above?

Mine has the red wire, and that's it! But it's not a Screamin' or any of its siblings either (IMHO), because it has a DOUBLE row of polescrew holes. Also, these pickups look old and beat-up whereas the rest of the guitar is in good shape. My glimpse of the magnet end under the tape shows it to be slim and bright, indicating alnico rather than ceramic?

I was expecting it would have the original pickups and might sound somewhat ho-hum. Someone must have already done the whole "tone quest" thing, and settled upon these. They sound good! Neck pickup is particularly sweet. This guitar can "sing" as-is!

I'm curious to know what pickups these are, but do not now feel any particular urge to change them.

Yes, mine look like what El Greco posted.

 

[EG700]

Yes, mine look like what El Greco posted.

And they inspired you to change them out for something else?

 

[Roxy13]

And they inspired you to change them out for something else?

My friend who bought the guitar wanted 57 Classics and I happened to have a pair.