Japanese Guitars: From the past #3: Super Real EGF-1200 Sunburst Lady x 2

The "Sunburst Lady."

They are nice enough looking guitars, but what is the big deal? Looking at the specs they have veneer tops and and often had 2 or 3 piece backs. But what about those it Dry-Zs or Brazilian boards?

I have had a couple of these and played another couple of examples and from my experience these are among the most sought out of the Japanese replicas for good reason.

One factor is the exceptional craftsmanship. With the start of CNC-based production during 1981, the 1980-1981 Greco run by Fujigen was the end of the handmade era. Fujigen had lots of experienced craftsmen by this time and spent a lot of time and effort on the premium Greco guitars.

The Dry-Z development is a separate story of it's own involving Jun Takano of current K&T pickup company.

The luthiers must have had the run of the woodpile at Fujigen because each of the ones I have had was a very resonant and responsive guitar. I am sure wood selection for tonal properties had at least a bit to do with that.

These days they seem to sell from $2250 to over $3000 depending on where they are and the condition. I think they will only continue to appreciate over the years as more people learn about Fujigen, Grecos and the golden age of Japanese guitars.

Here are some videos (first is one of the 2 I owned) and a bunch of pictures to enjoy.

Orville by Gibson vs EGF-1200