*Note: This was written a few years ago, before I’d sold the guitar (for a frankly insulting sum… bills needed paying 🙁 ). There’s a whole story there too…

Made in the Fujigen factory alongside the greats of the Japanese market of that time, the Greco Mirage is a rare beast in these western waters. Essentially the same guitar as the original Ibanez Iceman (and made on the same production line) with slightly different hardware and a bolt on neck. The Greco’s were produced entirely for the local market, with all international orders being sent under the Ibanez logo.

It’s clear this guitar has some history, at 40 years old you would expect so, but over all it’s still a fantastic instrument. Playability wise this thing has all the gifts, the neck feels great, the body balances well and it looks just as killer as it always did. Sonically, the two humbuckers aren’t as hot as later iterations of this guitar but they are very articulate. I had a ’92 IC300 years and years ago that was much less pleasing to listen to, the pickups on that were very hot, but the tone of the instrument just didn’t have what this one does… it’s a strange thing. Unplugged it sounds utterly gorgeous, plugged in the tone is dynamic and responsive.

https://reverb.com/uk/item/29007351-1978-greco-mirage-ibanez-iceman

If you’re lucky enough to see one of these out in the wild at anything like an affordable price, do yourself a favour and bag it. It’s just as good as the Ibanez (the only difference is the badge. They were made on the same line in the same factory) and if you ask me, a bit cooler for being a Greco 🙂

……….

Some time in late 2018, I heard via a facebook group about a guy up in Leeds selling a bunch of old Japanese guitars. Turned out that there was this, a ’78 Greco Mirage and a later 80’s iteration of the same. I came away with this and the ’78 Greco (which will be featured in another post sometime soon). I used the Greco for performances and rehearsals with BroodMother, this I used at home. It didn’t quite fit the look for the band but I kind of wish I had. It was a much better guitar.

https://reverb.com/uk/item/24133054-ibanez-rocket-roll-ii-1983-candy-red

This finish on the guitar, for something nearly 40 years old at the time, was exceptionally clean. The paint was still glossy and rich, the few scuffs and dings entirely forgivable (is there a V in the world without a dent on the wing-tips? Not if it’s been played, is the answer) and the hardware free from tarnishing. This speaks volumes. It was a superbly comfortable player and was my go to for practicing for that reason.

The pickups were completely serviceable for what I used it for, but to be honest, I never really tried them out to their full potential so can’t speak to their gnarliness one way or the other. the Bridge is obviously an aftermarket job and would not surprise me at all if it were a DiMarzio of some description.

I know what you’re thinking though… what’s up with the body shape?

Lawsuits are I believe the story there. Back in the late 70’s and early 80’s Gib$on were just starting to dabble in a hobby that it would follow for the next 40 years; suing everyone. Anyone that made an SG, Les Paul, Flying V or Explorer shaped guitar got a sternly worded letter in the post, giving rise to the all the bonkers adventures in guitar shapes that came next (tokai talbo’s, Aria Pro II Urchins, Ibanez Destroyers… the list goes on). One of those new shapes was this; The Rocket Roll Mk II (no surprises for guessing the original Rocket Roll had a more ‘traditional’ shape).

So, I guess we all need to thank Gibson and their morbid jealousy for that at least.

This was at the time and still is, the most money I’d ever spent on a guitar. A frankly ludicrous £3000. Still, welcome to the world of Aluminium Guitars. Nothing gets out of bed for less than 2k.

This particular guitar also happens to be one of the rarest. As far as I know, only 5 were produced (in varying liveries, some with tremolos, some without) after the first one was made for a certain tattooed lead guitarist in Atlanta based prog-metallers Mastodon. This led, apparently, to some sort of issue between the aforementioned Leviathan of metal (see what I did there??) and the builder of the guitar. There will be no more.

There are many things that can and have been written about the company that is EGC. the wait times (measuring in years), poor communication and general awfulness to deal with. I have no such story, as I’ve never dealt with them, so I’ll stick to the guitar.

I bought this from a guy in Leicestershire in mid 2019. He was a pleasure to deal with and as a resident expert in all things EGC (he had a number of these guitars), full of useful information about the brand and it’s users. So I parted with the money and he shipped the guitar. One of the nicer things about guitars made of metal… no fears of broken headstocks. Nevertheless, it arrived extremely well cosseted within it’s SKB hardcase and I fell, briefly, in love.

An aluminium guitar doesn’t sound like a wooden one. That should be fairly obvious, but I wasn’t prepared for the quality of the tones that would come out of it. It was like a bell, with a resonant, almost angelic ring to every note. One of those instruments that new riffs and ideas just fall out of. It was glorious.

It was not all sunshine and rainbows, however.

The sheer weight of the thing was problematic. it was a (very predictably) heavy beast, but the neck was the real problem. it comprised maybe 65 – 70% of the weight of the guitar (my estimation from how it felt to hold) and the neck was SUPER thin, I think probably the thinnest I’ve ever played, meaning it sat on the left hand like a dull axe. Add to that the weird dimensions of it with the neck leaving the body at the 21st fret, it felt more like a baritone to hold. It looked awesome. Odd, but awesome.

Part of me wishes I’d kept it, just as a thing to have. but £3000 is a lot of money to sit on a wall as a vanity piece, so I sold it. Or rather I swapped it for a gorgeous Gibson Explorer an Marshal Origin 20 amp, orange cab and life pedal clone. In retrospect, he got the better end of the deal. Still. we live and learn.