*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 🙂