A 1980 Greco EGF-1000 “Super Real” electric guitar (serial #06538) in cherry sunburst finish, built specifically for Elliot Easton of The Cars — one of only two left-handed examples of this model ever produced, the other featuring a quilted maple top — and the guitar chosen by Greco as the centerpiece of their featured Japanese market endorsement campaign with Easton. Stage-played by Easton and photo-matched to a series of period photographs taken at Madison Square Garden on December 4, 1980. Documented in Greco’s original Japanese print advertising with Easton as featured endorser. Accompanied by a signed letter of authenticity from Easton confirming his personal ownership and sale to the first private buyer, as well as a Heritage Auctions Certificate of Authenticity from its 2020 sale.
Historical Context
Elliot Easton served as lead guitarist for The Cars from the band’s formation in Boston in 1976 through their dissolution and reunion, contributing the melodically inventive and technically precise guitar work that defined their sound across six studio albums — The Cars (1978), Candy-O (1979), Panorama (1980), Shake It Up (1981), Heartbeat City (1984), and Door to Door (1987). The Cars were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2018. Easton’s leads on “Just What I Needed,” “My Best Friend’s Girl,” “Moving in Stereo,” “Shake It Up,” “Drive,” and “Let’s Go” remain among the most recognizable guitar performances in the new wave canon — technically accomplished, melodically memorable, and always in service of the song.
The Greco “Super Real” series represented the apex of late-1970s and early-1980s Japanese guitar manufacturing — instruments engineered to the specifications of vintage American originals through what Easton himself described in the September 1981 issue of Guitar World as a process of rigorous scientific reverse-engineering: “They took one [a ’58[x=#8211/]’59 Les Paul] to one of their universities in Tokyo, analyzed the fuck out of it, and cloned it.” Greco recognized Easton’s endorsement as a commercial opportunity in the Japanese market, publishing a full-page advertisement in Music Life magazine (Vol. 31, No. 5, March 1981) featuring Easton playing the Super Real in concert, with the EGF-1000 listed at ¥100,000 (¥120,000 for the left-handed version). This guitar — the left-handed EGF-1000 built for Easton, one of two such examples ever manufactured — is the instrument that Greco used to establish that endorsement relationship.
Stage Use
This EGF-1000 was used by Easton in live performance during The Cars’ active touring period, documented in a series of period photographs taken at Madison Square Garden circa 1980 and in Greco’s original Japanese print advertising, which depicts Easton playing the instrument in a live concert setting. The guitar dates to The Cars’ most intensive touring period — the years following Candy-O and through Panorama — during which the band performed extensively across major U.S. venues. The Jack cavity’s original wiring retains heavy oxidation and patina consistent with sustained professional touring use.
Photo-Match
This guitar is photo-matched to a series of period photographs taken at Madison Square Garden circa 1980, confirming the instrument’s presence at live performance. The match is established through the convergence of the cherry sunburst finish, the deeply figured flame maple grain pattern on the top, the cream pickguard profile, and the left-handed orientation — features that are consistent across the historical photographs and the guitar as currently presented. A dedicated photo-match graphic is included in the photographic documentation accompanying this listing.
Japanese Endorsement Documentation
The original full-page Greco advertisement from Music Life magazine (March 1981) is included with this lot. The ad, captioned “Elliot Easton: Cars” at lower left, depicts Easton playing the Super Real in a live concert setting and presents the EGF-1000 as Greco’s flagship endorsement instrument for the Japanese market. This advertisement represents independent, contemporary third-party documentation of Easton’s active use of the Super Real during The Cars’ peak commercial period and establishes the specific model identification — EGF-1000 — for this instrument.
Specifications
· 1980 Greco EGF-1000 “Super Real” left-handed solid-body electric guitar — manufactured by FujiGen Gakki, Matsumoto, Japan
· Serial: 06538 — consistent with 1980 production; Greco Super Real series ran from late 1979 to 1982, with serials in this range aligning with 1980 examples
· Carved bookmatched solid flame maple top over mahogany body and mahogany set-neck, replicating the construction of the 1958[x=#8211/]1959 Gibson Les Paul Standard
· Neck profile: 1950s-style; 22 frets; 24.75″ scale length
· Cherry sunburst finish, graduating from deep red at the edges to warm amber at the center; nitrocellulose lacquer with period-correct binding
· Two humbucking pickups with aged nickel covers
· Nickel-plated Tune-o-matic bridge and stop tailpiece
· Four amber dome control knobs
· Pickup selector switch with cream tip
· Truss rod cover, pointed, black
· Rosewood fingerboard with split-parallelogram pearloid inlays
· Black headstock face with “Super Real Model” in gold script and “Greco” in abalone/MOP inlay; volute present
· Cream button tuners (Kluson-style)
· Control cavity retains original foil shielding and period wiring; jack cavity exhibits oxidation consistent with professional touring use
Condition
Excellent, consistent with professional use and careful storage. Small ding near the output jack on the lower body edge; minor belt buckle indentation on the back — no finish loss in either location. Frets, neck, and electronics all excellent. Original wiring intact throughout.
Included Items
Original Greco “Super Real Series” hard case. Black vinyl exterior bearing a “Super Real Series / Greco Guitars” embossed badge; burgundy velvet interior with handwritten “Easton Greco” identification label on interior spine. Case exhibits light to moderate exterior wear and corner distress consistent with touring use. Also included: original Greco Music Life Japanese magazine advertisement (March 1981) featuring Easton; 6 photos documenting period performance at Madison Square Garden (December 4, 1980) and photo-match comparative documentation.
Provenance
Accompanied by a signed letter of authenticity from Elliot Easton (January 17, 2014), addressed to David Jaschke, confirming: “This letter is to certify that the left handed Greco Super Real guitar (one of 2 lefties made) was originally owned by me and sold to David Jaschke.” Also accompanied by a Heritage Auctions Certificate of Authenticity from Entertainment & Music Auction #7221 (August 8[x=#8211/]9, 2020, Lot #89208), identifying the instrument as “The Cars/Elliot Easton’s 1980 Greco Super Real Sunburst Solid Body Electric Guitar, Serial #06538.”
Nostalgia Bandit Letter of Provenance
This lot will be accompanied by a Nostalgia Bandit Letter of Provenance — a document printed on official Nostalgia Bandit letterhead, signed by Nostalgia Bandit’s principal, and affixed with the official Nostalgia Bandit embossed seal. The Letter of Provenance reproduces the complete final auction description for this lot in full, memorializing all provenance documentation, attribution, supporting evidence, and condition details as presented herein. It is designed to travel with the lot through all future ownership transfers as a permanent, platform-independent physical record of the item’s documented history.
Shipping & Measurements
FIRST AND THIRD PARTY SHIPPING OPTIONS AVAILABLE. Contact Nostalgia Bandit for a shipping quote: shipping@nostalgiabandit.com
» Item: 40 x 13 x 3.5″ · 4.76 lbs.
» Case: 43 x 15 x 4.75″ · 7.76 lbs.
