Gretsch 6072 Country Gentleman Bass 1967-68 Project

Country Gentleman Bass Barn Find! This bass has been sitting for years waiting for some love and attention. I traded a friend for it about a decade ago, when it still played and sounded great. However, when I started to disassemble it to begin restoration of the bindings, I discovered a large fatigue crack in the tailpiece, which subsequently failed as I removed it. I set it aside, and have been too busy to focus on it since. Oddly, when I took the back cover plate off, I found that the entire cavity was a solid mass of old sweat socks, the high 70’s ones with colored stripes! Apparently, the previous owner wanted to play loud without feedback problems! Yes, the bindings are mostly crumbled, and will have to be replaced, as will the tailpiece. The good news is that the finish everywhere else is amazingly good under the grime, and easily cleans up beautifully. See the neck shots to get a good idea. I haven’t touched it save for a small area, to let you choose how much to bring it back. The Space Control bridge and nut are original, as is the snap-on back pad and cavity cover(although the cover has shrunk over 50 years and doesn’t fit well. The original vinyl case is pretty well intact, but needs some real cleanup. Pickups and internal electronics are original, and the pop up mute still works, but needs a new felt shoe. I am pricing this knowing exactly what it will take to get it back in shape. I just have to admit I’m not going to get around to it, and let somebody else enjoy it. It’s a great instrument waiting to to be great again.