Happy Jack Posted February 7, 2020 Share Posted February 7, 2020 (edited) Most people who try to sell one of these on eBay will claim that this is a Monkees bass or a Peter Tork bass. Well it ain't. Tork played a Model 6073 with in-line tuners (in Bergundy) before moving on to a Guild Jetstar. The current Gretsch G6073 Electrotone seems to be a generic Far Eastern bass with 2-a-side tuners but very little resemblance to any original Gretsch model. Of those who don't make the Monkees claim, most will instead call this a Gretsch Country Gentleman bass. Well it ain't. The Gretsch Country Gentleman was only ever a guitar, and a mighty fine one at that. Just because they made some basses with a strong family resemblance does not mean that they ever marketed any bass under the 'Country Gentleman' label. In all fairness, so many people and so many articles have referred to the 6070 and 6072 as Country Gentleman basses that there's little point arguing any more. This is a large-bodied bass. It's a 34" scale, but the sheer size of that paddle headstock and generous body mean that you can forget using any normal gigbag. These things are usually kept in keyboard cases. Seriously. Did I mention that all the hardware was originally gold-plated? Amongst the many unusual features, the bass comes with a 30" brass peg-end which slides inside the bass, allowing you to play it like an upright bass. If you're completely mad. This feature still exists on some current basses, including my much-loved Takamine TB10 which I sold last year. I took the peg-end out as soon as I bought the Gretsch and used the thumbscrew (with a 3" leather punch inserted) as the strap button. Speaking of strap buttons and unusual features, the top strap button is a screw-in type that you'll never see on another bass. Staying with the unusual, the bass features a single Supertron pickup with a 3-position flick switch (upper bout) to select different tones. The three are essentially dub, Precision, and fairly nasal. The large knob on the lower bout is the volume control. The flick-switch at the lower rear of the bass is an on/off switch. More accurately the low/mid/up switch is on/off/on. This is all mad as a box of frogs ... and yet, and yet, it all works remarkably effectively. Unfortunately, the final unusual feature can only really be admired, rather than used. The bass has a muting knob (near the tailpiece) which, if physically pulled up from the body, operates a convoluted system of levers inside the bass, in order to clamp lightly against the strings that large rectangular rubber ... erm ... thing that you see by the pickup. As you can imagine, this feature needs regular maintenance and adjustment, and this is facilitated by the large, round, leather cover on the back of the bass (you thought that was to prevent buckle rash, didn't you?) which is held on with big poppers. I'm not making this up, you know. Well I had the system checked and adjusted by Andy Gibson in Denmark Street when I bought the bass. He told me that the system still works, after a fashion, and all the bits are there, but that vigorous use of this feature on a 50-year-old bass (as it then was) would be counter-productive. Despite the sheer scale of the whole thing, this is a very playable bass with a truly majestic sound and of course huge stage presence. The neck is more Precision than Jazz, the bass hangs very comfortably on a strap, you barely notice the size of the body when playing though the paddle headstock is always a surprise when you catch a glimpse of it from the corner of your eye. The bass was clearly played a lot at some stage in its history, and the amount of wear on the upper side of the neck (first five frets) is surprisingly a good deal less than on the lower side. Either this bass was played by a lefty and upside down, or it was played by a righty who favoured lots of big rings. The fretboard has an odd finish too; it looks more 'painted' than anything else, but that also seems to be original and very hard-wearing. For the discerning bass connoisseur wishing to look and sound a bit different and attract informed attention, this bass is an excellent choice. The bass is in Harrow (NW London) and I always prefer to meet Basschatters face-to-face when selling (or buying) basses. It's always good to have the opportunity to play the instrument, reassure yourself that all is as it should be before parting with any dosh. That said, I am happy to explore ways of doing business with Basschatters wherever they are. However, please note that I do NOT have any case suitable for shipping this bass anywhere. A lot can be achieved with copious amounts of bubblewrap and a bicycle carton from Halfords but that's not the same as having a proper, fitted case. Just saying ... https://www.vintageguitarandbass.com/gretsch/bass/6070.php Edited February 28, 2020 by Happy Jack 7 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Happy Jack Posted February 7, 2020 Author Share Posted February 7, 2020 (edited) What does it actually sound like? Here's something from one of the odder gigs I played in the last ten years, with an originals band in Ealing. This was played outside during a rainstorm at a beer festival, and I had no control over FoH sound. Edited February 7, 2020 by Happy Jack 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Silvia Bluejay Posted February 7, 2020 Share Posted February 7, 2020 Guess who was behind that video camera, holding an umbrella over it (mostly) and over herself (a bit) while the British weather was up to its usual tricks? 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nickmew Posted February 7, 2020 Share Posted February 7, 2020 That is a wonderful write-up of a truly bonkers (and therefore typically Gretsch) bass. Haven't had the pleasure of one of their basses but have had a couple of Gretsch guitars, including an early 60s Viking with its 'interesting' tuning fork bridge that neither tuned nor was particularly effective as a bridge. Sad to say funds not currently available for a flight of fancy I'd lovely to follow, but good luck with the sale 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Happy Jack Posted February 8, 2020 Author Share Posted February 8, 2020 Update - I've just discovered that (years ago) I did successfully locate a gigbag to fit this bass, and I still have it! It's a cheap Stagg thing, but it's padded and it will do a job for you. Incidentally, has anyone managed to work out from where I nicked that bassline in the video? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jaybeevee Posted February 15, 2020 Share Posted February 15, 2020 I can hear the Meters in your bass line. Lovely full thumpy tone there. Good luck with the sale man 👍 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Happy Jack Posted February 15, 2020 Author Share Posted February 15, 2020 1 minute ago, jbu09 said: I can hear the Meters in your bass line. Lovely full thumpy tone there. Good luck with the sale man 👍 Excellent! Good spot ... I was delighted with the way that it just slotted in like that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Happy Jack Posted February 19, 2020 Author Share Posted February 19, 2020 On 07/02/2020 at 18:16, Happy Jack said: Most people who try to sell one of these on eBay will claim that this is a Monkees bass or a Peter Tork bass. Well it ain't. Tork played a Model 6073 with in-line tuners (in Bergundy) before moving on to a Guild Jetstar. Case in point: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/1968-Gretsch-6071-bass-guitar-monkees-bass-make-me-an-offer/254513367697?hash=item3b422dca91:g:Ns8AAOSwmK1d2rIF Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Happy Jack Posted February 19, 2020 Author Share Posted February 19, 2020 Ooooooh! Look what I found: This is Kevin from The Deadbeats rockabilly band, Dingwalls, c.1985. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cosmo Valdemar Posted February 23, 2020 Share Posted February 23, 2020 On 07/02/2020 at 18:16, Happy Jack said: Most people who try to sell one of these on eBay will claim that this is a Monkees bass or a Peter Tork bass. Well it ain't. Tork played a Model 6073 with in-line tuners (in Bergundy) before moving on to a Guild Jetstar. The current Gretsch G6073 Electrotone seems to be a generic Far Eastern bass with 2-a-side tuners but very little resemblance to any original Gretsch model. Of those who don't make the Monkees claim, most will instead call this a Gretsch Country Gentleman bass. Well it ain't. The Gretsch Country Gentleman was only ever a guitar, and a mighty fine one at that. Just because they made some basses with a strong family resemblance does not mean that they ever marketed any bass under the 'Country Gentleman' label. In all fairness, so many people and so many articles have referred to the 6070 and 6072 as Country Gentleman basses that there's little point arguing any more. This is a large-bodied bass. It's a 34" scale, but the sheer size of that paddle headstock and generous body mean that you can forget using any normal gigbag. These things are usually kept in keyboard cases. Seriously. Did I mention that all the hardware was originally gold-plated? Amongst the many unusual features, the bass comes with a 30" brass peg-end which slides inside the bass, allowing you to play it like an upright bass. If you're completely mad. This feature still exists on some current basses, including my much-loved Takamine TB10 which I sold last year. I took the peg-end out as soon as I bought the Gretsch and used the thumbscrew (with a 3" leather punch inserted) as the strap button. Speaking of strap buttons and unusual features, the top strap button is a screw-in type that you'll never see on another bass. Staying with the unusual, the bass features a single Supertron pickup with a 3-position flick switch (upper bout) to select different tones. The three are essentially dub, Precision, and fairly nasal. The large knob on the lower bout is the volume control. The flick-switch at the lower rear of the bass is an on/off switch. More accurately the low/mid/up switch is on/off/on. This is all mad as a box of frogs ... and yet, and yet, it all works remarkably effectively. Unfortunately, the final unusual feature can only really be admired, rather than used. The bass has a muting knob (near the tailpiece) which, if physically pulled up from the body, operates a convoluted system of levers inside the bass, in order to clamp lightly against the strings that large rectangular rubber ... erm ... thing that you see by the pickup. As you can imagine, this feature needs regular maintenance and adjustment, and this is facilitated by the large, round, leather cover on the back of the bass (you thought that was to prevent buckle rash, didn't you?) which is held on with big poppers. I'm not making this up, you know. Well I had the system checked and adjusted by Andy Gibson in Denmark Street when I bought the bass. He told me that the system still works, after a fashion, and all the bits are there, but that vigorous use of this feature on a 50-year-old bass (as it then was) would be counter-productive. Despite the sheer scale of the whole thing, this is a very playable bass with a truly majestic sound and of course huge stage presence. The neck is more Precision than Jazz, the bass hangs very comfortably on a strap, you barely notice the size of the body when playing though the paddle headstock is always a surprise when you catch a glimpse of it from the corner of your eye. The bass was clearly played a lot at some stage in its history, and the amount of wear on the upper side of the neck (first five frets) is surprisingly a good deal less than on the lower side. Either this bass was played by a lefty and upside down, or it was played by a righty who favoured lots of big rings. The fretboard has an odd finish too; it looks more 'painted' than anything else, but that also seems to be original and very hard-wearing. For the discerning bass connoisseur wishing to look and sound a bit different and attract informed attention, this bass is an excellent choice. The bass is in Harrow (NW London) and I always prefer to meet Basschatters face-to-face when selling (or buying) basses. It's always good to have the opportunity to play the instrument, reassure yourself that all is as it should be before parting with any dosh. That said, I am happy to explore ways of doing business with Basschatters wherever they are. However, please note that I do NOT have any case suitable for shipping this bass anywhere. A lot can be achieved with copious amounts of bubblewrap and a bicycle carton from Halfords but that's not the same as having a proper, fitted case. Just saying ... https://www.vintageguitarandbass.com/gretsch/bass/6070.php One day, all For Sale ads will be this good. 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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