The Last Bass Outpost
Gear Discussion Forums => Other Bass Brands => Topic started by: amptech on September 30, 2015, 07:26:30 AM
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Just in!
Nice bass, fantastic hollowbody sound... The neck is a huge log, though.
Killer looks for sure. So now I´m in the Gretsch club, too.
Had to let a ´67 EB3 go to get this one.
(http://i977.photobucket.com/albums/ae259/sjokoladen/P8150573_zpspfzgu4lf.jpg)
(http://i977.photobucket.com/albums/ae259/sjokoladen/P8150577_zpso5eg1jxh.jpg)
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Oh, mama. What a GREAT-looking bass!
I wonder what kind of -tron pickup they used in 1967??
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The Gretsch bass is from 1963, I was told it was a ´supertron´but not sure. My gruhn´s guide say little about these basses. It is looks like a filtertron with blades.
It sounds really good, but the pickup lies on top of the body - cannot adjust it´s height. If I lower the action for better playability, the strings hit the blades. Maybe a neck reset is needed.
But the acoustic sound, wow....
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The House of Guitars gad one of these for years. Bigest neck I ever played!
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Welcome to the club!
Here's my 6070
(http://i287.photobucket.com/albums/ll127/ilanlukatch/Guitars%202012/Gretsch607064.jpg)
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Congratulations.
I've played one in a store before, in the late 90s, it also had an enormous neck.
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That neck is so big you just gotta laugh, but such a big lump of maple sure does something with the sound.
Ilan; nice sunburst.. I have a couple of questions : Can you set the action on yours low enough without touching the pickup?
And, the previous owner said he had someone to disengage the switch below the mute, as it was just a ´kill´switch.
Is that right? It has three positions?
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That is nice looking! Very cool vintage vibe. I played one too, the neck's too big for me. The RI 6072 was much more playable.
Is this a short scale? I don't remember if they were or not.
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It´s long. I must say it is very much playable - I have played skinnier necks that was ´harder´to play.
According to gruhn, the 6070 and the two pickup 6072 are long scale, while the 6071 and two pickup 6073 were shorties.
The 6071/3´s had 29" scale, only one cutaway zero fret, 4-on a side tuners, and they were only produced between 1968 and 1972. But the book says nothing wether or not the short scales had log neck like the long scales :)
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Can you set the action on yours low enough without touching the pickup?
And, the previous owner said he had someone to disengage the switch below the mute, as it was just a ´kill´switch.
Is that right? It has three positions?
Some previous owner messed with the electronics on my bass too, so I don't know. I also made it a kill switch...
The action is low and the strings don't touch the pickup, but if I could I'd lower it a bit.
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The only short scale one I've ever seen also looked like it had a big neck although I didn't play it.
There's a 6071 for sale now at Cream City Music (http://www.creamcitymusic.com/vintage-1967-gretsch-6071-electric-bass-guitar/) in Wisconsin. The neck is described as chunky.
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They called them the "John Holmes" model for a reason. :mrgreen:
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Congrats- nice looking bass!
This is only one I recall seeing "in the wild":
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ksOzvYYHW48
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Entwistle had a 6070 in 1965.
In a 1975 interview he said: "... Then I got rid of the Precision and got a Gretsch bass, which I could hardly play. I played it for ten minutes, and my hand got worn out."
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mXU0GvtOTH0
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According to Gretsch, the switch below the mute was originally a kill switch.
http://www.gretschguitars.com/blog/product-plugs/six-great-extinct-gretsch-basses/
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Thanks, heard about the JAE connection, but didn´t know it was on film..
Even with bridge in lowest possible position the action is too high. I´ll need to get some advice from my luthier.
If he recommends sanding the bridge or something, I can always wind a new pickup.
Thanks for the Gretsch link too, it says supertron was introduced in 1964, and the endpin was dropped that year.
The serial nr. dates mine to 1963, and it has both a supertron and the upright endpin button.
I also saw some other gretsch ads, claiming it was especially designed for bass. It seems more likely that it´s just a filtertron with blades, that can be used wit ether 4 or 6 stringed instruments, but who knows.
Anyway, a nice and different bass, guess I have to start some left hand exercise.
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Now, guys! Hear, hear! That Gretsch bass might have a neck built for the Log Lady of Twin Peaks, but there sure is no mucho machoness in it!!! In 1965, British bass player Megan Davies in The Applejacks, from Birmingham, could be seen with this piece (scroll down some, and you'll find the pic): http://forums.stevehoffman.tv/threads/photos-of-girls-and-guitars-the-second-string.324754/page-17
Though fact is, she had this to say about the adventure: "I did try out a Gretch Bass for a week or two which is featured on a major Applejacks/Dezo Hoffman photo session. I managed three numbers on stage with it before my left arm nearly fell off with the strain of the weight. Such imbalance in a guitar was crazy." (For full story, check http://www.brumbeat.net/sixmegan.htm )
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I relocated the strap button to the heel and it improved the balance, and with a wide leather strap there's almost no neck-dive.
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The neck and balance didn't seem to bother Peter Tork. He could be seen playing his 6073 on the Monkees TV show. How often he actually played it is questionable though.
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The neck and balance didn't seem to bother Peter Tork. He could be seen playing his 6073 on the Monkees TV show. How often he actually played it is questionable though.
How long he actually played bass is questionable...on recordings at least.
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Peter Tork played a short-scale. The 6070 is long-scale.
I guess installing Hipshot Ultralites would be a big help with the neck-dive. For me, relocating the strap button did the trick.
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How long he actually played bass is questionable...on recordings at least.
Did he play bass on any recordings? I thought Carol Kaye did.
Peter Tork played a short-scale. The 6070 is long-scale.
I doubt there's much difference in balance. Only about 3 in. of the 4.5 in. difference in scale length is in the neck, and the 6073 has a longer headstock.
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this is what peter plyed
https://www.google.com/search?q=peter+tork+bass&biw=1600&bih=775&site=webhp&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ved=0CBwQsARqFQoTCKOOguTwpMgCFQhtPgodRy4A9whttps://www.google.com/search?q=peter+tork+bass&biw=1600&bih=775&site=webhp&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ved=0CBwQsARqFQoTCKOOguTwpMgCFQhtPgodRy4A9w
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this is what peter plyed
https://www.google.com/search?q=peter+tork+bass&biw=1600&bih=775&site=webhp&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ved=0CBwQsARqFQoTCKOOguTwpMgCFQhtPgodRy4A9whttps://www.google.com/search?q=peter+tork+bass&biw=1600&bih=775&site=webhp&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ved=0CBwQsARqFQoTCKOOguTwpMgCFQhtPgodRy4A9w
He played the Gretsch 6073 in the intro to the TV show and on a lot of the songs on the show, as well as during their earlier live gigs during the TV show's run. That's why you sometimes see it referred to as the Peter Tork model. Yes, he played others, but the Gretsch is the one almost always associated with him. He later played a Guild Jetstar live.
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I had the single pickup Peter Tork. It was a short or med scale, but with the tailpiece you could put long scale strings on it. The bass supertron was different than the guitar one. The guitar had several "blades" stuck together for polepieces, where the bass was a solid piece that had a ridged top. The thing recorded wonderfully. Sounded beautiful. I sold it about 25 years ago, and the guy traded it back to me about two weeks ago. I have to ship it though, so I haven't got it, but I will sometime in the next month, provided I don't drop dead. I got it from the original owner and had the warranty and tags, but I seemed to have lost them. I passed on several Country Gent/Nick Lowe basses way back. I couldn't bring myself to pay more than $200 for one when I could get an EB-2 or a Guild for $150-200.
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Please post some pictures when you get it. I'd love to see it.
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I had the single pickup Peter Tork. It was a short or med scale
How was the balance with a strap? Neck-diver or not?
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I have a 1967 6070. All of the high action and touching of the pickups problems went away when I made it fretless.
What a revelation when it had the frets removed. It is a fast, low action bass. It went from novelty to a major bass in the rotation once the frets came off. A growly fretless sound on that beautiful ebony board. I even installed a 2nd pick-up at the neck (a homemade 6072) - I used a 1978Gretsch Committee pick-up for the 2nd pick-up.
Without frets it clears both pick ups and no intonation problems . When my luthier said she was having problems setting it up, so I said make it fretless to which she immediately responded - all problems solved.
If your willing to go fretless all the common problems of the 6070 go away and IMOP it becomes a better instrument.
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Mine ('68) is still fretted and the action is low. It's a set neck, so a good luthier (better go to a violin maker) can set the neck angle.
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If your willing to go fretless all the common problems of the 6070 go away and IMOP it becomes a better instrument.
I decided to have the neck reset now. I don't think pulling the frets could have helped, as the bridge is at the lowest possible point and the action is still to high. Pulling the frets would mean filing the nut slots and then I'd possibly need to lower the bridge even more, wich can't be done since the strings almost touch the pickup.
And last week i installed frets on my '74 P bass. Pulled the frets on this in 1993 - had some serious Jaco brain damage :)
Took almost a day to prep the neck before fretting (as expected when sideways installed frets are pulled straight up and slots filled with epoxy >:( ) But then, what was a 70's fender worth back then..
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Years ago I toyed with the idea of defretting my 6070. The action is low and all is fine, but the fat midrangey sound will probably be awesome with an added fretless 'mwah'. But it's a vintage bass and I decided against modifying it.
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It has "Mwah" for days. The ability to slide into notes - all those extra technique options you get with a fretless.
The luthier said she could fix my problems but that was going to cost more than pulling the frets and inserting inlays. Didn't have the money at the time. I thought it was a cheap experiment at the time but the moment I played it let alone plugged it in I realized I'd never put the frets back on.
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Putting the strap at the headstock cures neck dive - and brings the F in closer. Neck will stay in any position and the lateral position is also adjustable.
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Old thread but I just heard a video with a 6070 in it and it sounds great, hopefully will be my next bass:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=trV9CcgOCOU
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I love that sound! That's in the ballpark of what I like to sound like, which is one reason I prefer really old flats. Brightness is just not what I'm going for. May also be why I have three Gretsch basses (one hollow, one chambered, one solid body) which I play most of the time. The last gig I played without a Gretsch, I used my Dean cabbie hollowbody.
I also like the lineup of old Fender amps and cabs behind them in that last video. Hard to tell which one she was playing through, but it sounded warm and tube-based to me.
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Old thread but I just heard a video with a 6070 in it and it sounds great, hopefully will be my next bass:
Do it! It's great sounding. I'm refsetting the neck on mine these days, can't wait to use it more.
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Hey, where's the metal she was going to play? :mrgreen:
Seriously, that sounded great, whatever she was playing through.
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Her name is Becky Baldwin, I know her quite well and she is a great player. yes, looks can deceive.
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Not metal and not a Gretsch, but here she is playing a little "All Right Now" at the end of the video.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uKgxiO0oDGw
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Not metal and not a Gretsch, but here she is playing a little "All Right Now" at the end of the video.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uKgxiO0oDGw
She's good! That's the first time I've ever seen a two-Musicvox lineup.
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She's good! That's the first time I've ever seen a two-Musicvox lineup.
Yes, she is good Also, it looks like Chris has made some interesting choices in friends.
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If it's young, female and musician, I like them ;)
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If it's young, female and musician, I like them ;)
There was a time when I was young enough to say pretty much the same thing. Tempus fugit.
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If it's young, female and musician, I like them ;)
If you find one who meets that description and plays a Warwick, you'll propose to her. ;D
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Yep :mrgreen: