1967 MAPLEGLO 4005 OLD STYLE RESTORATION DETAILS
This ‘67 Mapleglo 4005 was in very good original condition, though it had been disassembled sometime in its long history. The owner (since new!) said it only had about five hours total playing time. It required some attention to the fretboard, electronics (the original harness had been lost), and a general cosmetic refreshing, reassembly, and setup.
Below can be seen a few of the steps required to recondition this rare bass. The fretboard alone required over 15 hours’ labor. The new wiring harness was handmade by Dane Wilder to original specs with cloth push-back wiring, high-spec capacitors, and CTS pots matched to within 3% of each other.
Some of the binding needed regluing, and the original finish had become dull and lightly-stained from lengthy storage in its case. The body was cleaned with wax and grease remover and then a mild soap solution. It emerged brightened and was then lightly buffed to a medium gloss and given two coats of Zymol wax to protect it.
Careful final assembly was done using new stainless steel fasteners where possible. Each pickup was tested before installation. The instrument was restrung with Thomastik-Infield Premium Jazz Flat strings.
Though this bass is now 55+ years old, it looks and plays like it just left the factory! Out of all the 43005s that I’ve restored, this rare bird is the most memorable. It’s a museum-quality reference instrument!
