STU COOK’S (CCR) 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. Stu Cook (Creedence Clearwater Revival), the owner (since new!) said that he purchased it new, but it only had about five hours total playing time before it was replaced in his lineup by a new 4001.
It required some attention to the fretboard, electronics (the original harness had been lost), some NOS replacement hardware, and a general cosmetic refreshing, reassembly, and setup.
Below can be seen a few of the steps required to recondition this ultra-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, the seams were retouched, and it 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, and new pigtails were soldered into place, as the originals had seriously deteriorated . The bass 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 the dozen or so 4005s that I’ve restored, this rare bird is the most memorable. It’s a museum-quality reference instrument!
