Tim:
In case you're interested as you are bidding, this is what Mica told me about 18-months ago regarding this bass when I was looking at it:
Card notes it was tuned piccolo originally
Sent in for repair twice. First was a "no charge truss rod repair" with
no details offered in April of 1977. There was a "?" next to change to
standard tuning, which I think was done since in October of 1977 it was
sent in for modifying the nut and bridge for piccolo tuning.
My guess on the extra layers at the body - I've seen this in older days
when a body was cut off the neck for a neck failure of some sort. Rebuild
the body up with extra laminates. It also happened when wood would tear
out on the roundover before gluing to the neck.
The extra laminates were not explained or noted in the file. But that's
not unusual for the time. We're lucky to have ANY details to confirm.
BTW, even though the color looks off (the whole picure is a tad to the red
(don't think the Rosewood is THAT red)), the grain is a Walnut giveaway.
This polane finish ambered up a lot, and Walnut gets lighter in color over
time. The outer dark laminates framing the body could even be Walnut. If
this was refinished you would not recognize it.
