"The Full Monty - Á la Geddy Lee"

2022 Gretsch und Up Bass G6130-CS (One of two ever made)

This spectacular instrument is one of just two ever produced. The first one was specially made in 2016 by Stephen Stern of the Gretsch Custom Shop in Corona, California, for Rush Bassist and vocalist Geddy Lee. When Geddy's Big Beautiful Book of Bass was published in 2020 I saw the Roundup Bass (pp. 404-405) and knew that I also had to have another one made for my bass collection. Two years later this magnificent beast was finally finished and here it is… This 13 1/2-inch-wide, 2 inch deep semi-solid body guitar weighs just 7.70 lbs. and has a triple-bound chambered mahogany body with a "G" branded into the front and with studded leather tooled with Western motifs around the sides. One-piece mahogany neck with a wonderful thick profile, a nut width of 1 11/16 inches and a standard bass scale length of 34 inches. Two-layer black over white plastic truss-rod cover secured by three screws.Bound rosewood fretboard with 22 medium frets and inlaid pearl block markers etched with 'Steers-Head' & 'Cactus'. Headstock with inlaid pearl Gretsch "T-roof" logo and pearl steer's head inlay. Individual Grover 'Rotomatic' tuners with half-moon shaped metal buttons. Signed by Stephen Stern in black marker on back of headstock below small Gretsch Custom Shop USA label. One Gretsch 'DeArmond' single-coil pickup, with an output of 7.82k. Tortoiseshell pickguard with steer's head engraved in white. Two controls (one volume and one tone) on lower treble bout, barrel-style' metal knobs with cross-hatch pattern on sides. Two-layer black over white plastic triangular-shaped control cover with "2265" etched on face. Gretsch Custom Shop Corona CA rectangular white label inside control cavity with "G6130-CS" stamped in black and "UC22302265" written in black ink. Melita Synchro-Sonic bridge and flat tailpiece with Western-style belt buckle covering the string anchors. All hardware gold-plated. Housed in the specially made Gretsch Custom Shop six-latch, shaped white leather hardshell case with stitched 'Western-Style' binding and burgundy padded felt lining. Complete with all the original case candy including the Gretsch Custom Shop U.S.A Certificate of Authenticity dated "3/10/22" with model "G6130-CS" stamped in black and serial # "UC22032265" and the signature of Stephen Stern written in black ink.

Here is the excerpt from Geddy Lee's Big Beautiful Book of Bass…

2016 Gretsch Roundup Bass Walnut Stain
"Here's a one-of-a-kind bass, the quintessential Western instrument made at my request by master builder Stephen Stern of the Gretsch Custom Shop. I've always loved the '55 Gretsch Roundup guitars, with all their cool cowboy appointments - the belt buckle tailpiece, the cow-and-cactus inlays in the pearloid block markers, the tooled and studded leather sides - and when I first started collecting vintage instruments I simply had to have one. Stephen, with the help of Ron Thorn of Thorn Custom Guitars, did an amazing job creating a bass version for me, including a single custom-made Dynasonic-style bass pickup, custom-made bridge and tailpiece... the full monty. It sounds great, plays beautifully, and looks so dang rodeo." (Geddy Lee. Geddy Lee's Big Beautiful Book of Bass. pp. 404-405).