Greetings Chris and welcome to the forum . Your bass looks that way for a reason . It was loved .. That being the case, Keep the vibe and original finish intact .
I thank all of you for the input and yeah, she's staying just the way she is. One of the stories the guy told me was that Badfinger played his town in Texas a few years back and had some of their gear stolen - the bassist actually played this bass on stage that night!
She's been loved and she has history - and her lifeline will end with my name on her for life!
Thanks again for welcoming me and giving me your appreciated input. I'm sure this won't be my last Ric bass, but she'll always be my favorite!