Jaco's Bass

[jrgtr42]

So I was at a bookstore this afternoon (yes, I am a musician and I can read ) and saw a bass magazine (bass player, I think, though I can't swear to it) and the cover story was that 'they' had found and identified Jaco's Bass of Doom that was stolen from him in New York City back when.
I didn;t get a chance to read the article carefully (I had company at the time, though she is a double bass player, so she had some patience on the matter heck, she was reading a copy of Double Bass magazone at the time) but it appeared that the body had broken somewhere along the line and repaired, with sheets of flame veneer laminted top and back.
Did anyone else see that article?

[curtisstetka]

What evidence suggested it was Jaco's?

[frank thomson]

sounds weird....so BOTH sides were done in flame maple?

...fail

[jrgtr42]

Unfortunately, like I said, I didn't get to read it carefully. I think I'll go back later on and pick up that issue...
They had ID'd it mainly by the neck. it had been beheaded somewhere back and the marks this one had were identical, as well as the embossing put there by the repairman, "this bass fixed for Jaco Pastorius by so-and-so" or something like that.
I'll post later tonight with more details when I get that magazine.

[jrgtr42]

OK, I'm home again and did stop off to get that magazine. It is the April (08, of course) issue of Bass Player. Article is on page 52.

Apparantly, Jaco smashed the bass in the mid-80s, apparantly in an arguement.
A couple of repairmen fixed, it, clueing the peices of the body back, and filling in missing wood. At that time, they laminated the figured maple over the top and back, presumably to hide the repairlines.
The headstock was glued back on, and an inscription on the back, "custom rebuilt for Jaco by..." their names and location.
Exact details of how it was re-acquired are still confidential for legal reasons - both by whom and from whom - there appears to be no doubt that the holy grail of missing basses has been found.
It is weird seeing the photos with the figured veneer, after seeing the pics for all these years of the worn finish in almost all the pics of Jaco playing it.

[marantz2010]

Before Jaco died, he had an "accident" and broke it into pieces. It was thoughtfully put back together for him but needed a new Veneer so that's why it looks totally different.

To be honest, his guitar GLUED together would never sound the same again. You'd be much better off buying a '62 reissue or '62 and making it sound like his old tone.

But for the sake of Jaco and how well he played that bass, it'd be like someone finding Paul McCartney's bass had it been lost.

I thought the article was interesting, but I could care less about how it sounded by the three people playing it, mainly because it will never sound the same again.

[jrgtr42]

Before Jaco died, he had an "accident" and broke it into pieces. It was thoughtfully put back together for him but needed a new Veneer so that's why it looks totally different.

To be honest, his guitar GLUED together would never sound the same again. You'd be much better off buying a '62 reissue or '62 and making it sound like his old tone.

But for the sake of Jaco and how well he played that bass, it'd be like someone finding Paul McCartney's bass had it been lost.

I thought the article was interesting, but I could care less about how it sounded by the three people playing it, mainly because it will never sound the same again.

I hear that, though maybe for a different reason: It'll never sound the same because it's not Jaco playing it.

That said, I like the idea that the current caretaker (I guess that would be the term) has, that it be available for loan to be played and recorded.

[marantz2010]

I hear that, though maybe for a different reason: It'll never sound the same because it's not Jaco playing it.

That said, I like the idea that the current caretaker (I guess that would be the term) has, that it be available for loan to be played and recorded.

Understanding.

Although over at Jaco's website on the forum EVERYBODY is trying to make their basses sound like his and almost everybody has admittedly failed at it.

Perhaps it really is him playing it that makes the difference

[stratcat62]

His nephew, David Pastorious, comes very close.

[NTBluesGuitar]

His bass? So, ripping out the frets, and re-finishing the neck with marine epoxy gets you that sound?

Nah...it was his hands and his Acoustic Model 360 amp. Those old Acoustic Amps had a really great, unique sound. Early Metheny had similar qualities because of it, too.