Why did Jaco use a Jazz Bass

[ossie]

I often wonder why Jaco used a Jazz Bass when he could probably have had anything he wanted. At the top of his game, I would imagine that any manufacturer would have given anything for him to be seen with their gear.

I understand that boutique basses were probably rarer than they are now, but the likes of Alembic have been around for a while. Don't get me wrong, I love Jazz Basses, my main gigging bass is a 60's re-issue which I love but if I could afford an Alembic or a Wal, guess what I'd do? I've just watched Modern Electric Bass for the umpteenth time and what struck me was, whether it was playing a fretted Jazz or Jerry Jemmotts fretless, it still sounds like Jaco. What do you guys think.

Also, whilst I am in awe of Jeff Berlin's technical ability, and I would love to have a fraction of his skill, in every interview i've ever read with him, he comes accross as an arrogant, self opinionated ponce. I've never read an interview where he didn't re-iterate the story of how Jaco told him he was a better soloist. Who's he tryin to convince? As I said, I probably would be happy to have a fraction of Berlin's ability but when I listen to his stuff, it leaves me cold, yet when I listen to Jaco on something like Weather Reports A Remark You Made, I can feel a lump in my throat (no I'm not choking on a biscuit and my Mrs' hands are nowhere near my neck).

I'm obviously a big Jaco admirer, but I love many other bass players, in fact too many to mention, and Stan's my man when it comes to influences. Anyway, rant over, no gig tonight and one glass of Merlot to many!!! - see what happens (or maybe the Prozac stopped working!!!).

Set me straight guys and gals, am I turning into a cantakerous jelly brain.

[chrismuzz]

Jeff Berlin is a bell end. Shame because he's a good player, but he's let it go to his head.

And personally, I love Jazz basses. My favourite brand is Peavey, and even though at on point I could have purchased any bass I wanted to, I chose my Grind, and a Markbass rig. It may not be the best gear in everyone's opinion, but in mine, it sure is! The sound, feel, and playability just work for me. And I'm lucky enough not to have to spend over 1k to get a bass that feels right

[ossie]

Sounds good to me. I've had Peavey's in the past and they were great. I sold a Ricky 4001 in the early 80's for peanuts when I got married. I wish I still had it cause I'd sell it now for loads and buy better basses for a fraction the cost. You're right though, if it feels good, and works for you, doesn't matter what's stamped on the end.

[Prime_BASS]

Jeff Berlin is a tit. I don't rate him to well as his kind of music isn't my taste.
I don't think he let the fact he is good go to his head, he let everyone tell him he is amazing too much.
Great done guy a million years ago said you were a better soloist than he was. Knock knock! You are a bass player, you failed!!!

Don't get me wrong I enjoy a bass solo now and again but I can't stand and listen to some jerk niggle for more than 30 seconds. Yes I like my basslines to be interested and inspiring and prominent but essentially you've still got to hold the line. It's all about the 1!! You can do what you want between the little space you got as long as your on the 1!

[Doddy]

[quote name='chrismuzz' post='1329421' date='Aug 6 2011, 12:07 AM']Jeff Berlin is a bell end. Shame because he's a good player, but he's let it go to his head.[/quote]
I like him. He's an awesome player and he actually speaks a lot of sense.

As far as Jacos bass,he obviously loved the Jazz Bass,the same way he used to lug around
his Acoustic amp....he dug the sound. To be fair,he'd have sounded the same no matter what
gear he used. Just because he may have had the chance to play more 'exotic' gear doesn't mean
he should have-The Fender gave him what he wanted.

[thisnameistaken]

[quote name='ossie' post='1329412' date='Aug 6 2011, 12:01 AM']I probably would be happy to have a fraction of Berlin's ability but when I listen to his stuff, it leaves me cold, yet when I listen to Jaco on something like Weather Reports A Remark You Made, I can feel a lump in my throat[/quote]

Yeah I prefer Jaco's playing too but Jaco repeats himself quite a lot, and a lot of his stuff is fairly basic really. I'm not knocking Jaco there are performances where he shows that he can boss it effortlessly but for the most part he plays licks that audiences are going to be comfortable with.

Look at all the bassists who really speak to people on an emotional level and most of them wouldn't be considered 'great bassists'. Flea is probably the best example. Totally instinctive bass player, he's come up with loads of memorable lines, found some great places to put them too, makes people sit up and take notice of the bass but doesn't over-play, and everybody says he's overrated?

Now [i]that[/i] is some bullshit.

[Mr. Foxen]

I guess the simple answer to the original question is because he didn't want to learn his way around a whole new bass. There is a lot to be said for familiarity of an instrument.

[thisnameistaken]

[quote name='Mr. Foxen' post='1329463' date='Aug 6 2011, 01:12 AM']I guess the simple answer to the original question is because he didn't want to learn his way around a whole new bass. There is a lot to be said for familiarity of an instrument.[/quote]

Or another simple answer would be 'The Jazz was good enough'. We could even offer 'The Jazz was better than an Alembic' but because of the difference in price nobody would ever believe us.

[chris_b]

A Jazz bass was the best back then. Why would Jaco want to play anything else?

[RhysP]

[quote name='Doddy' post='1329436' date='Aug 6 2011, 12:32 AM']I like him. He's an awesome player and he actually speaks a lot of sense.[/quote]
This.

[JTUK]

[quote name='Doddy' post='1329436' date='Aug 6 2011, 12:32 AM']I like him. He's an awesome player and he actually speaks a lot of sense.

As far as Jacos bass,he obviously loved the Jazz Bass,the same way he used to lug around
his Acoustic amp....he dug the sound. To be fair,he'd have sounded the same no matter what
gear he used. Just because he may have had the chance to play more 'exotic' gear doesn't mean
he should have-The Fender gave him what he wanted.[/quote]


This.... nothing more to add.

[Stacker]

IMO, Jaco used the Jazz from the early days and just stuck with it, though I'm sure he also had a Jazz with a fretted P-bass neck on which he practised his stretches. And, yeh, there is a lot to be said for staying with the one instrument.

As for him using an Alembic, well, I never heard of his views on other basses. I know this much: I spent the '80s using active basses - even had an Alembic Series I which I hated! - and by the millenium I had worked my way round to the Jazz and decided that it was the bass for me. Bar the Steiny XL2A and two Ricks, all my basses are Jazzes. They do what it says on the tin!

[Beer of the Bass]

[quote name='thisnameistaken' post='1329449' date='Aug 6 2011, 12:47 AM']Yeah I prefer Jaco's playing too but Jaco repeats himself quite a lot, and a lot of his stuff is fairly basic really. I'm not knocking Jaco there are performances where he shows that he can boss it effortlessly but for the most part he plays licks that audiences are going to be comfortable with.[/quote]

I would agree with this. Judged beside some of the great jazz musicians (on all instruments), I don't think Jaco's greatest strengths were as an improvising soloist - he relied on a lot of stock licks and showboating much of the time. But he did have great rythmic feel and did a hell of a lot of innovative stuff on his instrument. I can see why he stuck with the Jazz, as it had become such a trademark sound. The boutique instruments often sound different, but who is to decide what counts as better? From a listeners point of view, I think his tone was in no way inferior to Stanley Clarke with his Alembic, as an example.

[Grand Wazoo]

As few have said Jaco obviously liked his signature sound, i.e. the burpy bridge pickup played right by the bridge gave him that highly rhythmic popping syncopated sound that he played with the tone control half choked, I am sure if he was still with us today, and only if he would have snapped out of his drinking habit and finally "man upped" or matured, he would probably be a great band conductor, arranger and would be owning 1000's of different basses, however sadly in his last year of life he was so thrashed that he found it difficult to hold on to that one bass he had left (The bass of doom as it is known) because it was regularly left in pawn shops for him to pay his "filthy habits" Just like Charlie Parker used to do with his Saxophone.

Has anyone read this book?



[url="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Jaco-Extraordinary-Tragic-Pastorius-Greatest/dp/0879303611/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1312622919&sr=8-1"]http://www.amazon.co.uk/Jaco-Extraordinary...2919&sr=8-1[/url]

Edited August 6, 2011 by Grand Wazoo

[leschirons]

Jaco probably just kept to his Jazz because he simply loved it and it suited his purpous.

Re Jeff Berlin, there is no doubt he is an excellent bassplayer. People tend to slag him off simply because he comes out with the odd contraversial comment. Thing is not to mix up his personality and his ability as a player.

[crez5150]

I reckon it's because BassChat wasn't around then to give him GAS...........

[Beer of the Bass]

[quote name='Grand Wazoo' post='1329670' date='Aug 6 2011, 10:29 AM']if he would have snapped out of his drinking habit and finally "man upped" or matured, he would probably be a great band conductor, arranger and would be owning 1000's of different basses, however sadly in his last year of life he was so thrashed that he found it difficult to hold on to that one bass he had left (The bass of doom as it is known) because it was regularly left in pawn shops for him to pay his "filthy habits" Just like Charlie Parker used to do with his Saxophone.[/quote]

To be fair, and slightly off topic, he did appear to be bipolar and not seeking treatment for most of his life. That's not really something you can "man up" out of - it requires treatment and the right meds. I have a couple of friends with the condition who manage things quite well. Then again, if you count seeking treatment as "manning up" then fair enough...

Edited August 6, 2011 by Beer of the Bass

[Faithless]

Can the OP tell me - what does this Jaco and Jazz bass thing have to do with Jeff Berlin and his comments?

[Stacker]

[quote name='Grand Wazoo' post='1329670' date='Aug 6 2011, 10:29 AM']Has anyone read this book?



[url="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Jaco-Extraordinary-Tragic-Pastorius-Greatest/dp/0879303611/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1312622919&sr=8-1"]http://www.amazon.co.uk/Jaco-Extraordinary...2919&sr=8-1[/url][/quote]

Yeh, got it when it first came out. Apparently, Ingrid Pastorius took issue with some of the accounts in Milkowski's book. Any idea of there's been a 2nd or 3rd edtion with revisions?

[burno70]

Because Jaco could do what he wanted to do on a Jazz and had great tone - if its not broken why fix it?

I haven't read any full Jeff Berlin interviews only the snippets that get on here and TB which can be controversial. My only real experience of him was at Bass Day a few years back and I thought he was awesome - both playing and the way he come across to the audience.

[Bilbo]

Jeff can play pretty too.

[Linus27]

[quote name='Mr. Foxen' post='1329463' date='Aug 6 2011, 01:12 AM']I guess the simple answer to the original question is because he didn't want to learn his way around a whole new bass. There is a lot to be said for familiarity of an instrument.[/quote]

This makes a lot of sense to me. My ESP 400 Jazz has been my main bass for over 20 years. Yes I have played many other basses for different periods but my ESP Jazz has always been there by my side. I now have an unlined fretless neck for it, made as an exact copy of the original fretted neck by Mr Shuker and guess what, I can play it perfect as if it was the fretted neck. It is effortless and feels very familiar. I also got a fretless neck for my Stingray but I could not get on it with. It sounded awsome as fretless Stingrays do but the spacing of the notes was just alien. I have just bought a fretless Warwick Jazzman which I collect at the end of the month. It was a bargain on Ebay but I am beginning to suspect that I may struggle with it simply because I will not be familiar with the note placement on the board as well as I am on my ESP Jazz.

[BigRedX]

In the late 60s early 70s information on guitars and basses was limited to what was published in a couple of magazines and what your local musical instrument shop stocked. In the US that essentially meant a choice of 5 basses - Fender P, Fender J, Gibson EB3, Gibson Thunderbird and Rickenbacker 4001.

It's hard to imagine such a limited choice these days when there's such as massive range available, but you have to remember that real alternatives to the main 3 US manufacturers didn't appear until the Japanese stopped copying them and started to produce their own original designs at the end of the 70s.

I would image that Jaco picked his Jazz bass because it was the one from the limited choice available at the time that he liked the best, plus of course having a well-known US manufacturer's name on the headstock helped.

[BottomE]

He used a Jazz Bass cos they are great basses. I bet he found his sound and was more than happy that it gave him what he wanted. As for Jeff Berlin - hes a great player too.

[Rumple]

Could it be that that's the kind of person Jaco was, a lot of us on here (myself included) like owning lots of basses and buying, selling, and trying out different kit, for me it's part of the fun but just as many people have and instrument that works for them, are content and stick with it - job done.

Our guitarist could afford anything he likes but still only plays the 70's SG he bought new back in the day, only in the last couple of months has he thought about trying something else.

If I was only aloud one bass it would be a Jazz.