Jaco's bass?

[dlloyd]

[quote name='BetaFunk' timestamp='1362525953' post='2000969']
I've seen Metheny's ES-175 from a few feet away. It didn't look anywhere in the condition Jaco's bass ever was.
[/quote]

Sure, but I imagine some of that will be down to camouflage. It would have looked a hell of a lot worse if it had a sunburst finish to start off with...

Edited March 5, 2013 by dlloyd

[BetaFunk]

[quote name='dlloyd' timestamp='1362526724' post='2000989']
Sure, but I imagine some of that will be down to camouflage. It would have looked a hell of a lot worse if it had a sunburst finish to start off with...
[/quote]
Yes, you may have a point!

[icastle]

[quote name='dlloyd' timestamp='1362521312' post='2000870']
The 70s was when the pre-CBS craze took off, when guitarists realised that the older ones were "better" than the then current crop.
[/quote]

+1

A fair part of that craze seems to have been a dislike for CBS - the same way that some people hate Microsoft these days.

CBS, understandably, were in it for the money.
They cut costs and some of the perceived quality suffered as a result.
It's happened again recently with 'Squier' - a cut cost Fender brand that Squier owners insist is fantastic.
This time it doesn't seem to be a big deal for some reason.

Of course, those same 70's instruments that everyone slagged off are now highly sought after... now that the availability of pre CBS gear is akin to finding rocking horse poo .

Musicians can be a fickle and irrational lot.

[BetaFunk]

[quote name='icastle' timestamp='1362529579' post='2001047']
Of course, those same 70's instruments that everyone slagged off are now highly sought after... now that the availability of pre CBS gear is akin to finding rocking horse poo .

[/quote]
You're right there. Even when i bought my 1974 Jazz Bass in 1990 it wasn't anything more than a 16 year old Fender. I think it came full circle when Fender re-issued a 70s large headstock Stratocaster (you know, the one everyone hated when it came out) in the 90s!!!

[BetaFunk]

[quote name='xilddx' timestamp='1362522860' post='2000905']
Really? How would they dare? Haven't you f***ed around with your instruments yourself? It's fun and you learn a lot, and it helps develop your sound and the intimacy you have with your instrument.
[/quote]
Of course we have..............now how does that neck go on and where do all these screws go, oh but hold on a minute, should i have all these bits left over?

[mentalextra]

[quote name='OliverBlackman' timestamp='1362523091' post='2000909']
Jaco was already at the age of 19 working as a guitar repairer and obviously had a lot of confidence in himself. Theres a lot written about Jaco and it does'nt take much of a search to find a lot about him in great detail.
[/quote]

So the story that he "ripped the frets" out and slapped on some yacht varnish is massively simplifying it Whereas the work was actually done to professional standards not so much DIY?

On a slightly different note didnt Tony Franklin do a bit of "DIY modding" on his Fender in the early days.

[dlloyd]

[quote name='mentalextra' timestamp='1362559385' post='2001173']
So the story that he "ripped the frets" out and slapped on some yacht varnish is massively simplifying it Whereas the work was actually done to professional standards not so much DIY?
[/quote]

You have to take everything written about Jaco with a pinch of salt. He had a tendency to exaggerate things in interviews and often contradicted himself, including the story about how his bass became fretless:


[quote]"Ninety dollars with a case! The most I've been offered for this bass is $80,000! That was in Europe. When I got this bass, I'll show you right here, these are the only scars I put on, just my thumbs. Everything else was exactly like this, just like I got it. I throw this thing around, I do flips on it, but I've never, ever, hurt this bass, ever! It looks like I demolish it every night, but I've never touched it; I've had it now for eleven years.

The secret to the sound is to drop it on the floor!" he answered. "As I told you, ninety bucks with a case, and the frets were out. See this sh*t that looks like somebody chewed it up? That's the way it was when I got it. Petit's Poly-Poxy, that's what I put on the neck, but that sh*t won't go away."[/quote]

Guitar World May 1983

[quote]"Have you always played a Fender?

Yes, I have a '62 fretless bass and the one with frets is a '60. I took out the frets myself and refinished it. I have a few other basses for practicing and stuff. A lot of times these will be on the road or maybe they'll be over in Europe so you've got to have an extra one if you want to play at home.

What do you use at home?

Just Jazz basses. I don't like Precisions. They're too muddy plus they don't have that back pick-up which you need to get the sound.

Have you changed the basses in any other way?

No, they're exactly the same. My fretted bass that I play on stage has three pots in it; one for each pick-up and then a tone control. But it's one of those basses that had procentric knobs. Really old Fender Jazz basses had just two knobs and outside of each knob was a tone control.

That's the way that used to be, but I just put on regular stock knobs because they're louder; those old pots were too soft. They sound great in the studio but when you're playing on stage I just had to change the settings too much every time."[/quote]

Steve Rosen 1978

[quote]"Did you buy your bass with the frets already removes, or did you take them out? (Ed. Note: Fender did not begin to market a fretless bass until 1964.)

When I got the bass, the cat who had it had taken the frets out himself, and he did a really bad job of it- left all kinds of nicks and chunks taken out of the fretboard. So I really had to fix it up. I filled in all the chunks with Plastic Wood. Hell, when I was a kid, I used to make a living by fixing and dealing old, beat-up instruments. I was the first cat to use epoxy on the neck of a fretless bass so the strings wouldn't eat the neck away.

What did you use and how did you apply it?

I used Petite's Poly-Poxy; it's boat epoxy. You can find it in any boating supply store around Florida. It's the toughest epoxy they make. You apply it with a brush, and it takes several coats. I used about six coats on my fretless, and it took about a day for each coat to dry.

Did that harm the action?

Not at all. It's essential. It saves the instrument from geting eaten up by the round-wound strings. When you remove those frets and use round-wound strings, there's nothing left of the neck. They eat right through it. (Ed. Not: Jaco's flawless intonation on his fretless is aided by the fret positions marked on the neck- the fret grooves that have been filled in.)

You've been playing your fretted Fender a lot lately.

That's all I've been playing, really. See, last year, when we were in Europe, my fretless got dropped off the plane or something, and the neck got broken. So for the whole last tour, I haven't used it at all. It's back in Florida getting repaired. I'm just waiting for the glue to settle.

What is it about the old Fenders that you like so much?

The old Fenders really have a punch, and not just a treble punch, either. More like a clear lower-mids; plus, they're quick. You can play that fretless real fast. And I feel comfortable with these. I've had lots of people make basses for me, and I own different sorts of them. I've probably owned over a hundred in my life, but none of them sound like these old ones."[/quote]

Guitar Player 1984

[xilddx]

[quote name='dlloyd' timestamp='1362564615' post='2001277']
You have to take everything written about Jaco with a pinch of salt. He had a tendency to exaggerate things in interviews and often contradicted himself, including the story about how his bass became fretless:
[/quote]

Chris Squire's a bit like this too, exaggeration and embellished hazy recollection.

[Jellyfish]

I actually envy people that prefer a Fender over any other brand. They have their own great sound, both Jazz and Precision, and are obviously quite playable. Not only that, but they go for great prices second-hand and are readily available to try at the majority of music shops. Fender make great basses, but as a 5-string player I don't gravitate towards them.

[mentalextra]

There is an interesting documentary in case somebody has not heard this

[url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tTcbTg8O548"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tTcbTg8O548[/url]

[OliverBlackman]

[quote name='mentalextra' timestamp='1362559385' post='2001173']


So the story that he "ripped the frets" out and slapped on some yacht varnish is massively simplifying it Whereas the work was actually done to professional standards not so much DIY?

[/quote]

I don't think anyone with no maintenance experience could do it properly. My biggest gripe with jaco is how he constantly boasted he was self taught... He was taught by friends and musicians before or on the gig, so he was still tutored like anyone else.

[mentalextra]

[quote name='OliverBlackman' timestamp='1362652226' post='2002678']
I don't think anyone with no maintenance experience could do it properly. My biggest gripe with jaco is how he constantly boasted he was self taught... He was taught by friends and musicians before or on the gig, so he was still tutored like anyone else.
[/quote]

Jaco has "god like" status for many and I can understand why. I do think that it is a sad story and that we were robbed of a great talent way to soon. Very sad.

[xilddx]

[quote name='mentalextra' timestamp='1362656029' post='2002772']
Jaco has "god like" status for many bass players and I can understand why. I do think that it is a sad story and that we were robbed of a great talent way to soon. Very sad.
[/quote]
Fixed for you.

I actually think Jaco has probably spawned a great deal more terrible bassists than good ones though, like Edward Van Halen did for guitarists.

Edited March 7, 2013 by xilddx

[sblueplanet]

Jaco had become more of a conposer and bandleader than just a bassplayer and he was composing on bass using different tunings so I could have easily seen him move on to 5+6 string basses. He was using Hartke cabs and Guild basses too. He would have eventually retired his famous jazzes.

[lojo]

[quote name='Grangur' timestamp='1362512300' post='2000605']
I'm just intrigued how so many of us say we need 5/6 strings, then we see the real, widely respected greats with 4 strings on a bog-standard bass
[/quote]

Because Jaco or JJs singer never said, I can't sing that can we play that a tone lower and still keep the baseline sounding the same with the low notes.

Seriously though, I can't see why so many people think a standard fender or similar basic passive bass would need upgrading if the player is happy with it.

[mentalextra]

[quote name='lojo' timestamp='1362679082' post='2003302']
Because Jaco or JJs singer never said, I can't sing that can we play that a tone lower and still keep the baseline sounding the same with the low notes.

Seriously though, I can't see why so many people think a standard fender or similar basic passive bass would need upgrading if the player is happy with it.
[/quote]

For some people playing with the components of their bass is as much fun as playing it.

[cheddatom]

For me, as a fiend for tone, Jaco's sound was never that inspiring (although I love his playing). I prefer the tone of Timmy C from RATM who is notorious for messing with his basses, pedals and amps.

Interesting that no-one has yet suggested "the tone is all in the fingers"... are we all getting past that misnomer?

[mentalextra]

[media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gtHbxsdExlE[/media]

Not only in his fingers, I think he jumped on the poor thing at the end of this 5:01, when he picked it up there was a string hanging off. Although I was into this up until he started all that mucking around with the amps which was way over my head. But then I'm not really a jazz guy.

Edited March 7, 2013 by mentalextra

[lojo]

[quote name='mentalextra' timestamp='1362687126' post='2003447']


For some people playing with the components of their bass is as much fun as playing it.
[/quote]

Totally agree, I referring to those who believe its a must though.

[mentalextra]

[quote name='cheddatom' timestamp='1362689282' post='2003492']
For me, as a fiend for tone, Jaco's sound was never that inspiring (although I love his playing). I prefer the tone of Timmy C from RATM who is notorious for messing with his basses, pedals and amps.

Interesting that no-one has yet suggested "the tone is all in the fingers"... are we all getting past that misnomer?
[/quote]

He might have a standard bass but clearly like playing with the amp and pedals. This unique tone is often lost, although the tone is Fender Jazz tone, which is not unique. His speed, intonation and innovation are unique

[EssentialTension]

[quote name='mentalextra' timestamp='1362689823' post='2003502']
[media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gtHbxsdExlE[/media]
[/quote]
I thought that was terrible. He looked like he was ill and also sounded it.

This is better:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pqashW66D7o

[risingson]

[quote name='cheddatom' timestamp='1362689282' post='2003492']
Interesting that no-one has yet suggested "the tone is all in the fingers"... are we all getting past that misnomer?
[/quote]

I think it's kind of half true, in as much as if someone picks up my bass at a gig and uses it with my band (something that happened recently), they're not going to sound like me and vice versa. It's as much to do with the idiosyncrasies of individual's styles too. Adding effects and stuff makes things even more different.