JamesBass Posted June 23, 2014 Share Posted June 23, 2014 So browsing the inter web tonight and have come across a kickstarter project by this name. It's aimed at producing a documentary about Jamerson and his life while also hunting down THE FUNK MACHINE! Now I for one LOVE this idea! https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1687370072/james-jamerson-and-the-legend-of-the-funk-machine Mods a sticky might be worthwhile here? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheGreek Posted June 23, 2014 Share Posted June 23, 2014 Now if I only had a spare $5,000.... Is $25,000 going to be enough though?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
booboo Posted June 23, 2014 Share Posted June 23, 2014 Is that replica funk machine small, or is that a giant hand? If it's a giant hand I'm in. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JamesBass Posted June 23, 2014 Author Share Posted June 23, 2014 [quote name='Meddle' timestamp='1403559933' post='2484017'] I think finding the Funk Machine might be a tall order, and (dare I say) missing the point. Sure, it would be nice to have, in the same way that Hendrix's Woodstock Strat is cool to gawp at, but the whole point of Jamerson is his musicianship and composition prowess, not his gear. The Funk Machine was a bone stock P bass for the majority of his career, that didn't ever see a string change or the covers removed. Unscrew every neck from every ropey P bass in the back of every recording studio in the land. The instrument could have been lost in an extreme weather event, it might have been dumped in a river for being 'too hot', it might have been modded beyond recognition or left to languish in an attic. Jamerson didn't need to mod the bass to get his 'sound', and arguably a number of instruments available in the '60s would have got a very similar tone. You don't need a P bass to cop Jamerson's licks as flatwounds and a foam mute will get you there on most instruments, and it is the bass lines rather than the bass tone that keep people discussing the guy all these years later. Having said that, I admire the courage and conviction of anybody who says they will go out and find a lost item when the odds are stacked so completely against them. Somebody must know where the Funk Machine ended up, even if they only know of its whereabouts during the first weeks after it went missing. [/quote] I think what you say in the second paragraph is what they aim to do, just find out what happened and obviously if they can get it back then why shouldn't they?! Agreed about his tone, which is why the programme will be about him as a person, musician and everything. It looks to be a great idea and one I'd love to see actually happen! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Happy Jack Posted June 24, 2014 Share Posted June 24, 2014 Obviously there will be full accountability for all this money that people are going to give them, and no risk whatsoever that it will be squandered in any way. If this was a legitimate project likely to generate any serious media interest, then surely Fox would already have selected [color=#0000ff]The Hunt For A Stolen Stock Fender Precision[/color] as one of their [i][b]Cold Case Files[/b][/i] series? This has got 'scam' written all over it. Or possibly carved into the neck with a pen-knife. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dannybuoy Posted June 24, 2014 Share Posted June 24, 2014 [quote][color=#121A0D]our production team will retrace The FUNK Machine’s whereabouts using the latest resources and technological advances.[/quote][/color] I wonder what these 'latest technological advances' are that they will use to locate the bass? And will they then pass this technology onto the police force so that they can end all theft? Short of having drones flying into every home armed with X-Ray scanners looking for the hidden carving, I'm not quite sure how they plan on pulling this one off. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sonic_Groove Posted June 24, 2014 Share Posted June 24, 2014 [quote name='Happy Jack' timestamp='1403608125' post='2484339'] Obviously there will be full accountability for all this money that people are going to give them, and no risk whatsoever that it will be squandered in any way. If this was a legitimate project likely to generate any serious media interest, then surely Fox would already have selected [color=#0000ff]The Hunt For A Stolen Stock Fender Precision[/color] as one of their [i][b]Cold Case Files[/b][/i] series? This has got 'scam' written all over it. Or possibly carved into the neck with a pen-knife. [/quote] +1 to what "Jack" said B Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr.Dave Posted June 26, 2014 Share Posted June 26, 2014 I've never read anything detailed about the theft of the funk machine but have wondered about the circumstances. Guy was on his uppers at the time of his death , long term addiction problems too. Is it possible he , or someone close to him , sold it to make a few dollars? Was it taken by someone he owed money to who knew he wouldn't be around to pay it back ? I can't find much with a 5 minute google - maybe someone here knows more about it. Whatever - damn shame that someone who contributed so much should have such an unhappy life and an early end. But - like Jaco - the difference between a tragedy , and the merely tragic , is inevitability. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KevB Posted June 26, 2014 Share Posted June 26, 2014 Yep, ultimately it was the man that was special not what he happened to ply his trade on and he aint never coming back. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Geek99 Posted June 26, 2014 Share Posted June 26, 2014 It was a stock, dirty bass. I think the magic was elsewhere Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.