The Bass of Doom might of actually been a 61 or very early 62 Jazz because Jaco had the bridge mutes and, I believe, the stack volume/tone knobs removed. ... I'm pretty sure the complete story of the bass is all documented in his biography. ... It was destroyed by Jaco after being thrown down a flight of stairs in NYC around 83/84. Eventually it was put back together and delivered to Jaco but he never felt it was ever the same. ... I used Petit's marine epoxy on a boat I was working on in Florida back in 76 and thought it was great stuff so I refinished a 67-strat and 66-P-bass in it. ... The stuff is so toxic they don't make it any more.
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The quote below is from the official Jaco website. Sometimes Jaco said that the frets had ALREADY BEEN REMOVED when he got the bass, so there are two versions of that part of the story. And if the frets had already been removed then other parts, such as pick up covers, may have already been removed. It seems it was quite common for players in the 1960s to remove the pickup covers and bridge mutes.
"As he developed as a player, Jaco had experimented with creating fretless basses. In the early 1970s, he acquired a 1962 Fender Jazz bass, which either Jaco acquired already fretless or from which he removed the frets with a butter knife (his recollections varied over the years). Jaco filled in the areas where the frets had been with plastic wood and coated the former fretboard with epoxy. This bass, which was the primary fretless instrument he recorded with, and Jaco nicknamed it the Bass of Doom." The Life of Jaco | Jaco Pastorius
"As he developed as a player, Jaco had experimented with creating fretless basses. In the early 1970s, he acquired a 1962 Fender Jazz bass, which either Jaco acquired already fretless or from which he removed the frets with a butter knife (his recollections varied over the years). Jaco filled in the areas where the frets had been with plastic wood and coated the former fretboard with epoxy. This bass, which was the primary fretless instrument he recorded with, and Jaco nicknamed it the Bass of Doom." The Life of Jaco | Jaco Pastorius
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I just read that if you really really want to inhale those fumes, Petit has brought back the Expoxy! Woot woot! 
Here ya go:
Pettit EasyPoxy | EZ-Poxy Topside Boat Paint
Here ya go:
Pettit EasyPoxy | EZ-Poxy Topside Boat Paint
There's a picture of young Jaco with the original bass in 3TS... that bass had frets... I think bipolar disorder, likely caused by inhaling the epoxy resin fumes, made Jaco render different accounts of this story ...
See attached photo. Is this the photo you mean of him with a fretted bass? Jaco's official site says it is a picture of him with his "first bass", note it has block fret markers, so its not the 1961/62 Bass of Doom.
A possible explanation for him giving two versions of the story is that he may be combining two or more memories of different basses. His official site says, before he got the Bass of Doom he had experimented on other basses.
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Checked back .. you're right .. i didn't recall this detail ... bass should be a late 60s or early 70s model... hence the body only may be that of the bass of doom
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- Jul 3, 2007
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- Disclosures
- Author of "Soul Fingers." I'm the Duck Dunn expert.
For what it's worth, I bought a Squier VM Jazz Fretless about a year ago. I didn't have one and figured I should when a gig called for it.
I took it to Kevin Kauffman and asked him to look at it and see about doing his "Jaco conversion" on the neck. He said that the bass was perfect as is, paying $200 for it was a steal, and there was absolutely no need to do anything else to it. The ebanol fingerboard, he said, was no different than the resin he uses on the neck. Kevin is a big fan of getting the best bass at the lowest price.
Now, if you got the Jaco Signature bass, he recommends getting the resin on the fingerboard, because it does NOT have the sound.
I took it to Kevin Kauffman and asked him to look at it and see about doing his "Jaco conversion" on the neck. He said that the bass was perfect as is, paying $200 for it was a steal, and there was absolutely no need to do anything else to it. The ebanol fingerboard, he said, was no different than the resin he uses on the neck. Kevin is a big fan of getting the best bass at the lowest price.
Now, if you got the Jaco Signature bass, he recommends getting the resin on the fingerboard, because it does NOT have the sound.
- Jul 3, 2007
- 1,379
- 1,018
- 5,341
- Disclosures
- Author of "Soul Fingers." I'm the Duck Dunn expert.
Squier VM Fretless Jazz. Just because.Fender JP jazzbass
Fender JP tribute jazzbass
Really? You're going to joke about a serious mental illness that causes so much pain to the sufferer and their families, and sometimes death?
Just a word from personal experience. I own MANY high end hand built instruments and many that are considered "cheap." My experience has been that the Squier Vintage Modified series of basses are better quality than standard Mexican basses with a few exceptions.
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Someone typed: "He used a looper, but I don't know the brand or type off the top of my head. It's all well documented though."
I saw Jaco at the Bluenote in Manhattan back in 1982. I was 17 at the time (and able to get into the venue courtesy of a friends NJ Driver's License which at the time was a paper document that didn't require a photo.)
I recall pretty clearly that Jaco took the stage alone and began to beat the snot out of the bass of doom, rendering a lot of percussive tones that he looped using a rack mounted MXR Digital delay in conjunction with a floor pedal with multiple triggers that enabled him to loop. After he laid down a few layers of this percussive stuff he'd solo (no less than) brilliantly over the rhythm. After the opening he'd bring his band out which even included a sound effects player who used another delay and would even record loops and samples of random AM radio sounds from a portable radio as part of the sound scape.
According to this web page: Tonal Vision: Jaco & Effects
"Jaco also used a second MXR Digital Delay for its sample-and-hold function. Sitting this rack effect on top of his amp, he would sample himself playing a bass line, loop it, and like a drummer, stack rhythmic sounds to support the original loop. Next, he would add sonic embellishments and then solo over everything. Layer after layer of his electric bass would create this beautiful and rich composition, all on the fly! Jaco was opening doors to all of the ways we could incorporate gear into our bass playing.
Jaco’s use of effects didn’t end with chorus, though. He was known to crank the onboard fuzz on his Acoustic 360 head during his solos and for performances of “America the Beautiful” (you can see a great example on his instructional video, Modern Electric Bass). Jaco would run to his 360, crank the fuzz so it was overdriven like a Jimi Hendrix solo, and start burning. Never afraid of feedback or of tossing his bass into the air while the distortion raged on, Jaco always gave the audience more bang than any other bassist."
I saw Jaco at the Bluenote in Manhattan back in 1982. I was 17 at the time (and able to get into the venue courtesy of a friends NJ Driver's License which at the time was a paper document that didn't require a photo.)
I recall pretty clearly that Jaco took the stage alone and began to beat the snot out of the bass of doom, rendering a lot of percussive tones that he looped using a rack mounted MXR Digital delay in conjunction with a floor pedal with multiple triggers that enabled him to loop. After he laid down a few layers of this percussive stuff he'd solo (no less than) brilliantly over the rhythm. After the opening he'd bring his band out which even included a sound effects player who used another delay and would even record loops and samples of random AM radio sounds from a portable radio as part of the sound scape.
According to this web page: Tonal Vision: Jaco & Effects
"Jaco also used a second MXR Digital Delay for its sample-and-hold function. Sitting this rack effect on top of his amp, he would sample himself playing a bass line, loop it, and like a drummer, stack rhythmic sounds to support the original loop. Next, he would add sonic embellishments and then solo over everything. Layer after layer of his electric bass would create this beautiful and rich composition, all on the fly! Jaco was opening doors to all of the ways we could incorporate gear into our bass playing.
Jaco’s use of effects didn’t end with chorus, though. He was known to crank the onboard fuzz on his Acoustic 360 head during his solos and for performances of “America the Beautiful” (you can see a great example on his instructional video, Modern Electric Bass). Jaco would run to his 360, crank the fuzz so it was overdriven like a Jimi Hendrix solo, and start burning. Never afraid of feedback or of tossing his bass into the air while the distortion raged on, Jaco always gave the audience more bang than any other bassist."
I had a chance to play the "Bass of Doom" once-- I was pretending to be a member of the stage crew at my college so that I could get a chance to talk with him. (He was playing with Herbie Hancock). It's a long story. I got to be alone with him in a room while he warmed up, and he taught me how to play the entire "Portrait of Tracy." He also said, "Man, I've gotta practice... I can't pull off half the stuff I used to..." Later that year (1977) I went to Fort Lauderdale to hang out with him and his family for two or three days, and get a lesson or two. He was a VERY hospitable and warm person, and his mental and drug problems weren't yet in effect. It's true that until he became ill, he was a dedicated family man who deliberately sought to become famous in order to provide for his family. From getting to know him a bit, I believe he consciously created the "Jaco" persona along the lines of his perception of the classic "rock star." A fascinating character.
Anyway, for the soundcheck at the Hancock show, he used his fretted bass, and he asked me to guard the fretless one. I confess that as soon as I was by myself I did pick it up and play it for a minute. I remember it being lightweight and resonant, with low action.
He told me that the Jazz Bass bridge pickup was absolutely essential. I brought my P-Bass to Florida, and he told me emphatically that I should either get rid of it, or add the Jazz bridge pickup. (Which I did about 5 minutes after getting back home!)
On other occasions, he claimed that his bass already had scars on it when he bought it secondhand. (This was BEFORE he entered the period of his career when he was throwing it around.)
Finally, the "of doom" thing wasn't just reserved for the bass. He tended to be quite hyperbolic -- "This wine is the best in the history of the world, man!!" and he used the "of doom" suffix to describe many things.
Anyway, for the soundcheck at the Hancock show, he used his fretted bass, and he asked me to guard the fretless one. I confess that as soon as I was by myself I did pick it up and play it for a minute. I remember it being lightweight and resonant, with low action.
He told me that the Jazz Bass bridge pickup was absolutely essential. I brought my P-Bass to Florida, and he told me emphatically that I should either get rid of it, or add the Jazz bridge pickup. (Which I did about 5 minutes after getting back home!)
On other occasions, he claimed that his bass already had scars on it when he bought it secondhand. (This was BEFORE he entered the period of his career when he was throwing it around.)
Finally, the "of doom" thing wasn't just reserved for the bass. He tended to be quite hyperbolic -- "This wine is the best in the history of the world, man!!" and he used the "of doom" suffix to describe many things.
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With due respect, I think that's just a pretty thoughtless and inappropriate comment.
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Jaco had a tech; can't recall his name. A lot of that stuff was probably laying on the bench from previous projects.
I also suspect that the guard was originally on the 62 when he got it; but went away for more or less practical reasons. Early on Jaco was actually pretty fussy about his setups, and would have been keeping the truss adjusted on a regular basis to account for the Southern Florida humidity swings. Removing and reinstalling the guard with its 11 screws gets old after a while. Probably a pretty short while. And, Jaco probably just decided what the heck, that gave him a good looking bass anyhow. I could see it.
So Jaco didn't like a P bass...if he bought a used Jazz Bass, I'm surprised it was light. I've noticed that a lot of basses are 9 or 10 pounds. I just can't imagine playing something that heavy all night...