bass of doom found!

[Mach1FT]

A fabled bass guitar that belonged to tragic jazz great Jaco Pastorius and disappeared 20 years ago has turned up in New York - smack in the heart of a nasty legal battle.

Matthew Brewster, owner of 30th Street Guitar in Manhattan, is taking Pastorius' family to court. He claims, in a federal lawsuit filed yesterday, that he is the rightful owner of "the bass of doom" - which is now worth $75,000.

Brewster says that he didn't believe the seller's pitch that it belonged to Pastorius, especially since he paid a measly $400 for it about two years ago.

He says he later found it was, indeed, the real thing, but refuses to name the seller.

"If I wanted to, I could've sold it," he said. "I was the one who contacted the family. I wanted to do something friendly."

But Pastorius' grown children allege that the bass, which their dad used on recordings with Herbie Hancock and the group Weather Report, was stolen before his death in 1987.

And as such, they say, it belongs to them.

Pastorius was 35 when he died after being beaten by a Florida club bouncer.

 

[KuMBye YamALaWd]

OK.... so which bass was it that was featured a few months back in BP mag?
I thought that was the B.O.D. restored, no?

 

[Thangfish]

Wasn't this about a year ago or something?

 

[Mach1FT]

could have been I couldn't find any posts on here about it, so I thought I'd throw it up

 

[TSanders]

Yeah, and I own the Funk Machine.

 

[GeneralElectric]

What about the statute of limitations on stolen goods in NYC. Its been more than 20 years.

 

[Siegy]

And I own the bass that was on the cover of London Calling...

 

[pjmuck]

What about the statute of limitations on stolen goods in NYC. Its been more than 20 years.

Not only , but it's debatable whether or not it was stolen because Jaco was constantly leaving his bass behind at that point. There are countless stories of people returning the bass to him after he'd leave it in the park, bar, etc.

 

[NorCal Dog]

What about the statute of limitations on stolen goods in NYC. Its been more than 20 years.

i don't know if that would apply

i mean they're still finding & returning priceless art & artifacts that the nazi's seized during WWII

and there's still claims on lost treasures at sea, when there found by divers hundreds of years later

 

[J. Crawford]

i don't know if that would apply

i mean they're still finding & returning priceless art & artifacts that the nazi's seized during WWII

Touché

 

[gspot basses]

the right thing to do would be to return it to the family,but it was the man not the bass that made the music.

 

[Zoidberg523]

Yeah, sorry Mach1FT, but you're a year late; it did come up in an issue of BP with a new quilted maple finish.

And, correct me if I'm wrong guys, but that bass would be worth substantially more than $75,000...

 

[GeneralElectric]

Yeah, sorry Mach1FT, but you're a year late; it did come up in an issue of BP with a new quilted maple finish.

And, correct me if I'm wrong guys, but that bass would be worth substantially more than $75,000...

Probably not. Its only worth money to bass players.

 

[Sub5ound]

I talked to Julius, one of Jaco's sons (who is a nasty drummer and has a killer band all his own) and he told me this was indeed the bass of doom. He didnt have details and I wasnt about to press him for them. I do think it's a scumbag thing for 30th St to invite all these bass icons to sit around in some living room and molest this piece of history. It's also a scumbag thing to profit from it, which they probably did and plan to. It was obviously stolen...who is gonna sell it for $400 other than someone looking for a clean break? The Pastorious family has a nothing to gain from getting this bass other than what I see as a sentimental right. The man WAS music personified and he passed that to his children. 30th street stands to gain money...plain and simple. For $400, youd think the guy would do the right thing. I hope people boycott his ass.

 

[Muusers]

Yeah, and I own the Funk Machine.

i'll give you five dollahs

 

[G On Bass]

I heard of a similar situation where a non-stolen bass was rightfully purchased, but eventually returned to the family as they wanted it for sentimental and remembrance reasons. The family was extremely appreciative and happy to have recovered a once-lost memento. It wasn't the BOD, but it might as well have been as far as the family was concerned.

It would seem the right thing to do is to return the bass to the family. If the family is gracious enough to give a finders fee, even better. Taking it all to court is bad juju and is beneath the dignity and respect owed to this particular piece of musical history.

 

[GeneralElectric]

Grateful, you got a link to that story?

I could use a read.

 

[G On Bass]

PM'd..

Grateful, you got a link to that story?

I could use a read.

 

[Zombbg4]

I'd love to see the look on the guys face when he saw how much the bass he sold for 400 was worth...

 

[IanStephenson]

Come on - forget that it belonged to a PARTICULAR person. If you bought a bass in good faith (and I bet every music gets a couple of guys a week in saying how the guitar they want to trade belonged to some great guy, and don't believe any of them), and then some stranger knocked on your door and said "I think I lost it 20 years ago, or maybe I sold it, or it was stolen, or maybe I just wandered off and left it - I don't really know. Can I have it?" what would you say?

How many people would willingly hand over any bass, just because someone said "gee - I'd really like it back now. Wish I'd been more carefull with it first time around". How many people would just hand over anything worth that kind of cash without fully checking the exact legal status of it's ownership?

Ian