Jaco Pastorius Playing a Precision Bass?

[JTE]

The photo of him jamming with Albert Collins and Eddie Martinez using someone else's Precision

He did use a Guild Pilot at least for a short while- that relationship with Guild got Hartke going. Pastorious told Guid they should see what Larry Hartke was doing, and that lead to Guild being Hartke's first distributor (my first two Hartke 4x10 were Guild/Hartke). Guild was working on a video of a gig they recorded with Jaco, Jerry Jemmott, and Jack Bruce together, playing a bunch of Ellington tunes. Our Guild Rep told me about it and it was advertised in Guitar Player and Musician magazine for a short period, but it never got completed...

There are several photos of him playing some Carvin fretless floating the web too. And of course the Abe Rivera bass he borrowed from Jemmott. So, it certainly was not just Jazzes.

 

[Bigbri]

I have a bottle of Jack Daniels riding on a bet here, so I'm hoping someone can help me out. I'm having an argument with a fellow bass playing friend who swears Jaco never used a Precision Bass on gigs, and I say he did. Maybe not that often, but it did happen. I'm sure I've seen a picture of him playing a beat up sunburst P Bass. I've scoured the internet for an image of Jaco with a P bass, but I can't find one. Am I crazy or did Jaco occasionally break out a Precision?

I've seen many pics of the p bass. this is the bass of doom body with the p bass neck;

 

[JMacBass65]

Yeah, I don't think it counts if it wasn't his gig, and he was on a borrowed bass. At least I wouldn't buy you a bottle.

 

[Mike Sorr]

That bottle was won and gone a long time ago. And this is the photo that sealed the deal.

 

[basscapes]

I have a biography written about him that has a single photograph of him playing a Precision but I can't find it on the internet. The book was written by Bill Milkowski.

Yes. I have that one two.

He might have just "borrowed it" or shown up at a gig and intimidated his way on stage (much to the wonder of some guy who's thinking, "I'm letting JACO play MY F-ing P-BASS!!!"

Given his propensity for showing up to gigs (his or other people's!) sans instrument in later years, I wouldn't be surprised in the least if that were the case...

 

[basscapes]

That bottle was won and gone a long time ago. And this is the photo that sealed the deal.

View attachment 3147456

That's the pic! As you can see, Jaco is looking his usual "NYC Street-life" best (and Abert Collins, IIRC) isn't too impressed. Then again, he usually looked like that! LOL

 

[JimmyM]

Jaco used to show up at clubs in South Fla and sit in with bands and use whatever the bass player brought. One night in 83 he showed up to my friend Joey's top 40 rock gig, walked up to them in the middle of a song, next thing you know he's riffing for like 10 minutes while Joey played drums. Then he disappeared.

 

[Bassist30]

I read that he showed up for the John McLaughlin Mahavishnu Orchestra audition. Ralphe Armstrong got the gig but I am not sure it was Ralphe or someone else stated that Jaco showed up with a P bass. Goes to show it was meant for Jaco to be in Weather Report.

 

[dougjwray]

When I had a lesson with him, he played my Precision for about a minute, then told me that the neck had shifted a bit, and that if I wanted to keep the bass -- and not switch to a Jazz Bass -- I "had" to add a Jazz Bass bridge pickup.
Does that count?
Unfortunately, I don't have any pictures!

 

[Axstar]

That bottle was won and gone a long time ago. And this is the photo that sealed the deal.

View attachment 3147456

Look at that left hand thumb technique! Did Jaco want tendon problems?

/s

 

[Lobster11]

Annie Clements claims that the body of this bass belonged to Jaco, but a different (Jazz) neck was added later:

 

[JTE]

I recall a Mark Egan interview in Guitar Player Magazine where he talked about playing a fretless Precision with a J PUP in the bridge position in Pat Metheny's band, which he said Jaco put together when playing with Metheny. Or it may have been Steve Rod by talking about it, it's been decades.