Really curious about a Jaco detail

[Jay Rodewald]

New to the site and I have a question about Jaco. As bassists we all know who he was and can easily recognize his sound, therein lays my question(s).

Did Jaco primarily use round wound strings or flats? I'm pretty sure that when he started playing; the flat wound bass sting wasn't around yet (unless for upright and cello) but R.W strings have a puncher tone and hearing Jaco live makes me think he used rounds. Thoughts????

 

[CatchaCuda]

Welcome aboard! I think he's known for mostly using Rotosound Swing Bass strings. They are rounds.

Flats came before rounds but the chicken and the egg predate both.

 

[Jay Rodewald]

Thanks! And thanks for the answer. Rounds must have eaten up the neck!!

 

[J_Bass]

Check this out, by the way:

Jaco Gear Article

 

[Jay Rodewald]

Great Article!! Had heard that he bought the bass of doom unfretted but it's good to "know" it.

 

[Mushroo]

Thanks! And thanks for the answer. Rounds must have eaten up the neck!!

That's a myth. You have my permission to use round wounds on your fretless.

 

[lz4005]

Thanks! And thanks for the answer. Rounds must have eaten up the neck!!

It's a myth on bare wood and even moreso on his main fretless bass because he coasted the fingerboard with marine epoxy.

 

[Jay Rodewald]

Awesome, and actually my first fretless bass is on the way!! I've been playing for 20+ yrs and kind of kicking myself for not starting it sooner.

 

[Mushroo]

Jaco did more damage to his bass by jumping on it, flinging it in the air, carrying it around the city without a case, etc. than he ever did by using roundwounds.

 

[okcrum]

Jaco did more damage to his bass by jumping up and down on it, flinging it in the air, carrying it around the city without a case, etc. than he ever did by using roundwounds.

...not to mention smashing it to pieces.

View attachment 3282607

 

[Jay Rodewald]

Oh Damn!! I heard of and seen a few stories/pics but never saw that picture!! Should be a poster or something

 

[Jay Rodewald]

He must have really loved that bass to pick up as much of it as he could and ship it down to Florida in hopes of it getting put back together!!

 

[Mushroo]

There's an old expression: You always hurt the one you love!

 

[Jay Rodewald]

That should be the caption on the Poster/ t-shirt etc!!!

 

[GrapeBass]

 

[devnulljp]

He must have really loved that bass to pick up as much of it as he could and ship it down to Florida in hopes of it getting put back together!!

But not enough to not throw it in the air and let it land on the stage...

 

[dalkowski]

Flats came before rounds but the chicken and the egg predate both.

Who ordered the Chicken?

 

[lundborg]

...not to mention smashing it to pieces.

View attachment 3282607

...not to mention throwing it into the Bay of Tokyo...

 

[RichardW]

Who ordered the Chicken?

It is just mind-blowing to see how effortless his fretting is. Wow.

 

[AndyPanda]

I'm pretty sure that when he started playing; the flat wound bass sting wasn't around yet

Flats came before rounds but the chicken and the egg predate both.

Thanks! And thanks for the answer. Rounds must have eaten up the neck!!

Not sure if you grasped the answer you got. Flat wound strings are the original bass strings that were available when electric basses first came onto the market in the 50's. There were no round wound strings made for basses until later on. Not positive about this but my understanding is John Entwistle approached RotoSound in the 60's and asked them to make a round wound bass string for him and that's how it started.

Round wound strings don't eat necks ... players who bend/vibrato by pulling sideways instead of lengthwise eat necks.