Why did Jaco remove the pickguard?

[mrnasty]

I've read a few interviews with Jaco that describe him as constantly tweaking the setup of whatever bass he was playing at the time (including loaner basses!).

I wonder if removing the pickguard had anything to do with the possibility that it may have been partially blocking access to the truss rod, which he would have adjusted from the bridge end of neck?

You have to completely remove the pickguard from my 1965 Jazz Bass to get to the truss rod with a screwdriver long enough to easily turn it. While the "Bass of Doom" is a few years older than mine, I think it has the same truss rod system.

 

[lousybassplayer]

The pickguard is a state of mind, man. It's there if you know how to look for it.

 

[R. Laevinus]

DEthklok, or any other metal outfit don't count, they probably sought him out and are really just paid endorsees. Panganini can be a fiddler I suppose.

Paganini a fiddler?!?

You're awfully lucky this ain't TV, or we'd have to open the "Can You Call Paganini A Fiddler With A Straight Face?" thread!

I agree with you 100% on the metal guys though... now I gotta run before they catch me and finance their next record with my soul!

 

[lousybassplayer]

Hey, never abandon a point once its made, no matter how ridiculous. In retrospect, a bit of a stretch I admit.

 

[BananaKing]

This sis sound advice for any up and coming player, but for Jaco, it was not necessary. THe real imprtant issue to me is assuming he had a time machine and had bought a wishbass, would he have ADDED a pickguard?

OOOOHHHHHHHHH............ Food for thought...... Probably would have added the missing pickguard to the wishbass.....

Yep your right bro. Walk into the audition and 'slap' every tune. Works every time!

Yup. Nothing says "My Funny Valentine" like "Hair".

 

[lousybassplayer]

I am amazed..no..astounded that this thread has gone on for 12 pages and has managed to run the gamut from heated exchanges to posts that probably were put here by mistake. We need a random picture of something

 

[Greevus]

1) He had no pick for his bass to be guarded from.
2) To get to the other side.
3) Sold it for crack.
4) His bass still weighed too much after de-fretting it.
5) He traded it for a bandana.
6) He was freaking cool, okay?

 

[FromTheBassMent]

He had to remove the pickguard. It was a tortie guard. To you and I, it would look like a randomly patterned design. But when Jaco looked at it, he saw.... THEM.

 

[fenderfunker]

I am amazed..no..astounded that this thread has gone on for 12 pages and has managed to run the gamut from heated exchanges to posts that probably were put here by mistake. We need a random picture of something

How 'bout this.

 

[4001]

 

[T-MOST]

This is where most people get confused. Jaco did not remove the pickguard from his bass. He removed his "bass" from the picKguard! Only the genius of Jaco could come up with that one.

 

[bh2]

He was looking for something.

 

[211dave112]

Apparently the pickguard was an awkward guy who was quite hard to get on with. Jaco and mr. pickguards personalities clashed. It was best for them to go their separate ways. Jaco became a very famous bass player......

and the pickguard returned to his roots....

 

[fenderfunker]

He removed his pick guard because............................Who cares..Really??

 

[Simo98]

If you want to bash him, I dont care if you can play the entire back catalog of every single tune ever written standing on your head and blindfolded, you ain't worth (profane name for poop) in my book. That takes no talent at all.

I'm not sure what you are trying to achieve by feeding the trolls, it only makes them stronger!


I think that Jaco took the pickguard off because he found a much better use for it than protecting his not so fragile bass from his non existant pick.

We will never know what that use was, but id assume it had something to do with a rather ornate hat.

Although its always a possibility that he posted a topic on TB asking what colour pickguard to use, but there was nobody here to tell him their opinion, nor to let him know the huge tonal variety you get by using a black pickguard over tort.

 

[godofthunder59]

I know I am going to regret posting this but why is this thread still alive? I'm just as guilty, now I am feeding it.

 

[Swerve]

imho, basses sound better without pick guards. i think the plastic being tightened down onto the body with all those screws chokes off some of the wood's resonance. makes the bass sound less good to me.

not sure that jp did it because of that, but i did.

call me crazy if you will

Not crazy at all, this has been my experience as well. I removed the PG on my Bacchus Jazz to shave some weight off of it and immediately noticed a sound difference. For me it was an unintended and pleasant side effect. Hard to describe the difference, other than to say without the PG it sounds a lot more 'open' and 'resonant'. I may never use a pickguard again.

 

[DirkP]

I know I am going to regret posting this but why is this thread still alive? I'm just as guilty, now I am feeding it.

 

[petrus61]

I know I am going to regret posting this but why is this thread still alive? I'm just as guilty, now I am feeding it.

The fact that it managed to make it this far 8 years ago speaks volumes about TB’ers insatiable need to dissect the most meaningless drivel until it eventually reconstitutes itself into something resembling bad cheese.

 

[Axstar]

Not crazy at all, this has been my experience as well. I removed the PG on my Bacchus Jazz to shave some weight off of it and immediately noticed a sound difference. For me it was an unintended and pleasant side effect. Hard to describe the difference, other than to say without the PG it sounds a lot more 'open' and 'resonant'. I may never use a pickguard again.