The Bass of Doom
There's not a bass player at Sweetwater who doesn't owe a debt of gratitude to Jaco Pastorius. The Fender Jaco Pastorius Tribute Fretless Jazz Bass honors the trailblazing bass legend with a meticulous rendition of his storied fretless axe - the "Bass of Doom," in relic'd three-color sunburst. Jaco removed his frets himself - but luckily, you don't have to. Fender's Custom Shop has painstakingly re-created Jaco's axe right down to the round-lam fingerboard (complete with convenient fret-line markers, so you always know where you are) and two custom '60s Jazz Bass pickups that deliver the definitive Jaco growl. Includes a tweed case and certificate of authenticity.
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Relic'd to perfection
The select alder body of the Fender Jaco Pastorius Tribute Fretless Jazz Bass is loaded with a pair of custom '60s Jazz Bass single-coil pickups and shrouded in Jaco's 3-color sunburst nitrocellulose finish, relic'd to perfection by the aging experts at the Fender Custom Shop. The traditional Jazz Bass control knobs have been replaced by beefier knurled chrome P Bass knobs. Jaco removed the pickguard on his personal Jazz Bass, and this Tribute instrument honors the tradition; naturally, the screw holes remain.
Fretless, with fret-line markers
Much of the mythos surrounding Jaco's original Jazz Bass (dubbed the "Bass of Doom") centers around what, exactly, he did to the neck during the fretted-to-fretless conversion. The widely held belief is that he ripped the frets out and patched the holes that remained with wood filler, and then coated the fingerboard with several coats of marine epoxy to withstand the use of roundwound strings. The Fender Custom Shop Jaco Pastorius Tribute Fretless Jazz Bass sports tidier white inlaid fretline markers in place of the suspected wood filler and the side dot position markers are centered between the fretlines.
A tribute to the master
From the pickguardless body to the modified fretless neck, every detail of the "Bass of Doom" is painstakingly re-created here. Few bassists have left a mark as profound as Jaco Pastorius, with his ring of influence crossing all genres and barriers and inspiring legions of players to pick up the bass. The Fender Jaco Pastorius Fretless Jazz Bass is a fitting tribute to this masterful player, whose playing is heralded as some of the best the world has ever seen.
Fender Jaco Pastorius Tribute Fretless Jazz Bass Features:
- Relic three-color sunburst lacquer finish
- C-shape maple neck
- Epoxy-coated round-lam fretless fingerboard with 7.25" radius
- 20 inlaid white fret-line markers
- Two custom '60s Jazz Bass single-coil pickups
- Vintage Bridge; Vintage-style reverse machine heads; round string tree
- Tweed case and Certificate of Authenticity included
