1961 Fender Jazz Bass owned & used by Jaco Pastorius

The word is Jaco Pastorius was the most influential bass players ever ! Okay I said it ! Ever since I started playing bass in 7th grade, I have loved just a few bass players. In particular I was a huge Stanley Clarke fan & studied his  “School Days” album from start to finish in 1976. The other album I studied was Jaco’s 1st solo album & I became 1 of his biggest fans. To say Weather Report’s “Birdland” was simply 1 of the most influential bands on my go to list,  Jaco’s “Donna Lee” just blew me away & I was a fan for life. He sadly passed away back in 1987.

This 1961 Fender Jazz Bass was 1 of Jaco’s last mainstay fretted basses he owned prior to his downfall & used mostly between 1981 – 1984 on his World Tours. In fact late in 1981 when his band “Word of Mouth” started to tour Japan, Jaco bought this 1961 Fender Jazz Bass from behind The Musicians Exchange here in Florida for $300. in the back parking lot & used it almost exclusively on his 1982-3 “Word of Mouth” tours & his 1983 “Big Band” tour in Japan.

Sometime late 1983-early 1984, it was acquired by a Randy Herring & he kept it for over 40 years. Randy put it under his bed until 2011 when he brought this Jazz Bass in to get the strings changed at a local repair shop & somehow found Kevin Kaufman’s shop, who was Jaco’s main tech for many years & was the one who perfected Jaco’s slippery fretless fingerboard mods. Kevin educated Randy as to its previous historic significance & Randy put it back under his bed until we purchased it at from him at the Orlando Guitar Expo in February 2025.

The Jazz Basses that were amongst the Bassography of Jaco’s that have been owned personally by Jaco & a list was put together by Kevin Kaufman & has been incorrect for many years until now. The exact details of this bass prior to its disappearance for 41 years, it was known simply as the Bass Jaco threw into the “Moat at Hiroshima Castle”.

We have studied Jaco’s concert tours in Japan very closely & have gathered so much important info & details from many Jaco fans worldwide. In fact we have corresponded w/the most important of fans that filled us in on so many exact dates of every tour & stories of factual details no one has ever shared w/the world of Jaco’s dominance in popularity. 

Jaco had 2 huge Japanese Tours the 1st in 1982 w/his Big Band Tour in August thru September. During that tour Jaco did a few things that changed the tragectory of our 1961 Jazz Bass in question. It’s thought that Jaco’s Sunburst ’62 JB Fretless (Bass Of Doom) was transported to the concert hall along with the truck carrying all of the bands touring equipment. But this ’61 Natural finish Bass was carried by Jaco himself for practice at his Hotel to stay limber. I think that’s why Jaco had this Bass in his possession before he went to play the Hiroshima’s Concert Hall on Friday September 3rd, 1982.

His tour dates below were details of the 1982 Word of Mouth Big Band Japan Tour:

Tue, 31 Aug 1982 : Miyagi Kenmin Kaikan Hall, Miyagi

Wed, 1 Sep 1982 : Nihon Budokan, Tokyo (Video)

Thu, 2 Sep 1982 : Fukuoka Shimin Kaikan, Fukuoka                                                                                                                                                                  

Fri, 3 Sep 1982 : Hiroshima Yubin Chokin Hall, Hiroshima 

On this last day of this tour on September 3rd, 1982, Jaco made a decision to honor the people of Japan who died back when we dropped the Atom Bomb on the City of Hiroshima. He decided to throw this Bass into the Moat at Hiroshima Castle. Jaco was referring to the people who died when the atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima. Jaco said “My father (Jack Pastorius) served in WWII but he did not kill any Japanese, No one in the Pastorius family killed any Japanese. I gave a tribute to the many people who died in Hiroshima with my Bass”. There is ‘Peace Memorial Park’ in Hiroshima with ponds and a fountain there (built on the atomic bomb’s ground zero). On Jaco’s first visit to Hiroshima, He was alone with his daughter (Jaco accompanied his daughter Mary on this Japan tour) without Japanese companion. I think Jaco mistook Peace Memorial Park for Hiroshima Castle & he dedicated his Bass to the Moat of the Castle. There is a legend in the making right of this bass in an article in a Japanese BASS Magazine featuring Jaco, in which Mr. Sugimoto was asked by Jaco to do the work Mr. Sugimoto said “This is sudden, but Jaco asked him to make the bass Natural again.” At that very moment Jaco threw this Jazz Bass into the moat, he realized he needed it so he ripped off his clothes he was wearing and tied them in knots together to make a rope which he hung over a tree limb at the Moat and went into the water to pick it up & out of the water and let it dry out for days.

He still took it on the balance of his 1982 world tour with it still in the case & was used in case his Fretless bass failed him. He hated the way it played since it got wet & it may have loosened the frets & its finish started to peel in areas. Jaco asked luthiers in the countries he toured thru to repair it, but all of them refused to do so as he needed it done on the spot quickly to get back on the road with it. So it remained in the case until 1983, when he went back to Japan w/his bigger & better Big Band Tour. When arriving back in Japan in 1983, he asked for the help of a Mr. Makoto Sugimoto of Fujigen. Fujigen is a musical instrument manufacturer that produced brands such as Ibanez, Fender Japan, Epiphone, and Greco, etc,. Mr. Sugimoto is also known for his time in the USA, where he mentored Fender USA’s craftsmen during the launch of the Fender Custom Shop.

Jaco’s 1961 Fender Jazz Bass # 64437 was being maintained by Mr. Sugimoto (who today designs and manufactures guitars and basses under his own brand “Sugi Guitars & Basses”). At the time in 1983 he was a company employee of Fujigen and worked with many famous American musicians. We think Jaco’s tour staff asked Mr. Sugimoto to fix it in a very short amount of time. The story goes at the time that Jaco gave his ’61 JB to Mr. Sugimoto before to the Word of Mouth Big Band Japan Tour and asked him to repaint this one in a natural nitro finish over its grainy body. Mr. Sugimoto also refretted it perfectly & re-did its clear coat ass it already was refinished natural sometime before he acquired it in 1981. Once Mr. Sugimoto completed the refinish, refret & set up, he presented it back to Jaco w/a celebration at his factory in honor of Jaco’s trust he’d make it right & right he made it ! He also autographed & dated its restoration inside the bodies neck pocket.           

There is a plethora of information documenting Jaco’s past including an amazing 2017 release of The “Jaco Photo Book” the covered Jaco’s short career all by a talented Japanese photographer Mr. Shigeru Uchiyama which encompassed years of Jaco playing w/Weather Report & every good gig since the early 80’s. While in Japan over 2 years, we have dozens of photos w/Jaco & our Jazz # 64437 & easily detectible by its fingerprints…you can match up every mark on this bass as 1 of his favorite fretted basses ever. It’s also on over 10 Albums & CD covers, magazine front covers & a few videos. Check out the pic section attached to see how excited I am to own this crazy rare piece of history. Jaco was the Hendrix of Basses & maybe the most inventive bass player ever to influence 3 generations of musicians.