James Jamerson & the Funk Machine

[PJtheBassPlayer]

@buefyYT ,

Bass of Doom vs. Funk Machine? I don't know about that. Not sure that Jaco and J.J. would want their instruments fighting over stupid shit... LOLz. \m/

[buefyYT]

hmmm, Bass of Doom vs. Funk Machine.. :p

[youreastupid]

thats a nice bass you got? is that a reissue?

[vegaarturo]

Wear some jeans next time bud, those shorts make it uncomfortable to watch the video,

[TheMartini1234]

Regardless of how I found it, there's no way I'd keep it for myself. I would send it to the Jamerson family at the first chance I got, and not ask for anything in return. It's almost impossible to play because of the action and condition it's in and it really belongs to the Jamerson family. If you keep it you're stealing it too.

[rickyfalcon]

@PJtheBassPlayer Chill man no one is stealing your donuts =p Seriously though, I wasnt aware of this story thanks for posting.

[PJtheBassPlayer]

Hey COTTON mouth or what the fuck ever your name is, suck my COCK. You need to shut the fuck up and educate yourself and get with the program. You have no idea what you're talking about and frankly need your skull cracked for ya. Go practice? Listen prick... I'm a veteran musician and am well respected in my area. I've worked hard to get where I'm at and no bitch ass pussy motherfucker like you can even come close to challenging that. Do yourself a favor, go find a skyscraper and jump off. Dick.

[MonkeySeeism]

Find the Funk Machine!

[jay4vice]

Hello, my friend Bob help the Pastorius family get the BASS OF DOOM returned to them. Also Robert Trujillo help with finances so the lawyers for the Pastorius family could get legal possession of the B.O.D. when it showed 20 years after it was stolen. I heard that back it 1983 when detectives were closing in on the thief the FUNK MACHINE was destryed by fire. I hope that's not true.

[PJtheBassPlayer]

Well put, Royster. I can't wait to see this happen. I just pray that it does in our lifetime. It's the single most important instrument in the world. Thanks for your support.

[cottonfever1221]

@PJtheBassPlayer Are you fucking joking me?Does this bozo really think that this bass is sitting in a pawnshop,or a yardsale,or in a music shop ETC,It would'nt suprise MANY to find out it was an inside job,it's no secret there was substance abuse going on w/James himself and VERY close family members, reliable people in that circle say its been all but proven it was sold for an exhuberant amount of money to insure it stays off the radar, possibly to drive up the value even more. PJ Go practice

[roysterbass7]

Best of luck! I hope you find it. They found Jaco's "Bass of Doom" and Robert Trujillo helped get it back to the Pastorius family. If that can happen, so can this!

[PJtheBassPlayer]

I don't think Bob Babbitt has the funk machine. I've seen his bass. It's in far too good of condition to be the real one. Good thought though!

[nuancemusic]

Did anyone check babbitt's bass? lol..Not to say he's a thief but maybe he passed it on to him and told him to never say anything about it...Jamerson was a little odd like that..

[PJtheBassPlayer]

Mark,

Thanks bro... just trying to do what is right. Some haters don't like my shorts... lol, but fuck them. Thanks for being a human musician who cares. I just want that bass where it belongs. In the hands of the Jamerson family. It's just what has to happen. Please keep your eyes peeled as well. Please also make a vid of your own about this if you want to really help. Props to you man... thanks again!

[MARKLINMAN1]

Dude great stuff in this video, man i hope that instrument is found, you are doing a great thing for the bass community in whole and for the Jamerson family, God Bless be well and keep us posted on this.....JAMERSON was simply AMAZING and died too young but left us with something that we strive for and that is to be a groovy bass player.....R.I.P James.

[davidsmash123]

I heard his bass was not set up properly right? Like super high action and even not in-tune intonation, is this correct?

[theguitarczar1]

Hi PJ - do you know (or can you direct me) what the serial number of JJ's P bass was? Thanks!

[Virpatrick]

Since I discovered Mr. James Jamerson he became my hero.Thanks mate for all the research you are doing in order to find that JEWEL... That Precision must be in the hands of Jame's son/s (or relatives) Who has that bass now is both a fortunate one and also a b*stard!... That jewel is priceless. I'm with you my friend.

Thanks so much for posting this Video/article. Well done man

Peace

[js1268]

i hear you bro, i'm with you

[trevjay]

yeah dude its not the bass that makes the music its the hands of the musician. who cares about the bass it was James Jamerson who played the song and got the sound not the bass. It would be amazing if it was found but if James did not die and his bass was stolen, he would have gotten another one.

[ejlarsonstratford]

love the passion. ill keep my eyes open!

[Fender1980]

You may want to update the video. Jamerson had a 62-ish sunburst P-bass that was stolen in 1966 according to the Dec issue of bass player magazine. The replacement bass, Jamerson's last bass "The Funk Machine" has a transition logo meaning it can only be 64 to 67. Not kidding. Research his 1970s photos.

[jeansbass]

I've met Bob Babbitt, and he told me that Jamerson could have done the same damn thing with ANY Mexican made p-bass, that's how good he was, it 's not the Holy Grail at all..of course it would be cool to find his bass...

[tellarjj]

You have very nice Fender 62 i have 69 Precision PJ but the same sound like your !...

[garroteafull]

GORRRRRRRRDO PELOTUDO

[DETROITBULLET]

So what city was he in when he passed away this would also be helpful in tracking the bass as well .awesome video im from the motown I doubt its here anywhere . DB

[mattsabby]

I have been a huge Beatles fan since I saw them on Ed Sullivan in 1964 and have played in MANY Beatle Tribute bands (as Paul) for the last 25 years, but I would say the Funk Machine is even more sacred than Paul's beloved Hofner 500/5 violin bass.

[PhuckHue2]

the neck had a huge bow in it. so whoever has the bass probably replaced the neck and kept the original neck as a memento

[thecoastradionj]

Wrong...check "Tony aka Antonio Newton" was understudy of James Jamerson. Baby Funk!

[6bass41r]

you got my support!

[zZFingerZz]

The Funk Machine is like a second Holy Grail

[AlexRocksYa]

@zZFingerZz

no it is!! the holy grail

[zZFingerZz]

@AlexRocksYa

:O I think your right!!!

[JustusFriedolin]

i now know a way to make ur bass much more valuable

[fenjazz4]

can i have your bass? wow

[twinkieramirez]

now everyone can just look for the funk machine cause they found Jaco's Bass.

[Basshero1988]

Would they make a lefty reissue im lefthanded?

[phildrew18]

lier

[ihatepoobear]

man i feel so sorry 4 the jamerson's i think they know the basss has been destroyed or being sold on the black market P.S. i will buy all the 62's i can to find this thing untill it is found i will not rest

[wtfAvailableUser]

any news on the funk machine yet?

[JosephNScott]

Some Qs about Motown bass & JJ any fair-minded person can ask. These are _Qs_, so are any people who give this post a thumb down or remove it opposed to people asking these Qs (hmmm)?

Did JJ play on '60s Motown with a pick?

Is a pick audible on the Four Tops' "Eleanor Rigby"? Who may have played bass on it?

Same Qs, Stevie's "Respect"?

Same, B. Holloway's "Just Look What..."?

Where has BH said that was recorded?

Is the pick easier to hear in the mono mix of the FTs' "Bernadette" than stereo?

[JosephNScott]

Those who have enough true interest in JJ & CK, google "lost my athletic scholarship after participating in the civil rights sit-in". From that page about Frank Wilson (& note "regulars"): "The[...] musicians for [a particular late '65 Motown session] were pulled from the studio regulars that included[...] Carol Kaye[....] As far as it can be established the tapes were dispatched to Detroit [in] November 1965, where they were mixed by Lawrence Horn for submission to Billie Jean Brown."

[JosephNScott]

Here is part of a 2/18/2002 (2:03 P.M.) post on the Soulful Detroit Forum: "[...] I'm Billy Wilson President of the Motown Alumni Association.[...] Carol did play on a few lesser know recordings at Motown . . . and I do mean LESSER KNOWN! [...] From 1964 to 1968 the company only used Jamerson." Note that that last sentence contradicts that Frank Wilson page, on which Andrew Rix describes Kaye as one of the "regulars" in L.A. as of '65. (cont.)

[JosephNScott]

Slutsky wrote in 1995: "[SW's] 'I Was Made to Love Her' was released in 1967 which means it was cut in '66 or '67." Does that sentence suggest that as of 1995, Slutsky didn't believe he knew what date "I Was Made To Love Her" was recorded? Note that he wrote in the same 1995 piece: "Motown's filing system lists whether the songs were recorded in Detroit or Los Angeles (and in a few instances in New York) on each storage box. All the disputed songs were listed as being cut in Detroit."

[JosephNScott]

Billy Wilson, president of the MAA, wrote to me yesterday: "Virtually all that [CK] has said is true[....]" I'm not sure what to think about the difference between that and what he wrote in 2002 (e.g. perhaps he's done quite a bit of research at some point during the last seven years?), but in fairness to him I'm mentioning it here.

[ryanminga]

no, he didnt. It sounds like a pick because he uses only his pointer finger(dubbed the hook) which is your strongest.

[hymnoftheorient]

thank for info,and for sharing your love of the music..peace!

[PJtheBassPlayer]

Mine is an American re-issue. So I confessed...

[tellarjj]

@PJtheBassPlayer I was thinking your 62 was Original, but i have Fender 69

Original PJ sound like your !...

[62erPrecision]

is it original or re-issue?

[cannibalcorpses]

Hey man I really enjoyed this video. Gotta find that funk machine now!

[pplooc4p]

I'm in !

[YBPhotoeditor06]

AMEN!!! I bought a '62 Reissue, and I'm going to scratch in FUNK into the neck just to tribute my bass to Jamerson.

I bet it's on the black market or something...and I hope the bass does get found soon. It's the unsolved mystery of music, but theres always hope! Look at the lost Beatles record!!!

[00calvin]

James,someday it will be returned to yr family.....bless u.

[damoltier]

the hardest bass to find on any shop

[VAVABOLTON]

nice one ktf

[sapienturk]

I'll keep my eyes wide open.

[solobass1975]

i have heard of jamerson........lol hope all is well pj

[Tayter7]

you know that by saying how important this bass is, some ass is just going to keep it- or sell it for loads of cash?!or the cat that stole it in the first place is lying six feet under burried with that shit- hope not- I'll be lookin'!=0

[alomhaom]

yepee! we're going grave robbing! jk

[Smorgyg]

someone should put this in james jamerson's wikipedia article so more people read about it

[notthedinosaur]

dude the holy grail of basses belongs with the jamerson family not in no rock and roll hall of fame. nice try with Bernadette it was pretty good

[kenw6]

Hey man,

I am 62 years old and I grew up on Jamerson's Baselines. I am the MD for Barbara Harris of "The Toys" and see quite a few bases. Thanks for the heads up I will keep my eyes pealed.

[nuceria]

dude, longer shorts, please . . .

[aromicdevil]

Shorter please!! Don't listen to the puritans fighting arousal, bring forth the sexiness!!!

[drinkincococola]

i think that fender could offer more than just a copy or a reissue. just my opinion, if they really wanted it they would. you know maybe like pick 10 of any bass guitars you want? or perhaps a cash prize.

[jude4312]

wow..you've made a short story really long.

[thesoysamurai]

So... if I find one of the most valuable instruments in world history, which has been lost for over 20 years, which was owned by the best bassist to ever exist...

I can trade it for a copy of it?

Why would that make sense? I would probably either keep it and use it, sell it for tons of money, or just give it back to the family.

[olibobi]

Yeah, that's what I thought too when I read

it... What cheapskates.

[LeonSK357]

I do believe what he was saying is that if you give it back to the family, Fender will give you an Identical bass... Not if you give it to Fender...

[dbwinn]

I checked the web site you were referring to. It says Fender will swap the Funk Machine for a brand new '62 Precision Bass Vintage series, which is a reissue, not an actual 1962 Fender Precision. Not that it matters because unfortunately I do not have the funk machine, but thought I would let you know. Thanks

[bobdogner]

I'm a sentimental guy and I'd love for the funk machine to turn up but come on! It's not like we're looking for baby Jessica. It's a just material possesion. It's JAMES who made the sound special, not the P-bass. I'm sure James' legacy would be better served by turning the time you would spent on looking for the bass to turning one young person on to James' music. That being said I hope I stumble across it some day, but I'm not going to make a special trip to the pawn shop.

[rasranks]

iM WITH YOU MAN , IM LOOKING AS OF NOW

[bassbymichele]

I think James' Precision Bass is one of the most important instruments in the modern music... He has been one of the most influential bassist ever!

[CaptainObvious77]

Somebody has it, and knows exactly what they got. Check out the situation with Jaco's recently made public bass situation

[PJtheBassPlayer]

Ok you dorks... I AM WEARING PANTS IN THE VIDEO. The shirt I'm wearing just covers the SHORTS I'm wearing in the vid... LOL. Just for that... next time I post, I'm gonna do it in the nude with only a bra on my head... SHIT. You fuckers crack me up.

[v1ntone]

@PJtheBassPlayer Laff my Fucken Ass off! Thanks man.

[Vleeschje]

Good story man, and a good initiative. The playing could be better though and as ppl said before me: put some pants on! Haha

[behjoh]

Your video is fantastic, I´ve told it before. But....man... put some trausers on.LOL

[kerrykop]

Its like the holy grail. Its gone.

[jeansbass]

chances are some bozo stoll the bass back in 83 without knowing her history, than sold it to another douche bag who didn't know and now maybe a great guy has the bass, and paid for it and has no desire of saling it...I lost a 1961 p-bass the same way and every day I see an old one, well, I think of mine...

[NualaLou]

God I hope we find it!

[thunderfingers12]

This a great thing you are doin man I will keep my eye out for it and I really hope we can find it. Good job man

Lets Find the FUNK MACHINE!!!!!!!!!!! 8-)

[laphoque]

who should you call if you think you know where it is? i found the "find the funk machine" page, but the number is disconnected.

[DrtyWrm]

Wow that is a good deed you are trying to do!! I applaud the effort. I remember when my bike was stolen and my father and next door neighbor found it a day later all painted (in attempts to disguise it) But for them to scour the "Hood" and find my bike was heroic in my 9 year old eyes. This bass in by no means some silly kids toy but I appreciate my heroes and I appreciate your heroic attempts to find this historic piece.

[guitariac]

Jamerson died in 1983. Nobody REALLY started looking for this bass guitar until awareness of the theft was made in 2002. That's a cold trail for about 10 years. Chances are it's sitting in some attic in So Cal or someone's using it regularly unknowingly who's not a fan of Motown and bought it cheap and hot. The only way to to discover it is to JUST GET THE WORD OUT and hope for the best.

[azhol1]

Long since gone, dude.

You'll never find it in a pawn shop or music shop.

It's either destroyed or someone has it locked away in a safe somewhere.

If it was out in circulation, it would have been found by now!

[mariobaez]

Great post. I wish there were more as informative of Jameson and the Funk Brothers as you have told me. Your passion to post this is great and I can't compliment it enough.

[henryvanloon]

I believe "funk" is carved into the chrome plate, not on the neck. You can see this without disassembling the bass. People are going to be taking innocent '62 P bases apart!

[Blkdrs]

Right on man.  Thanks for posting the video.

[Chase0The0Bass]

This bass is gone. If it was in a Pawn shop Fender would know. Pawn shop owners always call in to Fender with the numbers on the bass, Fender would know that they have the Funk Machine when they called. So it is either sitting in an attic somewhere, in someone's private collection (not likely), or (most likely) already was thrown out, chopped up, and burned.

[rockpop1]

dude i so wanna finde that bass thanks for posting this

[ROCKSTARCRANE]

Unfortunately, if it's not a completely innocent (?) party in possession of this bass, it will be a person of knowledge who can secretly gloat or brag to his close friends about what he's got. We all must remember that it wasn't the bass, but Jamerson's brilliance. Jamerson could have played a $30 Sears bass and made it work.

[cutchemist930]

thank you for posting this. I will join in the search as well.

[steveandirene]

Word my brother.

[bassplayer4445]

Sad part is, the person who stole it probley dont know how to play Bass anyways. It needs to be found!!!!

[Brilliantbeing]

Thanks for posting, PJ. It's a worthy cause, indeed.

Peace

[EddCunningham]

I absolutely support this. It's a tragic story and that bass needs to find itself back in the hands of his family.

I actually checked ebay straight after this video checking for '62 precisions. No luck so far =(

[TheFabFoo]

this is a good way to raise awarness. its just too bad that more people dont know about jamerson and his place in music history

[puentesflotantes]

I hope they find it!

[Pewpshmear]

do one for jacos bass. the fretless one

[howlindogs]

Best on wishes on finding the holy grail!

Please let me know if it becomes found.

[jamersonshook]

Thanks - best wishes for this quest - I would love to see that thing back in action!