EXPLORING THE JAMES JAMERSON 1962 PRECISION BASS 

Known for his brilliantly inventive playing, Motown bassist James Jamerson performed on innumerable classics for artists ranging from the Supremes to Stevie Wonder to the Temptations to Marvin Gaye. He possessed an uncanny ability to fuse jazz, soul, pop and funk into a sound unlike any other and he achieved this with a distinctive one finger plucking style – the source of his nickname “The Hook.” Think of the ominous rumble at the beginning of Gaye's "I Heard It Through the Grapevine," the lilting bounce at the top of the Supremes’ "You Can't Hurry Love" or the syncopated drive of the Four Tops’ "Reach Out I'll Be There.” These are just a few examples of iconic Jamerson performances and why he remains one of the bass guitar’s most exalted titans to this day. To mark the occasion of our new James Jamerson 1962 Precision Bass, we talked to a handful of the best players in the world about the special sauce that made Jamerson a true inspiration.

According to the celebrated session bassist Bob Glaub – who’s worked with everyone from Linda Ronstadt to Bob Dylan to Rod Stewart, “That sound, that tone and the way he jumped around and jumped between strings and octaves. His use of open strings and chromatic… he’s the only guy I’d ever heard play like that.”

For funk stalwart Bootsy Collins, Jamerson “made the P Bass what it is. [The way he played it] was like a muted upright – it being muted back in the bridge gave it a very special sound. It made it different. It made it special.”

Jamerson also resonates with the gifted young inheritors of the P Bass’s storied history: “What stands out about James Jamerson’s playing is how he highlights the harmonies so well,” points out Prince and Mick Jagger collaborator Tal Wilkenfeld. “He’d create a seemingly repetitive bassline that was full of surprises.”

That’s just a small sampling of the great bassists we spoke to regarding their reverence for James Jamerson’s astonishing contributions. Others include Geezer Butler of Black Sabbath, Matt Freeman of Rancid, Nate Mendel from the Foo Fighters and the juggernaut Raphael Saadiq. The power of their words underscores one undeniable fact: no account of the instrument can be righteously told without a profound appreciation for “The Hook.”

So when we decided to create a P Bass to honor this beloved trailblazer, it was very important that we pay close attention to every detail of his 1962 model, from the finish to the features. According to our Senior Product Development Manager Patrick Harberd, “We spent many, many hours researching and examining basses from that era so we could create a really exemplary version of the one that James played.” The result is a meticulously crafted instrument loaded with vintage highlights, including a carefully aged Heirloom Nitrocellulose finish, a period-correct neck, a custom James Jamerson ’62 split single coil pickup, a foam mute and La Bella flatwound strings, just like the ones he used.

There will never be another player like him, but his influence is ubiquitous: “From R&B to rock to jazz to country and reggae music, everyone owes a debt to James Jamerson for what he did on a 1962 P Bass,” Raphael Saadiq explains. Or as Bob Glaub puts it: “He wrote the book. Everybody’s still chasing him.”

Check out the video now and hear how Jamerson has inspired bassists everywhere, then head here to learn more about the James Jamerson 1962 Precision Bass (and grab one for yourself).