The fundamentally changed role that the bass played during the 1970s was thanks to the repeated private initiative of a nerd. In 1970, Jaco Patorius, an impulsive musical talent from sunny Florida, purchased a Fender jazz bass. John Francis Pastorius III, his baptismal name, took into account the enormous grip speed of his fingers. He removed the frets from the bass and filled the grooves with wood filler. In order to protect the neck of his instrument from pressure damage caused by unpolished strings, the hobbyist coated it thickly with boat varnish. The ultimate circus device for jazz and fusion music was ready!
