1962 Fender Jazz

The 1962 Fender Jazz bass with natural finish is a bass owned by Sting.

Background
The Fender Jazz bass was Sting's first proper bass. He acquired this bass in Newcastle in 1970 for 150 quid, aged 18.

Sting played this bass whilst a member of Last Exit (1974-1977), and on-and-off throughout his career with The Police between 1977 and 1984, both in terms of live and studio work. It was his main bass to begin with in The Police's early days, played on tunes like "Fall Out" and "Roxanne", before he started to prefer other basses.

By 1987, Sting started using the Fender Jazz bass once again for solo work, having last played it on the Amnesty International Police reunion concerts in June 1986.

Sting still owns this bass.

Gear details
By 1985, the Fender Jazz bass had its stock pickups and didn't have any modifications done to it except a slight refinishing of the neck.

The bass originally came with a bridge cover (as seen in many photos from Sting's Last Exit and early Police days), which by February/March 1978 was noticeably removed. Marks and holes near the bridge in most photos show where the bridge cover was once positioned.

Later, presumably sometime between 1986 and 1991, two of the original three black potentiometer control knobs on the bass were replaced with Telecaster-style silver ones, and the original Fender bridge was replaced with a Schaller 3D-4.