The 1969 Fender Jazz Bass James Brown Bought for Bootsy Collins Is Back on eBay
Late last year, a piece of funk history resurfaced after decades in obscurity when the 1969 Fender Jazz Bass that James Brown bought for Bootsy Collins went up for sale. The storied bass, later used by Fred Thomas in Brown’s band, was sold in December 2025 for $40,000.
Now it’s back on the market.
The bass has been listed on eBay by Stinson & Company, an “old school antique pawn shop” based in Portland, Maine. Proprietor Joseph Stinson is a former professional bassist and has been the bass’s steward since purchasing it. The listing states that the instrument is “maintained under professional archival standards to ensure its ongoing preservation for future study, exhibition, and documentation.”
The bass comes with all of the documentation to prove its heritage, but not the original strings. Stinson has removed them and listed them on a separate eBay listing for $299. Stinson shares that the old set is from circa 1977 and that he replaced them with a new set of Rotosound Swings.
As previously reported, James Brown purchased the bass for Collins to use when he joined the band. It was originally in Fender’s classic Sunburst finish, but it was covered in red and black psychedelic contact paper during the ’70s. That material deteriorated, and it was sanded down to its natural wood look. Check our first story on the bass for the full scoop.
The bass is on eBay now with a “Buy It Now” price of $74,999. See the listing for more details.
In his time with No Treble, Kevin has met hundreds of amazing bassists and interviewed icons like Jack Casady, Victor Wooten, Les Claypool, Marcus Miller, and more. He's a gigging bassist performing jazz in Northern Virginia and bluegrass with The Plate Scrapers up and down the East Coast. Kevin appreciates all genres of music, from R&B to metal and everything in between. Connect with Kevin on Facebook and check his performance schedule on his website.
I was one of the first bidders on the original auction. I figured I would get outbid by people who had this exact idea, buy it for whatever price, then mark it up for some quick bucks and auction it off on eBay or some other similar site. It’s not about the music, just about the money.
Billionaire!
Absolutely shameful.
So Stinson removed the original strings and is now trying to sell it for almost twice as much?? Good luck with that.
My thoughts also. Does anyone understand the rationale behind removing the strings? That’s kinda like removing the steering wheel from the first Ford Mustang off the assembly line and offering both for sell separately.
Very true
Hey why isnt it in the rock &roll hall of fame?
This guy is now saying that a publically established valuation 2 months ago is completely wrong?
Good luck with that.
Yuppie Scumbag