Jeff Ament of Pearl Jam
American musician, founding member of the rock band Pearl Jam, artist, and philanthropist Jeff Ament plays twelve- and eight-string bass guitars, fretless bass, and upright bass. He often uses the upright bass during acoustic performances and large concerts. Jeff is a master of his craft and was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame by the American music community. According to Loudwire, he ranks 52nd among the best bass guitarists in the world.
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Biography and Career
Jeff was the first of twelve children born to George and Penny Ament. He was born on March 10, 1963, in Havre, a major administrative center in Montana. Soon after, the family moved to Big Sandy, a small town with about 700 residents—a “hole at the end of the world” with no music stores. Jeff’s uncle, who had long hair and dressed colorfully, brought him records.
They had a four-channel stereo at home, and one of the channels isolated the bass line clearly, which made it easier for Jeff to learn the songs he liked. He would isolate that channel and practice for hours.
His father, George Ament, was the town’s mayor for 15 years and also worked as a school bus driver and barber. In addition to music, Jeff was active in sports—he played on the school football and basketball teams and competed in track and field. He dreamed of becoming a graphic designer and enrolled at the University of Montana in that program, but the university later closed the department, forcing him to drop out.
Next, Jeff moved to Seattle with his band Deranged Diction, but they struggled. He worked in a coffee shop and eventually met local musicians from the band Green River. The band’s frontman Mark Arm and guitarist Steve Turner invited Jeff to join, where he also met future Pearl Jam guitarist and songwriter Stone Gossard.
Conflicts soon arose. Jeff and Gossard were interested in signing with a major label, seeking commercial success, while Arm wanted to remain independent. Turner also clashed with Gossard over his leanings toward heavy metal. The group disbanded in 1988.
During the turmoil, Ament and Gossard began jamming with Malfunkshun frontman Andrew Wood. They clicked musically and formed Mother Love Bone in 1988. By 1990, they had enough material for an album. However, Wood died of a heroin overdose. He had been battling addiction, undergoing treatment and rehab, but repeatedly relapsed. His death ended the band and deeply impacted Ament and his friends’ views on drugs.
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Friends visited Wood in the hospital just hours before he died. He was in a coma, hooked up to life support. That image stayed with them. They decided to finish the album and looked for a new vocalist. A demo tape reached former Red Hot Chili Peppers drummer Jack Irons, who passed it to his friend Eddie Vedder, vocalist of the progressive funk-rock band Bad Radio. Vedder was inspired by the Seattle musicians, wrote lyrics to three songs, recorded them, and sent the tape to Ament. He became the voice of the band’s only album, released in 1990, after which the group disbanded.
They had a new idea. The musicians got along well and were close friends. They needed a drummer. Ament and Gossard chose Vedder as their vocalist, added Dave Krusen on drums, who was later replaced by Matt Chamberlain, and then Dave Abbruzzese. For Ament, finding a drummer with strong chemistry was essential since they had to work as a unit.
Pearl Jam had a successful career, thanks in no small part to Jeff Ament. He set realistic goals and achieved them. Wealth was not his main goal—the band even took part in a high-profile case against Ticketmaster, which inflated ticket prices. Abbruzzese didn’t support the boycott and left the band. He was replaced by drummer Matt Cameron. Ament and Gossard argued in court that Ticketmaster had a monopoly. The boycott lasted three years, starting in 1994. They played fewer shows but released their third multi-platinum album in 1996.
Despite not chasing profit, the band earned substantial fees from festivals, club gigs, and album sales.
Guitars and Gear
Jeff Ament plays:
- Music Man Stingray
- Fender Precision Bass
- Wal Mk II Fretless Bass
- Gibson ES-335 Bass
- Motor Ave BelAire Guitar
- Modulus VJ4
- Ibanez Rocket Roll Bass
- Gibson Thunderbird Non-Reverse
- Washburn AB5K and AB-20 acoustic basses
- Carruthers Guitars CB5 Bass
Pedalboard includes:
- Fulltone Bass-Drive Mosfet
- Amptweaker Bass TightDrive
- Ampeg Sub-Blaster
- Tech 21 DP-3X dUg Pinnick Signature multieffect
- Way Huge Swollen Pickle MKII Jumbo Fuzz
- Boss CH-1 Super Chorus
- MXR M109 6-Band EQ
- DigiTech Bass Whammy
- MXR KFK 10-Band EQ
- Tech 21 SansAmp Classic
- Dunlop TS-1 Tremolo Stereo Pan
Amplifiers: Ampeg SVT-AV Tube Bass Head, SWR Goliath II 4×10″ Cabinet
Processor: DBX 160A Compressor
Preamp/Switcher: Avalon U5
In 2012, Ament partnered with Mike Lull to create a custom bass model with a 20% larger body, slimmer than standard Mike Lull T4s, and a reversed headstock. Jeff personally selected the colors, finish, and wood. The jazz-style Warmoth body, Bartolini pickups, Fender tuners, and ESP neck were assembled by Lull to make a bass used in songs like “Even Flow”, “Alive”, and “Black”.
Side and Personal Projects
Beyond Pearl Jam, Jeff has had various projects. In 1994, he started “Three Fish” with guitarist Robbi Robb and drummer Richard Stuverud. They blended grunge with Eastern influences, mysticism, and folk, creating alternative or post-grunge rock.
In 1995, Pearl Jam joined rock legend Neil Young for a European tour. Jeff noted that older rockers still had lessons to teach and welcomed the chance to play alongside Young.
“Tone” was Jeff’s first solo album, released in 2008. He had written songs since the ’90s, but some didn’t fit Pearl Jam’s style. The album was a personal experiment that fans appreciated.
In 2011, Ament launched the side project Three Mountains with Doug Pinnick and Richard Stuverud. In 2012, he formed RNDM, an alternative rock group with vocalist/songwriter Joseph Arthur and Stuverud. They’ve released two albums and are still active.
Ament also appeared in the 1992 film Singles as a bassist. With his brother Barry, he founded an art company designing album covers, banners, and other graphics. He personally designed several Pearl Jam albums and photo archives. The Ament brothers earned two Grammy Awards for Best Recording Package—for Lightning Bolt (2013) and a Chris Cornell compilation.
Personal Life and Facts
Jeff Ament is married to Pandora Andre-Beatty. They wed on February 16, 2016, after many years together. Pandora shares his interests and helps manage their charity, the Montana Pool Service, since 2014. In 2004, the couple climbed Mount Kilimanjaro in support of Save the Children.
After Jeff was assaulted during a robbery, fans created the “Jeff Ament Army” charity. Organized by Roger McDaniel and Joanna Traver, it became part of a skatepark development program across U.S. cities, funded by Ament himself.
This article was created with the support of the biggest Pearl Jam fan in Serbia and my friend Bo.
Jeff is an avid sports fan—he follows the NBA, skateboards, plays basketball, snowboards, and wakeboards. He loves reading and cites Mikhail Bulgakov and Cormac McCarthy among his favorite authors. He supported Senator Jon Tester’s campaigns in 2006 and 2018 and backed Tester’s organic farming initiative. Jeff Ament lives a principled, meaningful life.
This article was created with the inspiration and support of the biggest Pearl Jam fan in Serbia and my friend Bo.
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