Boredom, burnout, depression, disillusionment… Am I the only one who’s hit the wall and put down their instrument for some length of time, wondering why they still play? I doubt it. The love of music, like any relationship, is cyclical; highs and lows are part of the natural order of things. Maybe you’ve quit developing as a player and your skills aren’t growing the way they did in the past. You’re just playing the same tired licks over and over. Or, perhaps you’re sick of the internal and external pressures and politics involved with being in a band. Enough said.

At times like these, sometimes it’s good to take a little break from your instrument. Often, the time away from each other will remind you why you fell in love in the first place.

Hmmph? Oh! Sorry… but like I said, the love of music is just like any other relationship. Consider Billy Sheehan: he has an old. beat up chunk of firewood and electronics that he affectionately calls “the wife”. She’s as ugly as sin, but I guess they’ve got a lot of history together. ANYWAY… these little vacations and trial seperations sometimes reunion in a happy reunion… other times in a divorce. You’ve read the classified ads in the wake of the latter. “MUST SELL EVERYTHING. NO REASONABLE OFFERS REFUSED. CALL STEVE, 555-0123.” And, like the vulture you are, you probabaly made a lowball offer and scooped up a lot of great equipment for a song (if you’ll pardon the pun). In another six months, that same guy might regret having sold you his wife. Meanwhile, you’re off at some club, banging away on her in front of a huge audience.

Remember, we’re still talking about a bass here.

Rather than revel at having been the benefactor of someone else’s marital… ahem, musical discord (or is it dischord?), maybe we should consider what could have been done to save the relationship before the breakup. What we learn today may prevent you from selling your own beloved to some other opportunistic vermin.

Challenge Yourself: Sometimes it’s as simple as throwing down the gauntlet, and deciding that you’re going to try to develop an aspect of your playing that you’re weak at. If you play pick, go fingers. If you play fingers, go pick. Beg or borrow a fretless electric and learn it. Get one with lines, then get one without. Try playing an acoustic bass guitar, a 5 string, a 6 string, an 8 string, or even a stand up double bass. Pledge that you will learn a song that you thought was too difficult. Even if you can’t master it all, you’ll probably learn licks you didn’t think you’d ever be able to play. Learn more scales. You what? Learn a scale, for God’s sake. Work on your sight reading. Improve your ear and improvisation. Choose any obstacle and overcome it.

Change Styles: If you play metal, learn reggae. If you play reggae, learn jazz. If you play jazz, learn country. If you play country, learn funk. If you play funk… Do you see where I’m going with this? Opening yourself to new frontiers places you back into the role of learner. Everything is new and fun again. You can experience the joy of improving in a style you once knew nothing about. Your overall playing ability will improve, and you might even be able to step into a completely new band someday soon.

Window Shop: It’s fun to go into a store and play 1,037 instruments you have no intention of buying… especially the ones you can’t afford. If you’re lucky, you’ll find a place where the salespeople are too bored to care. Sometimes having something new and different to play is all it takes to get you to pick up an instrument again. Once you’ve spent the day playing music, you’ll probably reach for your own gear once you’re back home again.

Learn Another Instrument: It may seem like you’re endangering yourself by doing this, and occassionally people do switch teams and decide they like it better on the other side. However, it’s also true that learning a new instrument will improve your abilities of your primary instrument. Drumming can help a guitarist’s timing and co-ordination. Practicing guitar can increase a bassist’s dexterity. Playing bass can boost a guitarist’s endurance.

Jam: Playing with new musicians is almost a guaranteed way of getting the spark back in your performance. You’ll be so wrapped up in doing your best and leaving a good impression, you’ll forget why you ever considered giving up the craft.

Be Someone Else’s Fan (or Critic): Nothing makes me more eager to play, than being in an audience and watching someone else in the limelight. Whether my counterpart on stage is better or worse than I am, I find myself mesmerised by everthing he (or especially she) does. In the end, either I wish I was the one on stage playing the line, or I want to go home and try to learn ity from memory.

Life is sweet during the garage band days. You buy an instrument, you hook up with friends, and you are born a musician and bandmate simultaneously. There are no questions about ability; you’re all learning together. But eventually, in your life as a musician, there comes a time when you can’t just walk into a band situation and fill the open slot. You’ve got to demonstrate your abilities in front of complete strangers, and wait as they evaluate your worthiness.

A huge ego can be helpful at this point. If you go in thinking that you’ll blow them away, and then stand back as they grovel at your feet, an audition may not elicit much anxiety in you at all. I don’t envy the band that gets you, though. However, if you’re one of the more rational, sensible, dare I say “normal” musicians, you may be scared to death at what lies ahead. Unfortunately, nothing but preparation and experience can make this a less fearful encounter. So… how do you prepare?

Phase 1: Ready, Get Set (List) – It’s good to request a band’s full set list in advance. If they are a cover band, it’s possible that they play music you already know. If they play originals, hopefully you’ve seen or heard them perform and already have familiarity with the songs. If you’re going into an audition with no knowledge of the material, be prepared to spend two or three times as long preparing. If you don’t have that kind of time in your schedule, don’t embarrass yourself by trying out. Your reputation doesn’t need it.

Phase 2: Negotiate Material – The next step should be to negotiate how many songs you’ll need to know. Between 5 and 10 songs will allow a band to gauge your skills as a player during a 20 to 40 minute jam. If given the choice, choose the songs you know best, or songs you can learn in the least amount of time. They may request additional songs (or alternative choices) in order to see how quickly you can learn material, or become a fully integrated member. Be honest about what you know and what you don’t. If you pretend not to know songs you’ve already learned, you’re setting a dangerous precedent. The band will have unrealistic expectations of your abilities and you’ll eventually get caught. Remember: your reputation will follow you around the music scene. In any event, once the audition list is finalized, be prepared to create or request a tape of the songs you’ll need to study. If the songs are covers, be sure to ask if the band plays them in the original key, or whether they’ve been transposed up or down. Ideally, they may be able to provide you with a live recording, sound board tape, or demo of the songs in the proper key and with their unique arrangements included.

Phase 3: Prioritize & Practice – Once you have your audition set list and tape, get to work. Arrange the songs in order from easiest to most difficult, or, from those you know the best to those you know the least. Polish or learn the easy ones first, then place them aside. Begin tackling the others in sequence. Concentrate on the main riffs and changes first, and ignore licks and fills. You’ll waste precious time by trying to completely master each song before moving on. When you have the basics down, move to the next tune. When you have the basics for each tune complete, return to the first new or difficult song and add the licks and polish. With this approach, you won’t blow your audition should time run out unexpectedly. It’s easy to forgive (or even fail to notice) a missed lick during a song, but if the main melody or rhythm is absent or incorrect, everyone will be aware of it. Kiss that coveted spot goodbye.

Phase 4: Cool Down – Opinions differ. Some advocate complete immersion in new material every day, all day long. Personally, I think it’s a good test of retention to completely stop playing or listening to the audition music for periods of time between practices. If, after a break of several hours, you can still play the material you’ve learned as well as you did earlier (or better), you can rest at ease. However, if you don’t give your ears that break, you’ll never be 100% sure if the music is being properly stored in your brain and hands. It’s easy to become overpowered by what you’re hearing, and assume that you’ve nailed your part. But when you arrive at the rehearsal space for audition day, there will be silence leading up to your performance. The lack of recorded music to bolster your confidence may be unnerving. Will you remember what to play when they point at you?

Phase 5: Finding Your Way – This should be a no-brainer. Unfortunately, it isn’t. Being late for the audition will say a lot about you. You’re generally disorganized or unreliable. Maybe you don’t even care if you get the gig or not. If you’re doing it now, what’s to stop you from being late for a performance? Under these circumstances, even a stellar audition might not get you the spot. Personality and character do factor into the decision to choose one player over another. Have punctuality in your favour, not counting against you. There are plenty of good mapping websites that provide turn-by-turn door-to-door directions. Mapquest.com is my favourite. Do one better, and make a dry run to the address, just to make sure you recognize the landmarks.

Audition Day – Resist the urge to do any last minute cramming. Doubting your abilities at this point is counter-productive. Instead, have a shower. Put on some nice, comfortable clothes. Leave early. Bring the audition set list with you. Arrive 5 or 10 minutes early, not thirty. Shake hands and introduce yourself. Make small talk. Tune. If given the choice of set order, take the initiative and choose the song you feel most comfortable with. Doing so will get you off to a good start. If they choose the song, don’t worry. Your brain and hands should know what to do. Push away any nagging doubts and trust yourself. Play your best. Don’t stop or draw undue attention to mistakes (don’t swear)! Don’t expect immediate feedback or a final answer after the audition. Thank them for their time and give them your card or number. If offered the spot, remember that you can ask for a night to think about it. An audition is actually a two-way street. If the band gives you any reason to reconsider your interest, take 24 hours to reflect on it. It may sound cocky, but it’s all in how you express it. Ask politely. Thank them again and assure them you’ll have an answer for them by 5:00 PM (or any specific time) the following day.

If for some reason you aren’t offered the spot, try not to be discouraged. Like any job interview, a lot depends on the number of other people applying. Not being chosen doesn’t mean you weren’t good. There may have been someone slightly better, with more experience, better gear, or who related better to the band on a personal level. Ask the band for some feedback on your performance. They may even be able to recommend you to another band! Thank them again for seeing you. Remember, you’re building a reputation. A likeable player with good skills can be in higher demand than a jerk virtuoso.

When all is said and done and you’ve got the gig, you can relax. Right? Well… maybe. There’s still no guarantee that the band will work. Although I consider myself to be a pretty good judge of character, I’ve committed myself to a number of projects that blew up because the nucleus members turned out to be ambitious but disorganized, or just basically horse asses. In the short term, it’s easy to feel as if you’ve been cheated. After all, you’ve learned a pile of new songs that you may never perform in front of people. However, in the long term, any exercise that expands your song repertoire and increases your playing ability is ultimately going to increase your value to some other future project. So put some pictures of those dorks on your dart board, then get back to playing again.

Good luck.

Reason #7 – No one else wants to.
History teaches us that what originated as the drawing of the shortest straw, has also been the beginning of many a great career. Take Paul McCartney. He’s written some of the most beautiful and well known bass lines in rock and roll, but not because he wanted to. No! This milestone was only achieved by a lot of punching, kicking and screaming. When George Harrison joined what was to become The Beatles, the boys from Liverpool found themselves with three guitarists. He and John Lennon were just too stubborn to switch, so it fell to Paul to make the ultimate sacrifice. Selfish bloody bastards. But he showed ‘em, didn’t he?

Reason #6 – You get gigs.
Here’s a joke to illustrate my point… As a birthday gift, a father decided to get his son a bass guitar and some lessons. After the first lesson, the boy’s father asked him how his lesson went. “It went great, Dad. I learned to play on the first 5 frets on the top string!” The father praised his son’s efforts. The next week, his father asked about the second lesson. “It was cool, Dad. Today, I learned to play the first 5 frets on the second string!” His father once again applauded his son. The following week, his father again asked about the lesson. “I’m sorry Dad, I blew it off… I had a gig!”

Like many jokes, it’s really just an exaggeration of the truth. That’s what makes it funny. Bassists are the minority, and there’s always a shortage of good players. You’ll probably need more than two lessons to get a good gig (hell, I needed four), but even if you suck there’s probably some desperate group out there ready to beg for you to join them. Even without lessons, and never having touched an instrument, you may already be overqualified to play in a punk band. In any event, take the hint. If you want to be in demand, play an instrument that people desperately need (i.e. anything except the guitar).

Reason #5 – IQ and musical talent optional.
If lack of experience isn’t a factor, why should lack of intelligence or talent be? Bass is a lovely, uncomplicated instrument. You only have four strings to start with, and there’s no rule saying you actually have to use them all. In fact, the world is full of players making an awfully good living doing the absolute minimum. Yes sir, with only a steady stream of monotonous eighth notes, you too could tour the world, earn millions, marry a supermodel, and be on the cover of prestigious magazines. Creativity? Optional. Songwriting ability? Optional. Just find a talented singer, guitarist and drummer to do the real work for you. Initially, they’ll do it all and still thank you for just showing up. Later, if fame and fortune comes, they’ll probably keep you out of some misguided sense of loyalty.

Reason #4 – You can pick and choose who to work with.
Part of the beauty of being in demand is the ability to be selective. Your band needs you. You don’t necessarily need them. If all else fails, they’re expendable, like those cameo crew members on Star Trek. That doesn’t mean you can be a whiny, demanding, snotty faced prima donna, holding your bandmates at ransom for fear of losing you. Although that’s a temptation we all face. It does mean you can escape a dead end situation and find a more promising one with relative ease. Well, relative to your guitarist friend, anyway (unless he’s Steve Vai).

Reason #3 – You can be a star but still avoid the spotlight.
People don’t think twice when they see the bassist lurking near the rear of the stage, behind the singer or guitarist. Or drummer. In fact, no one thinks twice when there’s no sign of a bassist, because he’s expertly camouflaged himself to blend in with the wall draping. For a bassist, its not only socially acceptable to be a wallflower, but in some situations — it’s downright encouraged. One less ego makes for a lot more room on the front stage. However, backstage – after the show – you can still tell the girls you’re “with the band” and cross your fingers. Tip: Keep your bass with you at all times, or else they might think you’re just a lame roadie trying to score. Another tip: Watch out for lame roadies borrowing your equipment and pretending to be “with the band”. Your chances are slim enough without the extra competition.

Reason #2 – You can be a star even if you’re a social reject.
The shortage of bassists has been something of a boon for sad losers everywhere. In the olden days, dorks used to have to become engineers and programmers in order to have a chance at fame, fortune, and fabulous babes. In this new age of promise, even a nerdy, obese, slovenly oaf with body odor, lice, dandruff, and chronic halitosis, with the social skills of a table lamp and the IQ of a turnip, can be a successful, in-demand bassist. Rejoice!

Reason #1 – You can wear a sock over your privates, and generally act like a lunatic.
Even if you weren’t a social reject to start with, you owe a debt to Michael Balzary — an inoffensive, trumpet-tooting kid born in Melbourne, Australia. Thanks to him, it’s now musically acceptable to cover your one-eyed trouser snake with a white athletic tube sock, while bouncing around like you’ve inadvertently plugged it into a live power outlet. I’m of course referring to the bassist better known as Flea, who made wearing ugly gitch and bass playing fashionable in one fell swoop. Hail to the Chief.

What’s so hard about playing bass? You pick it up, hang it on a strap, and pound the crap out of it with your hand. You can play it around your knees like Geezer Butler, or play it with the headstock pointed at the ceiling like Fieldy. It ain’t rocket science. Is it?

If you’re unconcerned by carpal tunnel syndrome and impervious to fatigue — read no further. However, if you think your present way of playing is hurting your back, your hands and your sound — read on.

Standing Up: Most of us learned to play while sitting down. It’s the most comfortable thing in the world. I remember that when I first tried to stand while playing, it felt completely awkward — like I had to learn to play all over again. The reason? The instrument wasn’t in the same position relative to my body as it was before.

Strap Length: Adjust your strap so that your bass is in exactly the same position when you stand, as it is when you sit. Follow these steps. (1.) Sit, with your hands on the bass in play position (2.) Stand. (3.) If you feel that the position or angle of your hands and arms has shifted because of the instrument being raised or lowered, re-adjust your strap length. (4.) Repeat until there is no discernible difference between the standing and seated instrument position.

Instrument Balance: The amazing variety of bass body styles these days is a double-edged sword. It’s easy to find an instrument that looks cool, but more difficult to find one that balances correctly. The B.C. Rich Ironbird is amazing to look at, but you’re constantly having to lift the neck as you play. Your fret hand is already being exerted fingering the notes… do you really need to make it work harder? Rather than give up your precious Gibson Flying-V bass, a new strap might be in order. Wide leather straps are a good choice. They distribute the weight of a heavy instrument over a larger surface area, saving your back. They also tend to “stick” to your clothing, allowing less slip. Take your bass to the music store and experiment. A $40 strap pays for itself if it saves you one trip to the massage therapist.

Plucking Hand: Some bass players complain that they tire easily because the strings are “big”. They say that the bass is a “strength instrument”. Obviously, they haven’t seen all the tiny female bass players I have. Bass players who tire easily tend to have poor plucking hand technique. To conserve energy, the right hand (for us right handed players) should move as little as possible. First, let’s assume we’re playing a 4 string bass in standard tuning. Make sure your thumb is resting on the pickup above the E string. It doesn’t matter if your bass has P’s, J’s, or humbuckers… there’s generally some ledge for you to anchor your thumb on. If possible, always keep the thumb at a right angle (perpendicular) to the surface of the body. Now, pluck with your fingers, as if you were trying to bring your fingers up to touch your thumb. This is the same natural, comfortable movement you use to pick up a small or narrow object… like a pencil. The only time your thumb should move from its place on top of your pickup, is when you are playing your G string. In that case, rest the thumb on the E string instead of the pickup. Not only does this give you a better reach at the G, it mutes the E. Practice this. Look at your thumb from time to time. Watch that your fingers are always pulling up and towards the thumb. Master this technique, and you won’t tire as easily.

But I Use A Pick!: Do you pick bi-directionally, or just downward? Guitarists are often guilty of this, too. If you just pick downward, your arm has to do twice as much pumping for the same number of notes. Play something fast, and you might as well forget it. Learn to pick in both directions. Play every song so that you alternate up and downstrokes. Begin musical lines with upstrokes, just to remind yourself to pick both ways. Downstrokes are a hard habit to break, and it will take time until your downstroke and upstroke notes sound the same. Get to work on it now.

Fingers: Some players only use 2 of their 4 fingers on each hand. Practice using them all! Yes, your pinkies are kind of useless, but every little bit helps. When I first started trying to use all 4, I found my fret hand pinky was a good starting finger for fast downward runs, but was not as great at holding notes. It was very weak in the beginning, and I often had to brace it with its next door neighbour. With time, its gotten stronger. The pinky on my plucking hand lends some help wherever it can. It can be particularly useful for popping notes on my high C string. Third fingers are useful most of the time, especially for playing (tah-dah!) triplets. On my fret hand, my second or third finger will fret a note, depending on which one is closer, or faster. If you usually pluck with only two fingers, why not try using your third as an alternate finger, to give your second finger a rest? It’s just as easy to play 8th notes with 1 and 3 instead of 1 and 2.

Back to Standing Up: So… your bass is at the correct height, both hands are making the most of your energy — what about your feet? Standing in one place is fatiguing, especially if you play a 6, or another heavy solid wood bass. If you absolutely must remain motionless, keep your feet spaced apart at shoulder width. Avoid leaning back and forth from foot to foot. Keep a stool nearby in case you need a rest. But to really keep your feet from tiring, I think it’s more straightforward (and more interesting) to just move. I see too many bass players on MTV and Muchmusic that just hang in the background like wallpaper. On the other end of the spectrum are players like Flea that bounce all over the stage. Why not try for something in between? Personally, I enjoy playing more (and I think I play better) when I move to my own groove. Audiences like it too. The guitarist and singer can’t be everywhere at once. Fill some empty space up front, and make a connection with the audience. There’s no need to jump around like a chihuahua on acid; simply walking around and swaying a little will keep you loose and the crowd watching.

Now go practice.

Still reading? Good. Let’s start with the budget.

Step 1: Determine the total amount of money you’re willing to spend and promise yourself not to exceed it. If you have $500 for a bass and an amp, split up the money between those two things. Try to stay close to 50/50 or 60/40 unless you want to get the smallest practice amp possible, just to see if you’ll be good enough to warrant buying a big one later. Warning: Try not to go cheap on the bass. A $99 bass will sound like crap through your $401 killer amp.

Step 2: Here’s where you get to close your eyes. Don’t be fooled into buying an expensive, big name instrument. Having a top of the line Modulus like Flea plays won’t make you sound like Flea. It’ll just make you broke. There’s no need to spend a fortune until you know you want to get really serious and start performing at clubs. For a first instrument, I would recommend something that’s of good quality, but inexpensive. Squier basses (made by Fender) and Epiphone (made by Gibson) are a good buy, as are the lower priced Yamaha RBX models, like the RBX 260. Any quality used bass under $300 is also worth looking into. When I say quality I mean… how does it feel in your hands? Does it feel solid and not cheap? Is it comfortably contoured to your body? When you hang it on a strap and stand up, does it balance? If the neck and headstock are heavy, you’ll tire quickly trying to keep it raised while you play.

Eyes still closed? Don’t be fooled by fancy paint jobs and flash. Concentrate on solid, comfortable feeling instruments. Pick up a dozen different basses in your price range. Can’t play yet? So what. Run your fingers over the strings… hold it on your lap. If it feels solid, get it. If it feels like it’s made of particle board with a plastic candy-coated top, don’t get it. Don’t buy an instrument at the first store you visit. Don’t buy any instrument on your first day of bass hunting. You owe it to yourself to be sure you’ve seen every good bass in town and tried them all. At each store you visit, make some notes about the models you like, and the cost. On another day you can go back and re-try all the ones you liked.

So… you’ve narrowed the stores’ inventories down to one or two models you like. If you have the time (and you should make the time), try out several identical instruments through an amplifier (see Step 3, below). Seriously. I’ve been playing a lot of gear to review and I’ve noticed significant feel and tone differences in many basses of the same brand and model. They may all be created at the same factory, but they are not all created equally. The most striking example I found was a Fender Standard Jazz Bass (made in Mexico) that blew away all the other Mexi-Jazz basses and several of the USA-made Fenders I tried for comparison. Not being a luthier, or even casually familiar with the process of winding pickups, it’s difficult for me to explain how pickups of the same design can sound so different. In any case, this “cheap” Jazz bass had high output, low noise and killer funk tone. I almost bought it on the spot. Then, I reminded myself I had to eat, and that as sweet as this bass was, it wasn’t necessary for my survival. Take my advice though… an extra 15 minutes spent on trying those 3 “identical” Yamaha RBX’s may find you a diamond in the rough.

Hey! Quit looking at that Modulus! The “cheap” instrument you’re buying today can be upgraded to be good enough to play on a stage, or even record with, for an extra hundred bucks! An inexpensive but good quality bass with after-market replacement pickups can sound and play as well as an expensive bass for a fraction of the cost. Why pay for a $1000 bass with expensive Bartolini pickups (or Seymour Duncan, or DiMarzio)? If and when you become Bass-god, you can buy the same pickups for $50-$150, install them in your bass, and throw your old ones away. For another $50, you can have your instrument professionally “set up”, so that the action and intonation of the neck is perfect — easy to play, perfectly in tune, no fret buzzes — just like an instrument that costs twice as much. Trust me on this. Ready to look at amplifiers now? Open your eyes while we walk over.

Step 3: Great! You’ve got your favourite [insert choice here] bass. How much money do you have left? Hopefully enough for a combo amp. Combo amps are so-called, because they combine the amplifier “head” and a speaker “cabinet” into one unit. For those looking for an amazing little practice amp, I highly recommend the Peavey MicroBass. It’s fine for your bedroom, apartment, or even jamming with your friend and his acoustic guitar. Other small, inexpensive combo amps ($300 or less) are made by Crate, Fender, Trace Elliot, Danelectro, Vox, Squier, and SWR. Some of these manufacturers (most notably SWR) also make huge, expensive amps. In any case, find all the combo amps there are in your city at your price range and try them all. Turn them up to the volume you’d normally practice at, and pound on that big E top string (unless you can play something other than E).

From this point, don’t worry about the brand anymore. Let your ear tell you which sounds the best for you. Unless you know what you’re doing, don’t play with the knobs too much. It’s easy to make a good amp sound bad if you dial all the tone down. Get a salesman to help you if you need assistance, but beware of commissioned salespeople trying to up-sell you on an expensive model, or push a brand that you don’t like.

What? You blew all your money on the bass? Didn’t you read Step 1? Headphone amps are a bargain solution, but you’ll just be practising alone until you can afford something better. However, if you just want to play for your own amusement, maybe these are the perfect choice. If you’re lucky enough to have a bit extra to spend on an amp, get the loudest one you can afford. Here’s where it can be confusing. Usually, the more watts of power an amp is capable of (e.g. 50 watts RMS), the louder it sounds. In reality, some better quality amps of lesser wattage can sound louder than lesser quality amps of higher wattage. Again, it all boils down to listening instead of looking. Your own ears will tell you what sounds best.

Happy hunting.

Since buying my Ovation Celebrity CC074, I’ve been spoiled. It’s great to sit under a tree and play in the sunshine whenever you feel the urge. If I feel like taking my bass out to the park or the beach, I can bet I’ll be the only bassist around. With guitarists being a dime a dozen, I’m Mr. Popularity.

The only drawback to ABGs is the fact that without additional amplification you tend to be drowned out by the rest of the band. Even my round backed Ovation doesn’t project enough to compete with a heavily strummed acoustic guitar and vocals. Add a drummer, and you might as well just pretend to be playing. But fear not — a portable rechargeable amp like Fender’s AmpCan can help. The small speaker means you’ll likely have to do some fiddling with your ABG’s onboard EQ (if available) and the amp’s tone to find a tone that sounds good without overloading the speaker… but it’s workable. With my rig, I found good tone by setting the AmpCan’s tone on 10, boosting my Ovation’s bass EQ to the max, and leaving the mid and treble basically flat. Fender says their AmpCan is good for 4-6 hours per charge. For the record, I’ve never had mine run out of juice on the beach yet.

An acoustic bass is also the ideal practice instrument. Forget the hassle (and noise) of your big amp or uncomfortable, warm headphones. My ABG follows me around the whole house, in front of the TV, out to the back yard… anywhere I feel like learning. I love it.

Below are links to a selection of ABGs for any budget. If you have a suggestion to add, leave comment!  Please include the company website address and product link if possible!

APPLAUSE
AE40

ARIA
Elecord FEB-SPL
AMB 50B
Sandpiper SPB-4

CARVIN
AC40 4-String ($699 Direct)
AC50 5-String ($769 Direct)

CORT
NTL-B
SJB

DEAN
Performer CE
Performer 4 Plus
Performer 5 Plus
Exotica Radiant

EPIPHONE
El Capitan
El Capitan Fretless
El Segundo

GUILD
B30-E

IBANEZ
AEB30LG
AEB305LG

FENDER
BG-29 ($810)
BG-32 ($730)

GODIN
A4 Semi Acoustic
A5 Semi Acoustic

GRETSCH
G6175 Acoustic Fretted
G6175W Acoustic Fretted, Western
G6176 Acoustic Fretless

HOHNER
EAB40 & EAB 50

MARTIN
BM ($1299)
B1 ($1499)
BC-15E ($1599)
SWB ($3200)

OSCAR SCHMIDT
OB100

OVATION (2000 Specialty Series)
Celebrity CC074
B778

ROGUE
AB-304
AB-304F

TACOMA
CB10

TAKAMINE
EG-512C
B10

WARWICK
Alien Stage Acoustic

WASHBURN
AB10 ($999)
AB34 ($1099)
AB35 5 String ($1199)
AB35FL Fretless 5 ($1299)

YAMAHA
BEX4C

• Wear a T-Shirt that promotes your favourite non-profit organization. How easy is that?
• Put promotional stickers on your road cases, PA speakers, amps, instruments, etc.
• Donate your share of the band’s pay. Mail it to them with a little note saying who you are, who you play for, and why you like helping them through your music.
• Donate the band’s whole cut to charity, or, play gigs specifically to benefit charity. You can be low-key just make the donation in the band’s name, but if you plan to advertise publicly that your gig will help charity – get the charity’s permission to use their name in your promo ads.
• Donate a portion of any CD or Tape sold. Getting your product into people’s hands can help both you and a needy organization.
• Make a little announcement to your audience. Hey – it works for Bob Barker. If that’s too scary, just put the charity’s info pamphlets on tables. You may have to get an OK from the club.

My weak spot is for animal cruelty organizations and shelters. The Humane Society and SPCA can have anything I make, the way I see it. It’s the very least I can do, for the good work they do. There’s a great low cost clinic here called the FACE Clinic. I love them too. Why?

Two dogs in my family were strays. My Yellow Labrador Retriever, Brandy, was kicked out of a van along a busy street one night. With no collar and no ID microchip, there was no way to find the owners to prosecute them — returning her was out of the question. I later found out that an angry husband had abandoned the dog to get even with his wife. Still, the dog was legally mine at that time, and I figured any jerk crazy enough to endanger an animal once would do it again. The second dog, a Shiba-Inu/Chow cross was lost. For days I saw it hanging around my apartment, eating from the dumpster and sleeping in piles of leaves. It took some time to earn his trust, but he was grateful to have real food and a nice place to sleep. I gave him to my brother in law, who wanted a dog badly.

What’s near to your heart? Why not be a hero in your own way?

Not turning the POD off with analog chorus loaded worked for temporary prevention of the bug, but the permanent fix required that a new EPROM chip be installed. The Bass POD’s v1.0 software is stored on that chip, and needed to be replaced with newer debugged code.

At the time I wrote the article, I was busy moving and securing a new job. There wasn’t the time to worry about getting the chip replaced. Then, just last week I decided it was finally time. I called Line 6′s Customer Support and was pleasantly surprised at the efficiency and courtesy I received. I was notified that a new chip was in the mail for me.

A few days later, a package arrived — a new v1.2 EPROM with step by step instructions. I was initially a little nervous about opening my POD, in spite of the fact that I’d been doing much more complex upgrades and installations with my computers for years. However, in less than 10 minutes, the old chip was popped out, and I’d slightly angled the new chip’s pins to allow them to slide into the circuit board. Then, I put the back cover back on the unit and voila — it worked perfectly.

This is the same procedure that guitarists are using to upgrade their original v1.x series guitar PODs to the new v2.0 software. I’m very impressed at the forward thinking at Line 6, to design effects that are potentially upgradeable for years.

Now, I only wish I would have had the forethought to ask them to include my CD of their SoundDiver editing software (which was not yet available when I bought the unit). But after a quick 1.7 MB download at their website, that problem was fixed too (the latest upgraded version is always available free).

For more info, visit line6.com.

That day, instead of using the presets, I decided to use the manual mode and just play different combinations of amps and effects to see what interesting tones I could discover. No problems there. I played for a couple of hours then shut it off. Later that same day, I came back to continue. I switched my POD on and the display spelled out the letters “baSSPod” (as usual) then… nothing! Black display. None of the buttons would light or function. No sound was going through the unit.

In a panic, I called the music store to ask what to do. Naturally, they said to bring it in for repair. They couldn’t exchange it because I’ve already sent in the warranty. However, I’m moving across the country in a week and couldn’t really wait for repairs!

Out of desperation, I decided to try a memory wipe (holding the preset up/down keys while switching the power on). It worked. I played with the POD presets for a minute, then shut it off and back on. It still worked. I tried using the manual mode, shut it down, and then on again. No problems… just that amazing variety of tones. It’s worked fine ever since! I was at a loss to understand what had happened or why a memory clear fixed it. I’d done NO tone editing or saving with this unit. So, for a speedy answer, I wrote to a Line 6 Bass POD Beta Tester I’d met recently.

It turns out I’d stumbled on the one known bug for Bass POD. It’s a weird one, which is why nobody caught it during beta testing. If you shut off the unit with a patch in memory that uses the analog chorus, the Bass POD will hang on reboot, and a memory reset (described above, and in your manual) is the only fix. For temporary prevention, try not to turn the POD off with analog chorus loaded. The permanent solution is to email support@line6.com with your name, address, and Bass POD serial number to get a new EPROM. Make the subject line “Bass POD EPROM”, and it will get immediate attention.

I don’t want this article to make anyone question the POD or Line 6. I am still thoroughly impressed with the quality of my unit, and their quick response to my email makes me appreciate their customer support, too.

It boils down to this: the POD uses software to achieve its stellar sound, and with any software there’s always a possibility of minor bugs. If you know your unit is one of those affected, write to Line 6. If you’re not sure and want to test your POD, try the tone combination above (in manual mode). But please don’t bury Line 6′s mailbox with requests if your unit is functioning normally. You know, Microsoft could learn a thing or two from Line 6 about writing great (almost) bug-free software.

I spent most of my vacation days last year on the beaches of sunny Vancouver BC playing my Ovation Celebrity CC074. Most days, I was one of only 2 bass players on the entire beach, and I had my choice of 1 or 2 dozen guitarists or groups to sit in with. Talk about being popular. Dozens of girls in bikinis sitting at my feet didn’t hurt either. So… what did you do for fun last summer?

The only drawback to ABGs is the fact that without additional amplification you tend to be drowned out by the rest of the band. Even my round backed Ovation doesn’t project enough to compete with a heavily strummed acoustic guitar and vocals. Add a drummer, and you might as well just pretend to be playing. But fear not — a portable rechargeable amp like Fender’s AmpCan can help. The small speaker means you’ll likely have to do some fiddling with your ABG’s onboard EQ (if available) and the amp’s tone to find a tone that sounds good without overloading the speaker… but it’s workable. With my rig, I found good tone by setting the AmpCan’s tone on 10, boosting my Ovation’s bass EQ to the max, and leaving the mid and treble basically flat. Fender says their AmpCan is good for 4-6 hours per charge. For the record, I’ve never had mine run out of juice on the beach yet.

An acoustic bass is also the ideal practice instrument. Forget the hassle (and noise) of your big amp or uncomfortable, warm headphones. My ABG follows me around the whole house, in front of the TV, out to the back yard… anywhere I feel like learning. I love it.

Below are links to a selection of ABGs for any budget. If you have a suggestion to add, leave a comment here. Please include the company website address and product link if possible.

ARIA
FEB-02

CARVIN
AC40 4-String ($699 Direct)
AC50

CORT
NTLB

DEAN
Performer Series: CE, Plus and 5 Plus

EPIPHONE
El Capitan
El Capitan Fretless
El Segundo

IBANEZ
AE Series AEB45LG

FENDER
BG-29 ($810)

CARVIN
AC40 4-String ($699 Direct)
AC50 5-String ($769 Direct)

CORT
NTLB

DEAN
Performer Series: CE, Plus and 5 Plus

EPIPHONE
El Capitan
El Capitan Fretless
El Segundo

IBANEZ
AE Series AEB45LG

FENDER
BG-29 ($810)
New BG-32 ($730)

GODIN
A4 Semi Acoustic

GRETSCH
G6175 Acoustic Fretted
G6175W Acoustic Fretted, Western
G6176 Acoustic Fretless

MARTIN
BM (Road series) ($1249)
B1 (1 series) ($1499)
BC-15E (15 series) ($1499)

OVATION (2000 Specialty Series)
Celebrity CC074
B778

WASHBURN
AB10 ($999)
AB34 ($1099)
AB35 5 String ($1199)
AB35FL