Canadian Musician November / December 2019 | Page 27

BASS
Jeramy “HooGie” Donais is a tour instrument/backline tech and production professional with over 20 years of touring and studio experience.
Over the years, he’s worked with the likes of Shinedown, Breaking Benjamin, Sam Roberts Band, Theory of a Deadman, Finger Eleven,
Staind, Lamb of God, Treble Charger, and others.
By HooGie Donais
Tips to Keep Your Bass
in Top Shape
Before the Show
I had 10 instruments in the library on my last tour with Eric Bass from
Shinedown. Based on the number of instruments I’ve got out and the
tour schedule, I come up with a basic rotation so that I’m restringing
an instrument every few shows relative to how often each is used in a
typical set, etc.
For every show, I’ll pull out each and every bass and:
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Check over the entire instrument for any glaring issues.
Check the string action.
Check all of the parts – input jack, strap locks, etc. – and
make sure they’re tight and working.
Check the neck of the bass. Travel, weather changes,
humidity changes, etc. – the instrument will react to all of
those, so I want to make sure everything’s working properly.
Wipe down the strings or give them a good cleaning with
some string cleaner.
If I’m restringing the bass that day, I’ll give the whole bass
a really good cleaning, getting down to the frets and
everything.
Once the strings are on, or after I’m done cleaning it, I’ll
check the intonation across the instrument to ensure it’s in
tune throughout the entire neck.
From there, you should be good to go!
After the Show
String Action – Eric likes his strings a little higher than most. In any
case, I like to start with a dead-straight neck. I’ll adjust the saddle or
bridge screws to get me to the ideal string height, and then work my
way up and down the neck to ensure there’s absolutely no buzz.
Truss Rod Adjustments – The trusted “righty tighty, lefty loosy” ap-
plies here. I like to work only in quarter-turns, as a little turn can make
a big difference. If your neck looks like it’s back-bowed, you might
want to tighten the truss rod; if you’ve got more of a front bow, give it
some relief.
Oil Necks – Being your neck is made of wood, you can tell if it’s get-
ting dry, but I usually oil it every month or so with some basic lemon
oil.
Change Batteries – If you’re using active pickups or built-in tuners,
make sure you’re on top of your batteries. I’ll typically change batteries
in pickups and acoustics every month or so on the road, and every
few days with wireless systems.
Level Frets/Fret Job – When you’re restringing the guitar, use fret
polish up and down the entire neck. If you use a capo, you may notice
the strings leaving dents in the fret, in which case you may want your
local luthier/repair person to level those frets.
Other Tips:
At the end of the set, I give it a really good-wipe down and usually use
another application of string cleaner. I personally prefer a microfibre
cloth – especially if it’s an instrument with a glossy finish – though you
can try out a flannel polishing cloth as well. •
Weekly/Monthly •
These will vary for every musician, depending on their preferences
and gig/playing schedule.
Pickup Height – Eric goes back-and-forth between playing with a pick
and using his fingers, so I’ve got measurements for all of his pickups on
all of his instruments so I know where they should be set. Sometimes,
you might hear string slap on the pickups – that’s not a good thing. You’ll
want to back the pickups off a bit and then compensate for that lost gain.
Of course, taking care of your instrument is the best way
to keep it in top shape and minimize your potential issues.
Keep them in their cases, don’t leave them exposed to sun-
light, avoid drastic temperature or humidity changes, don’t
leave them in your car over the weekend in the winter, etc.
It’s important to work with a good set of tools – for ex-
ample, good screw drivers with good heads so you’re not
stripping out the screws on your instrument.
These tips come from “Keep Your Guitar or Bass in Top Shape,”
a free webinar from Canadian Musician and NWC Webinars
available at: www.nwcwebinars.com.
CANADIAN MUSICIAN 27