The Perfect Acoustic Bass Guitar
By Chris Jonas

I did not no this until recently, but the difference between a poorly made instruments and a high-quality one is enormous. Acoustic bass guitars can vary tremendously, and the one I had been using before was in pretty bad shape. The neck was bent and warped, which made it very difficult to finger correctly. The intonation was also a little bit out, so it didn't even stay in tune very well. New, it would have been a very high-quality electric bass, but my dad hadn't taken very good care of it and it showed.

I resolved to take very good care of my own acoustic bass guitar. Every day I used it, I would start by wiping it with a dry cloth, tuning it up, and checking to make sure that everything was in working order. Acoustic bass guitars are actually pretty low maintenance instruments, so as long as you keep them in the right conditions, they are not too hard to take care of. You don't want to expose them to excessive moisture or to get them too hot or too cold. Most of all, you don't want to have radical temperature changes. Basically, don't leave

it in the car or in your unheated apartment in winter if you can avoid it.

It is amazing what having a nice sounding instrument will do for you. I have experimented a little bit with playing bass before as I told you, but it has never felt anything like this. The sound was so rich and full on the acoustic bass guitar that I just couldn't stop playing. My fingers were practically bleeding by the time I was done practicing every day, and the next day I was always ready for more. I knew that, if I persisted, I would be good in no time.

In a lot of rock bands, the guitar player with the inferior skills ends up playing the bass. As a result, there are a lot of lousy bass players out there. When I first touched this acoustic bass guitar, however, I knew that I would become good. I would not just be another second string musician. I would specialize in playing the acoustic bass guitar and really investigate all of the sonic possibilities. I'm not there yet, but I'm definitely making progress. Any day now, I will be the bass player I want to be.