Fortunately I had the handy assistance of Interns Eric Sandler and Marty Fowler (Office Lad 1 and Office Lad 2, for those who are keeping track). Marty did most of the “heavy lifting”: the editorial grunt work of sorting and concatenating, accomplished through spreadsheet savvy and sheer force of will, and helped considerably by the application of a strong epoxy to the seat of his office chair. Meanwhile, Eric pursued many of the fact-check questions: Are the model names correct? Does such-and-such bass really fit in that price category? Is there really a product called “whatever Geddy uses”?

Normally, we spend our gear-writing efforts explaining technology, identifying trends, and evaluating how specific pieces of gear perform on gigs and rehearsals, measuring them against our collective experience of how gear ought to help you make music. But this is different: Now we’re using your collective experience to acknowledge exemplary products. Taken all together, there’s a secondary benefit: The voting results make up an enlightening summary of what players are actually using and digging. Similarly, the portions about artists, albums, and Bass Player’s recent coverage can help spread the word on music worth checking out.

Thanks to all of you for participating in this new process. To put it plainly, we couldn’t have done it without you. And congratulations to all the winners of the Bass Player Readers’ Choice Awards!