It’s an election year and the economy’s looking sketchy. Short of record-breaking rate cuts, what’s a government to do? Slip us all a little cash, that’s what. Accordingly, the tax-rebate-packed Economic Stimulus Act of 2008 whizzed through Congress and onto the President’s desk faster than Ben Bernanke could Google the lyrics to “I’m Just a Bill.” To get what’s coming to you, you’ve got to be a U.S. taxpayer, file a tax return even if you don’t normally (we hope you’ve done that by now), and make room in your schedule for obsessive mailbox-checking, or its electronic equivalent. Most taxpayers can expect around $600 per person plus $300 per minor dependent.

Once you’ve got scratch in hand, it’s time to make an important choice: Should you be prudent, and use that cash to pay some bills, reduce your debt, take the kids to the dentist, or sock something away for a gigless day? Or should you be patriotic and inject that capital back into the economy to help get things moving? The choice is yours, but if you opt for tax-rebate-and-spend, we’ve got a few suggestions.

1) The Bass You Don’t Have

We all have dream gear: that next cool bass, that big powerful head, or that groovy little combo. But let’s get practical. Does your stash of go-to gear contain all the basic instruments a bandleader or producer might expect you to bring? Go through this checklist and see:

A “normal” bass. Don’t pretend you don’t see those eyes rolling when you whip out your exotic burl-top 7-string at a blues-rock session. They think your tone will be weird, or they expect you’re going to paint numerous notes all over their finely crafted arrangements. Who cares if they’re wrong? Perception is half the battle. Get yourself a P-Bass, or something similarly traditional. You’ll sound just fine—or you’ll look like you will—and that’ll help them feel good about having hired you. A Fender Precision Standard goes for about $450.

A 5-string. Can’t play a note below E without tuning down to flopsville? That won’t cut it on a modern-funk, pop, or worship gig. There are plenty of great 5-strings under $600, like the ESP D5 ($429), Ibanez Soundgear SR505 ($579), G&L Tribute L2500 ($599), OLP MM32 ($450), and Yamaha BB415 ($450), and multiple models from Peavey, Rockbass by Warwick, Schecter, Traben, and others.

An acoustic or upright. Consider an acoustic bass guitar—there are scores to choose from—or an electric upright. Most EUBs cost well over $600, but yoink your little write-off’s contribution to your rebate, and you’ll have about enough for an NS Design WAV bass ($900). Better yet, head down to your local instrument-rental shop—the local school music teacher will know where it is—and rent an acoustic upright for $70 to $120 per month.

Not a bass. Got every bass you need? Good. Now consider getting a guitar or a keyboard, and learning to play them. Not only could having these skills equal more gigs, but noodling around on chordal instruments will help you gain a better grasp of harmony, which will up your bass-line savvy and creativity by loads. Guitar Player magazine and guitarplayer.com are splendid sources for under-$500 guitar recommendations.

2) Lessons

Good teachers do more than just demonstrate new licks and tricks—they assess your strengths and weaknesses and help keep you on a progressive path. Regular weekly lessons are great for players new to the instrument, but even more advanced players can use the renewed focus that can come from just a few lessons with a well-respected local teacher, available for $50 to $100 an hour. And since being a good bass player is about more than just picks, plucks, and thumps, consider taking a few lessons on another instrument, especially drums, piano, guitar, or voice.

You can also take lessons online. For $50, you can enroll in a four-week course at musicdojo.com, where the bass faculty includes Adam Nitti, Anthony Wellington, and Dave LaRue. To seriously bone up on your slap skills, head to Tony Oppenheim’s Slap It! Online (slapit.com), the online version of popular funk technique text Slap It! There, for about $20 per year, you can access more written examples with audio at two tempos, with or without bass or drums. For a college-level 12-week course, consider berkleemusic.com, the online branch of Boston’s Berklee College of Music, which offers certificate programs and single courses, such as Bass Performance 101, Rock Bass, and Music Theory ($795 for non-credit, $995 for three credits). Online scholarships, financial aid, and flexible payment plans are available.

3) An Instrument Setup

Most of us are guilty of the following sin: We spend oodles on gear, but we often forget to set up our basses. If it’s been awhile since your last good setup, you’ll be astounded at the difference one can make in terms of playability and performance. Plan on spending around $50; your local music shop should be able to steer you toward skilled technicians.

Once enamored with how your instrument plays post-setup, consider acquiring the necessary skills and tools to do it yourself. A Basic Setup Kit from Stewart-MacDonald ($85) contains the specialized tools of the trade, and John LeVan’s illustrated Guitar Setup, Maintenance & Repair sells for $25. For $30, you can get the 3rd Edition of Dan Erlewine’s basic-to-deep reference, The Guitar Player Repair Guide, which comes with a DVD. The motorcycle-maintenance mavens at CruzTOOLS have even taken a turn down luthier lane with their GrooveTech Bass Tech Kit ($60), which includes an Easy Setup Guide for reference.

The PLEK Treatment
For a state-of-the-art setup, try PLEK. PLEK is a computer-controlled machine capable of analyzing the setup of your bass to a degree of precision unmatched by human tools. In combination with human-adjustable parameters, like the trussrod and string height, the PLEK ensures optimum nut and fret height for a given setup, using built-in grinders and cutters to facilitate the perfect fingerboard dress. In the U.S., repair shops in Nashville, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Baltimore, New York, Oklahoma, Virginia, and the Chicago area all have the machine, with new locations popping up all the time. PLEK-aided setups range from $150–300, depending on the additional human adjustments necessary. Check out www.plek.com for more information.

4) Stage Goodies

Dead batteries and tangled cables suck, right? A good pedalboard makes setup easy and load-out quick, plus it protects your pedals and cables from unnecessary wear and tear. For under a hundred bucks, you might pick up a pedal sling like the Electro-Harmonix Pedal Bag ($40), Coffin Case LF-110 ($90), or Pedaltrain PT-JR ($100). But consider upping your budget to fit a pedalboard with an included power supply, like the Boss BCB-60 ($140), Voodoo Labs Pedal Power 2 ($170), SKB PS-15 ($160), or Gator GW-Gig Box JR PWR ($180). Wanna splurge? The Furman SPB-8 ($200), SKB PS-45 ($250), and Pedal Pad MPS-Lite ($250) are all well-appointed pedalboards that will make life onstage that much sweeter. Just be sure to beat your guitarist to the stage so you can claim your floorspace!

Once you’ve mounted your effects on a board, you might streamline your signal chain with a custom patch-cable kit. They cost between $50 and $65 and are available from CoreX2, Planet Waves, and George L’s. After all, the dreaded “tone-suck” that comes from extra feet of cable, well, sucks.

There are all sorts of other little ways to step it up out in the gig trenches, whether it’s with a sleek collapsible music stand (K&M 12179, $75), a powerful light stand (Mighty Bright Triple LED, $25), or even a batch of business cards (available online for under $5) to make sure fellow musicians know you’re always looking to play more.

5) A Computer-Based Recording Rig

Computer recording is one of the all-time great deals. Sure, there’s a significant up-front cost (even more significant if you don’t already own a computer), but splurge behind you, a limitless realm of opportunity awaits. Presuming you’ve already got that computer (Mac or PC will do, although Mac is the industry standard), Step 2 is investing in an audio interface and software. Each system has its merits, but you definitely can’t go wrong with Digidesign Pro Tools, which is de rigueur in most professional studios. Digidesign’s entry-level interface, the Mbox 2 ($449), includes Pro Tools LE software and a suite of soft synths and compatible partner-programs. Pro Tools requires using a limited number of Digidesign or M-Audio interfaces, but the other DAW programs (Digital Audio Workstation, the center of a computer recording setup) don’t. Check out audio interfaces with instrument inputs like the M-Audio Fast Track USB ($99), Edirol UA-25 ($239), Lexicon Alpha ($99), Presonus Inspire 1394 ($149), Tapco Link.USB ($149), or MOTU Fast Lane USB ($74). Next, do your research (may I suggest our sister publication, EQ) and choose your DAW software. A few popular faves: MOTU Digital Performer 5 ($500), Apple Logic Studio ($500) or the “lite” version, Logic Express ($199), Cakewalk Sonar Home Studio 6 ($99) or Sonar Producer Edition ($500), Ableton Live 7 ($500), or Steinberg Cubase 4 Essential ($149).

6) A Righteous Library

In the dizzying rise of the Internet as a trusted source of bass information, it’s easy to forget that good-ol’ books are often a more reliable, accessible, and portable resource. Why not use that extra income to flesh out your musical library? Cruise powells.com or amazon.com (or better yet, visit your local bookstore!) to find the following suggestions (prices are approximate):

Bach’s Six Suites for Solo Cello ($15)
The Bass Player Book, ed. by Karl Coryat ($23)
Thesaurus of Scales and Melodic Patterns by Nicolas Slonimsky ($30)
The Real Book Vols. I, II, and III, compiled by Hal Leonard ($25–30 each)
The Evolving Bassist by Rufus Reid ($30)
The Jazz Musician's Guide to Creative Practicing by David Berkman ($29)
The Complete Electric Bass Player Series by Chuck Rainey ($17–25 each)
Effortless Mastery: Liberating the Master Musician Within by Kenny Werner ($20)
Charlie Parker Omni Book C by Charlie Parker ($15)
Standing in the Shadows of Motown by Allan “Dr. Licks” Slutsky ($35)
New Method for the Double Bass by F. Simandl ($24)
The Funkmasters—The Great James Brown Rhythm Sections by Allan “Dr. Licks” Slutsky and Chuck Silverman ($30)
Ray Brown’s Bass Method by Ray Brown ($13)
The Improvisor’s Bass Method by Chuck Sher ($20)
The Jazz Bass Book by John Goldsby ($25)
The Working Bassist’s Tool Kit by Ed Friedland ($14)

7) A Digital Recorder

Think your playing is hot stuff? Well, “the tape don’t lie,” as they say, and neither do the ones and zeroes. Any one of a handful of new handheld digital recorders can give you all the realistic criticism you or your band need to hear it like it is and make necessary improvements. There are models from Zoom, Edirol, Marantz, M-Audio, Yamaha, Tascam, Sony, and Olympus, and range from $200 to $500. Each records in a choice of different formats—for example, wav files, high- and low-resolution mp3s—for crisp, clear recordings at various file sizes, which you can easily transfer to you computer.

8) A Weekend with Bass Player

What would a suggested-spend list be without an obligatory plug? Bass Player LIVE! is a weekend of enriching workshops, incredibly groovy hangs, and bass performances, where you get to learn from and hobnob with some of the leading lights of bass, while getting your hands on the coolest gear. Likely your biggest costs will be travel and accommodations; the latter is generally more affordable in Los Angeles, the site of this year’s BPL, than New York. Details soon; meanwhile, check out videos of the ’07 clinics at live.bassplayer.com.                        BP