ORIANA BARBATO, BASSIST IN RAKKATAK, SANTERÍAS
I bought my Ernie Ball Music Man bass more than a decade ago, and I loved the sound until about four years ago, when my jack stopped working. I took it to a pretty well-known music store in Toronto to get it fixed, but when it came back it never sounded the same. So I bought a P-Bass and took it to George Vasiliou of GV Basses who's a really nice guy, an awesome bassist and an accomplished bass and guitar luthier. He also makes really cool pedals. We decided to upgrade the pickups, and it became my working bass. His work was impeccable and fast, and I could tell he loves what he does.

I still missed the sound of the Music Man, though. About a month ago, I was browsing Kijiji and ran into an ad for guitar and bass repairs. I immediately felt this rush and decided to grab my Music Man and my new fretless Warwick and take them to this new place. Matt at SOLO Music Gear (unit 15, 6295 Northam Drive, Mississauga) was exceptional. He fixed both basses and told me that when he looked inside the Music Man it looked like a squirrel had been living in there. He was super-cool, knowledgeable and also has great taste when it comes to basses. He owns a Music Man and a Warwick just like me. And if you're into building your own guitar or bass, SOLO also offers that service.

Santerías play Burdock (1184 Bloor West) on January 21. Rakkatak celebrate the release of third album Small Pieces on April 14 at Burdock.