grapevinebass Posted November 9, 2012 Posted November 9, 2012 My drummer mate asked me if I could find a bass guitar suitable for his wife to learn on. No problem, I said. Now I've been thinking about this, it is not as easy as I thought…. She is only 5ft tall, slight build with arms and fingers in proportion. So she needs something light, ideally short scale with a narrow neck. It needs to be pretty (after all, non-one want a butt ugly bass), and have a good tone with some grunt to it. If she practices grooving to the drummer, it will need to cut through as he is a loud drummer. So, any thoughts as to suitable gear? Even better if you have something suitable for sale or trade. Quote
OldG Posted November 9, 2012 Posted November 9, 2012 I had a lad come round for some guidance a while ago, he brought along a Squier Bronco - which sounded great through a decent rig! Not exactly pretty to some - but fits the bill every where else.... [url="http://www.dv247.com/assets/products/34776_l.jpg"]http://www.dv247.com/assets/products/34776_l.jpg[/url] Quote
dlloyd Posted November 9, 2012 Posted November 9, 2012 I wouldn't necessarily say it would need to be short scale. Check out Meshell Ndegeocello in this clip (she's playing bass from 3:00 into it). She's 5'0" tall. [media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=srCZE_jIYdk&feature=related[/media] Quote
Lozz196 Posted November 9, 2012 Posted November 9, 2012 Assuming someone of 5 feet tall may not have the biggest hands, I`d suggest a Jazz bass. It may not be short-scale, but Jazzes are fairly easy to play, and Squier instruments are very good for the money. Quote
Dr M Posted November 9, 2012 Posted November 9, 2012 The short-scale Squier VM Jaguars might be worth looking at. They've got narrow (Jazz-style) necks, and a lot of people have good things to say about them. Plus the P/J pickups and active electronics will give a good range of sounds. Quote
Kongo Posted November 9, 2012 Posted November 9, 2012 Don't bother with short scale, it's the neck shape she'll be needing. You can move your hand to stretch more than you think and besides, some 6' tall males have sausage fingers which aren't much longer than a short woman's. I'd go more towards a Jazz neck to help at the nut. It's going across that'll be harder than going along. :-) Quote
bubinga5 Posted November 9, 2012 Posted November 9, 2012 (edited) [quote name='dlloyd' timestamp='1352459972' post='1863299'] I wouldn't necessarily say it would need to be short scale. Check out Meshell Ndegeocello in this clip (she's playing bass from 3:00 into it). She's 5'0" tall. [media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=srCZE_jIYdk&feature=related[/media] [/quote]yeah but this is Meshell ndegeocello.. maybe not the best example Edited November 9, 2012 by bubinga5 Quote
BetaFunk Posted November 9, 2012 Posted November 9, 2012 [quote name='bubinga5' timestamp='1352500010' post='1864037'] yeah but this is Meshell ndegeocello.. maybe not the best example [/quote] Quote
KingBollock Posted November 9, 2012 Posted November 9, 2012 (edited) I would recommend the [url="http://www.westfieldguitar.co.uk/westfield/prod_details.asp?ID=829"]Westfield Small Body[/url]. Not short scale but very delicately proportioned. And for such a cheap make they're actually quite well thought of. I have one of their old style Small Body's and it's lovely. [quote]Compact body size W style bass guitar. Full size in every important respect except for sheer bulk, the Westfield Small Body Bass is a dream to play due to it's slim profile neck and body.[/quote] Edited November 9, 2012 by KingBollock Quote
dlloyd Posted November 9, 2012 Posted November 9, 2012 [quote name='bubinga5' timestamp='1352500010' post='1864037'] yeah but this is Meshell ndegeocello.. maybe not the best example [/quote] Why not? You can clearly see that she isn't having to over-stretch in lower positions. In interviews she's said that the only physical difficulty she has with standard scale instruments is that she can't tune it in playing position. No, the OP's girl friend will never sound like Meshell, but that's not the point. Quote
GreeneKing Posted November 10, 2012 Posted November 10, 2012 Look for a Bass collection, not the new range but the older ones. They come up for a good price, are light, well made and a delight to play imo. Peter Quote
Dad3353 Posted November 10, 2012 Posted November 10, 2012 (edited) DaisyRock Retro Semi-hollow... [attachment=123347:Dais_Bass.jpg] ...I have the 6-stringer, in bright yellow, and it's wonderful (a bit difficult to track down, but a nice instrument, not a toy..!) Edited November 10, 2012 by Dad3353 Quote
Beer of the Bass Posted November 10, 2012 Posted November 10, 2012 A 5'0" friend of mine gets on OK with an Ibanez GSR180. The neck is shallow, they weigh next to nothing and they're not too expensive. A 34" scale can be fine, though she'll end up shifting around more in the lower positions. Quote
StephenFerguson Posted November 10, 2012 Posted November 10, 2012 Not a Daisy Rock, never a daisy rock a cv squire p or j bass or for something a bit different a tanglewood rebel 4k, small body, 24 frets, lovely neck and can usually be found for around £100, winner Quote
Evil Undead Posted November 10, 2012 Posted November 10, 2012 What about one of those ibanez mikro basses? They look awesome Quote
KingBollock Posted November 10, 2012 Posted November 10, 2012 I think the Tanglewood Rebel 4k is basically the same Bass as the Westfield Small Body that I own, just re-badged. It is actually a better Bass than the Westfield Small Body that I linked to. I've seen them labelled as Phil Pro and Rogue, too. They are a cracking Bass, especially for the price. Quote
StephenFerguson Posted November 10, 2012 Posted November 10, 2012 I actualy gigged one when my schecter stilletoes battery dies (dont even bother, i know *twit) and it cut through the mix very well, a little cracker! I also loved tanglewoods warwick rip off basses the warrior, I owned a warrior 2 and it was lovely! Quote
PlungerModerno Posted November 10, 2012 Posted November 10, 2012 (edited) [quote name='Evil Undead' timestamp='1352524300' post='1864213'] What about one of those ibanez mikro basses? They look awesome [/quote] I've heard these are very playable and excellent for the money. They have a 28.6" scale length and are light like the rest of the GSR line of ibby's. They are suitable for small hands : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZvI4GnVdHQw Also a good sound demo (towards end of vid, @ 3.00) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x-Ho86tHJsA&feature=related Edited November 10, 2012 by PlungerModerno Quote
KingBollock Posted November 10, 2012 Posted November 10, 2012 Gah! What's the name of the first tune that kid plays? I recognise it but can't think for the life of me what it's called or who it's by. It's going to bug me to death if I don't find out. Quote
PlungerModerno Posted November 10, 2012 Posted November 10, 2012 [quote name='KingBollock' timestamp='1352584178' post='1864971'] Gah! What's the name of the first tune that kid plays? I recognise it but can't think for the life of me what it's called or who it's by. It's going to bug me to death if I don't find out. [/quote] The first tune the young nipper slaps out is 'Can't Stop' by the red hot chilly willies... Quote
yepmop Posted November 10, 2012 Posted November 10, 2012 How about a hofner violin bass? I seem to see a lot of the girls playing these on you tube. Quote
KingBollock Posted November 10, 2012 Posted November 10, 2012 [quote name='PlungerModerno' timestamp='1352585918' post='1864992'] The first tune the young nipper slaps out is 'Can't Stop' by the red hot chilly willies... [/quote] Thank you! Quote
PlungerModerno Posted November 10, 2012 Posted November 10, 2012 [quote name='KingBollock' timestamp='1352587879' post='1865014'] Thank you! [/quote] My pleasure! Not my favourite song, I like some of fleas playing but sometimes the whole song, mix or something doesn't do it for me. It's fine, they have a lot of fans. It drives me crazy to have a piece of music stuck in my head and not know what it is. A particularly ridiculous example was a cheesy guitar and synth line in the backround of a chris morris radio show - had it stuck in my head for ages. Heard a snippet somewhere else with a lyric 'all this red tape' - looked it up, it was part of the pina colada song! http://i.imgur.com/NVX5S.jpg - I had a looped sample of the guitar part after the chorus stuck in my head. Lame. Catchy as hell though! Quote
KingBollock Posted November 10, 2012 Posted November 10, 2012 [quote name='PlungerModerno' timestamp='1352589402' post='1865030'] My pleasure! Not my favourite song, I like some of fleas playing but sometimes the whole song, mix or something doesn't do it for me. It's fine, they have a lot of fans. It drives me crazy to have a piece of music stuck in my head and not know what it is. A particularly ridiculous example was a cheesy guitar and synth line in the backround of a chris morris radio show - had it stuck in my head for ages. Heard a snippet somewhere else with a lyric 'all this red tape' - looked it up, it was part of the pina colada song! [url="http://i.imgur.com/NVX5S.jpg"]http://i.imgur.com/NVX5S.jpg[/url] - I had a looped sample of the guitar part after the chorus stuck in my head. Lame. Catchy as hell though! [/quote] I'm not a Chillis fan at all, but that tune sounded like it might be fun to learn. I shall crack the headphones out in a bit and give it a go. I've never actually learned to play any slap tunes before, so it could be interesting. Quote
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