addictedtobass Posted January 9, 2017 Posted January 9, 2017 Hi all. are there any basses out there that would fit a smallish 9 year old ? my boy is starting to take a real interest in bass (more importantly MY bass) i bought him a childs 6 string to try and satisfy his curiosity , but he has learnt the opening line to "another one bites the dust" amongst other bits and bobs on bass and is becoming a serious risk to my guitars. he just wants a bass ! anyone know of anything very light and very short scale that is not going to break the bank ? any advice would be appreciated cheers bob Quote
charic Posted January 9, 2017 Posted January 9, 2017 If he's interested in your bass I would go the whole hog and get him a "proper" bass. Sure, to begin with it'll be a bit big on him but I doubt he'll be playing the most complex stuff to begin with Quote
pmjos Posted January 9, 2017 Posted January 9, 2017 Get him a standard short scale bass. Get him the best one you cab afford. The worst thing anyone can ever do is get a kid a starter instrument, they just don;t make a nice noise and its the nice noise that they really want. Quote
Rexel Matador Posted January 9, 2017 Posted January 9, 2017 Ibanez Mikro? https://www.gak.co.uk/en/ibanez-gsrm20b-wnf-walnut-flat/111403?gclid=CMHgpM2MtdECFdS4GwodmPUKtw Or one of those ukulele basses if you want something even smaller! Quote
addictedtobass Posted January 9, 2017 Author Posted January 9, 2017 all good advice chaps. I think as long as the action is fairly playable he wont be too fussed about sound perfection. i will invest in a "proper" bass for him or even give him one of mine when he proves its not just a 5 minute fad. as for the ibanez , that is beautiful looking ! i really like the look of that, i prefer short scale so i may just buy one for myself er... just to see if it will suit him. gonna have a trawl through the interweb to see if there is anything 1/2 scale that he can tinker with Quote
addictedtobass Posted January 9, 2017 Author Posted January 9, 2017 looking at uke basses too. that looks like a definate option. Quote
pete.young Posted January 9, 2017 Posted January 9, 2017 Check Ebay for a Tanglewood Electric Elf, EB-18 - these are great little basses with 19.75 inch scale length, I bought one for my lad when he was 9. Even a regular short-scale bass will be 30" which is a long stretch for small hands. Quote
Truckstop Posted January 9, 2017 Posted January 9, 2017 Perhaps something with a small body? SGCNanyo's are actually really good quality basses, they look pretty racy, and with a small body and long horn, the first fret doesn't feel too far away. That Mikro does look the business though doesn't it! Quote
scrumpymike Posted January 9, 2017 Posted January 9, 2017 +1 for the Mikro - amazing quality for the price and absolutely not a toy. I got one as a travel bass and recently moved it on to a Basschatter for his son. Quote
niagra Posted January 9, 2017 Posted January 9, 2017 My lad plays guitar, but when he was 9 he had to play bass in a school concert. He used my p-bass and had no problems, he's average sized. He played sitting down so the weight wasn't a problem. Quote
casapete Posted January 9, 2017 Posted January 9, 2017 [quote name='pete.young' timestamp='1483967199' post='3211452'] Check Ebay for a Tanglewood Electric Elf, EB-18 - these are great little basses with 19.75 inch scale length, I bought one for my lad when he was 9. Even a regular short-scale bass will be 30" which is a long stretch for small hands. [/quote] +1 for these. I bought one for myself after sustaining a shoulder accident which meant I couldn't reach a long scale neck, or carry a full size bass for a few months. They are really just a mini-precision, and sound fantastic!! Perfect for what you need I reckon, and not stupid dear either - think mine was around £95 a few years ago, and have occasionally seen them s/h for around £50. Quote
casapete Posted January 9, 2017 Posted January 9, 2017 (edited) Then again, for a Beatles fan perhaps - [url="http://www.musicradar.com/reviews/bass/classic-25-electric-bass-guitar-596839"]http://www.musicrada...s-guitar-596839[/url] 25" scale too, might be okay. Edited January 9, 2017 by casapete Quote
T-Bay Posted January 9, 2017 Posted January 9, 2017 My daughter is 9 and can't get on with a full scale. As a short term thing she is playing four strings on a semi acoustic guitar I have. I am looking at short scales as I think they will be ok but the Tanglewood ones look even better. Quote
mikel Posted January 9, 2017 Posted January 9, 2017 There is no doubt he will find a short scale easier to play with small hands. If you want to give him every encouragement. Its a bit like starting someone off cycling on your old bike. Sure its a bit too big, and the crank length is not right for him, but he will grow into it. For me, not the way to go. Is it him that wants to play the bass or is it you that would like him to play? If he is sure he wants to give it a good go then a short scale could last him forever if he wants. I have played loads of long scale basses without any problem but I am a little guy with small hands and playing my first short scale was a revelation. I have used short scale for the last 31 years. They are not toys and lose nothing sound wise if you get a decent one. Quote
ratman Posted January 9, 2017 Posted January 9, 2017 Check out one of these: https://www.thomann.de/gb/harley_benton_hbp90bk_shortscale_ebass.htm?ref=search_prv_4 I picked one up recently and it's brilliant. I did change the strings for some decent ones, and I gave it a quick set up. I've gigged it too and it rocked. Quote
Harryburke14 Posted January 9, 2017 Posted January 9, 2017 Ibanez Mikro, Squier shortscale (cant remember if its Jaguar or Mustang) both good shouts. I also remember hearing the Harley Benton Shorty P Bass is very good VFM. Quote
ratman Posted January 9, 2017 Posted January 9, 2017 The HB Shorty is very good. 350 out of the 466 reviews are 4 & 5 star, and it's a tad under £75 delivered. Quote
addictedtobass Posted January 9, 2017 Author Posted January 9, 2017 Wow thanks for all the replies fellas. I have got about a weeks worth of research to do now. I have debated buying the thomman shorty before and oddly enough are just in the process of getting the pb50 for myself,I may have to rethink that.but the tanglewood looks tempting too Cheers guys Quote
addictedtobass Posted January 9, 2017 Author Posted January 9, 2017 was having a look at the shorty but for some reason they only seem to available as b stock at the moment Quote
Maude Posted January 9, 2017 Posted January 9, 2017 (edited) Danelectro Longhorn, or other Dano shortscale. Cheap, very light, short scale, slim neck, cool as hell Edited January 9, 2017 by Maude Quote
TheGreek Posted January 9, 2017 Posted January 9, 2017 Not teeny tiny but at £40... https://www.gumtree.com/e/westfield-bass-guitar-34-sunburst/v1%7C201777399014%7C0 Quote
addictedtobass Posted January 9, 2017 Author Posted January 9, 2017 made up my mind . its a shorty for him. and ill get myself the pb50. would have had the £40 jobbie but warrington is a bit of a trip. Quote
alyctes Posted January 9, 2017 Posted January 9, 2017 Mikros are good but mine buzzes, don't know why. I need to sort it out and flog it. Quote
Harryburke14 Posted January 9, 2017 Posted January 9, 2017 [quote name='addictedtobass' timestamp='1483995815' post='3211871'] made up my mind . its a shorty for him. and ill get myself the pb50. would have had the £40 jobbie but warrington is a bit of a trip. [/quote] Let us know how they are. Been eying up a PB50 myself from Harley Benton. Quote
obbm Posted January 9, 2017 Posted January 9, 2017 [quote name='TheGreek' timestamp='1483995647' post='3211869'] Not teeny tiny but at £40... [url="https://www.gumtree.com/e/westfield-bass-guitar-34-sunburst/v1%7C201777399014%7C0"]https://www.gumtree....01777399014%7C0[/url] [/quote] If this is the 24/25-inch scale version then it is a great buy. I have one and strung with cut-down flats sounds just like a full size Precision. Very rare. Someone please buy it. Quote
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.