Bass for 15 years old girl

[Lako]

Hello to all. My daughter playing Squier vintage modified jazz bass . Having truble with neck length and frets spacing. Could you please recommend any short scale/ more suitable 4string bass for her? Preferably fit in £400 used price 

/Would be Sterling by musicman the option here/

Many thanks in advance

[Twigman]

Sterling by musicman is the same scale length as Squier VM so no.

 

I would say that to persevere with the 34" long scale neck is the best idea. Most basses are that length. I remember when i was a boy thinking the neck was too long for my little hands but I soon got used to it.

If you absolutely must have a short scale (30") or medium scale (32") there are only a few to choose from in the budget market.

 

[philparker]

The first bass I learnt on, as a 15-year old (boy!) was a short scale, inexpensive Gibson EB copy, which I think was a 30" scale and very easy to play and learn.

I don't think it matters too much about the make/model, but just choose a good second-hand bass with either a 30" or 32" scale. You won't have far to look with a budget of £400.

[Frank Blank]

Try a Gretsch G2220, under £300 and that’s new, they are a little heavy but, imho, about the best short scale in the price range you are looking at. I couldn’t believe the build quality at this price point.

[EliasMooseblaster]

I started out on a Squier Bronco myself - short-scale, and a very good bass for the money (about £200 brand new these days).

However, if your daughter's used to the Jazz then she may want something with a wider range of tones. Squier do make a Jaguar bass, which you could very easily get within a £400 budget, especially if you go second-hand - you might even get a s/h Fender if you're lucky! I believe they're also a 30" scale.

[Teebs]

27 minutes ago, Frank Blank said:

Try a Gretsch G2220, under £300 and that’s new, they are a little heavy but, imho, about the best short scale in the price range you are looking at. I couldn’t believe the build quality at this price point.

  This.

[EliasMooseblaster]

Just a thought: if you could stretch to £500 or so, that seems to be the high street price for a lot of Chowny basses. They seem to specialise in short-scales, and I've only heard good things about them. (They might be harder to come by second-hand, as the company's only a few years old - but worth trying the Marketplace here)

Or you could follow Frank Blank's advice...that Gretsch looks gorgeous! (I'd be tempted myself if they did a long-scale version...)

[Teebs]

6 minutes ago, EliasMooseblaster said:

Just a thought: if you could stretch to £500 or so, that seems to be the high street price for a lot of Chowny basses. They seem to specialise in short-scales, and I've only heard good things about them. (They might be harder to come by second-hand, as the company's only a few years old - but worth trying the Marketplace here)

Or you could follow Frank Blank's advice...that Gretsch looks gorgeous! (I'd be tempted myself if they did a long-scale version...)

Or... calling @Chownybass...

[skankdelvar]

@Lako No point in persisting with full scale if your daughter finds it too uncomfortable. For one thing it could put her off and for another she might (possibly) strain a muscle.

So maybe experiment with a short-scale, in which case I'd absolutely recommend the Squier Bronco - it's a short scale bass (30") designed for younger (i.e. smaller) people but perfectly playable in every other sense.

Squier Bronco

Broncos are nice and easy to play, very light and they sound pretty good considering the stock pick-up is basically out of a Strat. The bridge and tuners are more robust than they look and do the job fine. The wiring harness is ugly but functional. The stock strings get adverse comment so they might need to be replaced with a higher quality set.

At about £150 online they're as cheap as chips and they hold their value well, going for about £100-£120 secondhand) so the depreciation is next to nothing. Better still, there's a Bronco modding community out there so when the young player outgrows the Bass she can pass it on to Dad to mess around with.

If you can't live with a Bronco try an Ibanez Talman TMB30 shortscale. It's a bit better made than the Bronco  but I found that the neck was a tad less comfortable in the hand.

Ibanez Talman

 

 

Edited October 9, 2019 by skankdelvar

[Skinnyman]

Another one for the Gretsch here.....

Or a Chowny.

Don't think you could go wrong with either

[Lako]

Thanks for very appreciated input guys 👍

Can't stretch to 500 as even on 400 I'm stretched 😀 

and looks like there are decent options for much less out there by your replays 👍 thanks again for taking the time

She do play a lot of RHCP. Therefore which of above would be more suitable for slapping? 

Love that TMB30. Can't believe it goes for dirty £169 new ???

Also im in guitars for 25+ years and I kinda never was in favor of buying a new instrument . It never make any sense to me. But the true is, I never fished in £169 -for-new waters 😁

 

[T-Bay]

Ibanez Talman every time for me, and a shed load of cash to spare.

[AngelDeVille]

Bronco or Talman.

 

I'm looking at a Bronco tonight for my 6 year old....  well.. I'll let him play it too...

[skankdelvar]

9 minutes ago, T-Bay said:

Ibanez Talman every time for me

The Talman is a higher quality bass than the Bronco and more versatile in the sounds department.

Playing wise, the thing that swung it for me was the nut width on the Talman is 41mm whereas it's 38mm on the Bronco which I found slightly more comfortable, me having stumpy fingers and preferring a Jazz-width.

Edited October 9, 2019 by skankdelvar

[Frank Blank]

I was unimpressed with the Ibanez Talman, but I played one straight after playing the Gretsch. What I’d do is make a note of all these basses and go try as many out as you can. At the risk of sounding like a broken record come along to a Bass Bash and you’d be able to try some out and no doubt get a chance to try out many Chowny basses as @Chownybass invariably rocks up with a plethora of shorties.

[Maude]

Hofner Ignition series Club bass or Violin bass. Slim neck, short scale, very light, very good useable range of tones and between £250 & £300 new.

Both available in black or sunburst. 

 

[itu]

Hofner and Gretsch have one issue in common: the upper horn is so short (the strap connects at around 15th fret). The reach to half and first position is further away than with Talman (strap @ 12th fret).

[gusbass]

😉

https://www.gak.co.uk/en/squier-classic-vibe-60s-mustang-bass-olympic-white/928822

[Maude]

3 minutes ago, itu said:

Hofner and Gretsch have one issue in common: the upper horn is so short (the strap connects at around 15th fret). The reach to half and first position is further away than with Talman (strap @ 12th fret).

This is true and I didn't think of that. My Club bass doesn't 'feel' as short as it actually is on a strap. Sat down it's not an issue though. 

[Frank Blank]

20 minutes ago, itu said:

Hofner and Gretsch have one issue in common: the upper horn is so short (the strap connects at around 15th fret). The reach to half and first position is further away than with Talman (strap @ 12th fret).

I had no idea as I only play sitting down, excellent info.

Edited October 9, 2019 by Frank Blank

[Pea Turgh]

19 minutes ago, gusbass said:

😉

https://www.gak.co.uk/en/squier-classic-vibe-60s-mustang-bass-olympic-white/928822

One of these all day long!  They just look so damn cool!

[ead]

Surely a 2004 MIA Fender (for the future) 

[Marc S]

Hi @Lako,

I started out with a short scale, years ago (it was an utterly awful Kay rick copy bass) 
My next, and much much better bass was a Fender Musicmaster (also a Short Scale)

Neither put me off playing a long scale, or detracted from playing a long scale in later life. If your daughter really is struggling with stretches, then it might be best for her to try a short scale.
Perhaps keep the long scale, for use in a year or two - and maybe even an occasional "noodle" to see if she is stretching better, after some time?

The Hofner violin bass is a nice light instrument, but it can feel a little "awkward" to play. Although the body is so small, as @Frank Blank points out - the position of the strap connection point  can make it feel like the headstock and first couple of frets are a long way away. It can feel quite a stretch, depending on how long your daughters arms are... so try one, but bear this in mind., and try other basses to compare.

As others have said - let your daughter try as many as possible. But my first thought was like many others - try a Squier - either the Bronco,
or my own option would be to try the Jaguar - as it has two pickups, in a P/J arrangement, so she can get more varied sounds / tones from it.
BUT - be sure to get the Short Scale (SS) version - as they also do a long scale version. You can pick these up 2nd hand for around £150 plus, and they're quite nice basses.
I met an experienced player a while back, who bought one for a young relative - the kid lost interest, but the chap tried it himself & liked it - so he swapped the pickups for something better
and it's now his gigging bass, having deposed much more expensive, upmarket instruments  

Good luck with the search!

[MrCrane]

The Ibanez Mikro is another short scale worth considering.

 

 

 

 

[OliverBlackman]

I’m not much for the bronco’s, I think the materials they used were a bit cheap and I would say get it properly setup even if new. The mustang would get my vote or if she’s a RHCP fan then the old flea bass would be a good shout. This example is actually quite expensive but I’m sure with some digging you could find a cheaper one. https://m.ebay.co.uk/itm/Flea-Bass-Guitar/323831152871?ul_ref=https://rover.ebay.com/rover/1/710-53481-19255-0/1?ff3=2&pub=5575376664&toolid=10001&campid=5338268676&customid=EAIaIQobChMIqu6eypSW5QIVDbDtCh096AT4EAQYAyABEgJoufD_BwE&lgeo=1&item=323831152871&srcrot=710-53481-19255-0&rvr_id=2141384762883&rvr_ts=becb323b16d0aa660854b581fffc0127&_mwBanner=1&_rdt=1&ul_noapp=true&pageci=eff41be5-fcdb-40b7-8d59-240a2ec0ddd2