Rayman Posted July 24, 2009 Posted July 24, 2009 I've bought my daughter her first bass. She's only 8, but I've forced the bass upon her before the dark side of the lead guitar gets her first. She's had a half sized bass on loan from Tayste2000 for a while, and I bought her a Peavey Micro bass amp. It's er......pink.......and it's made by Swift. OK, OK she's 8... I wasn't about to invest in a Fodera to get her started was I? It [i]looks[/i] nice...and....er....pink, but you could drive a bus under the action, even with the truss tightened up to it's limits and the bridge saddles as low as they'll go, but hey ho, I'm sure she'll love it, she's got to start somewhere eh? Maybe I'll post pics in the porn section? Quote
xilddx Posted July 24, 2009 Posted July 24, 2009 [quote name='Rayman' post='550136' date='Jul 24 2009, 01:14 PM']I've bought my daughter her first bass. She's only 8, but I've forced the bass upon her before the dark side of the lead guitar gets her first. She's had a half sized bass on loan from Tayste2000 for a while, and I bought her a Peavey Micro bass amp. It's er......pink.......and it's made by Swift. OK, OK she's 8... I wasn't about to invest in a Fodera to get her started was I? It [i]looks[/i] nice...and....er....pink, but you could drive a bus under the action, even with the truss tightened up to it's limits and the bridge saddles as low as they'll go, but hey ho, I'm sure she'll love it, she's got to start somewhere eh? Maybe I'll post pics in the porn section? [/quote] How much was it? maybe you could have gone for a Daisy Rock? Quote
OldGit Posted July 24, 2009 Posted July 24, 2009 Just Shim the neck .. put a bit of card under the end of teh neck at the body end. That will pivot it differently and can bring the action down.. Quote
Buzz Posted July 24, 2009 Posted July 24, 2009 The Swift guitars are a bit shoddy, I bought a Les Paul a couple of summers ago. But for £60 I'm not complaining as I'm refinishing it (yes still) as a project. If it plays well afterwards it's a bonus. Quote
51m0n Posted July 24, 2009 Posted July 24, 2009 My tip for a top starter bass for young'uns is a Bronco, they are short scale, look right, and you can (with some effort due to the stupid truss rod placement) get the action decent. Oh and they are as cheap as chips! Quote
alexclaber Posted July 24, 2009 Posted July 24, 2009 [quote name='OldGit' post='550142' date='Jul 24 2009, 01:17 PM']Just Shim the neck .. put a bit of card under the end of teh neck at the body end. That will pivot it differently and can bring the action down..[/quote] Exactly. Last thing you want is your daughter getting used to it and then laughing at the girly action on Dad's bass. Alex Quote
leftybassman392 Posted July 24, 2009 Posted July 24, 2009 [quote name='Rayman' post='550136' date='Jul 24 2009, 01:14 PM']I've bought my daughter her first bass. She's only 8, but I've forced the bass upon her before the dark side of the lead guitar gets her first. She's had a half sized bass on loan from Tayste2000 for a while, and I bought her a Peavey Micro bass amp. It's er......pink.......and it's made by Swift. OK, OK she's 8... I wasn't about to invest in a Fodera to get her started was I? It [i]looks[/i] nice...and....er....pink, but you could drive a bus under the action, even with the truss tightened up to it's limits and the bridge saddles as low as they'll go, but hey ho, I'm sure she'll love it, she's got to start somewhere eh? Maybe I'll post pics in the porn section? [/quote] Is the neck reasonably straight (bearing in mind that it's a budget model)? If it is then I'd have to go along with the neck shim. Also you'd probably be advised to try out some lighter strings - even some well chosen guitar strings if necessary - if she's only 8 she won't notice the difference and it will give small fingers an easier time. Biggest problem my younger students have is getting a decent note out of their instruments. Trust me, simply fretting notes correctly on a bass is going to be a big deal for an 8 year-old. The more help you can give her the better. Quote
Clarky Posted July 24, 2009 Posted July 24, 2009 I've started my 11 year-old son Alfie on bass. Problem is he is left handed. Managed to track down a short-scale, lefty Precision-alike by SX from the US. Cost just over £100. Reasonably good quality too and the action is OK. Was teaching him 'Killing In the Name of' last night! Quote
steve-soar Posted July 24, 2009 Posted July 24, 2009 [quote name='leftybassman392' post='550164' date='Jul 24 2009, 01:31 PM']Is the neck reasonably straight (bearing in mind that it's a budget model)? If it is then I'd have to go along with the neck shim. Also you'd probably be advised to try out some lighter strings - even some well chosen guitar strings if necessary - if she's only 8 she won't notice the difference and it will give small fingers an easier time. Biggest problem my younger students have is getting a decent note out of their instruments. Trust me, simply fretting notes correctly on a bass is going to be a big deal for an 8 year-old. The more help you can give her the better.[/quote]I totally agree with this. I try to set up the basses of my students to make life easier for them to get a good solid tone, when they can hear a clean note it gives a solid foundation to their playing. Lighter strings, neck shim and check the string height at the nut, on most budget basses it can be really high, you can sometimes just tap the nut out and sand it down a touch, every little helps. Quote
leftybassman392 Posted July 24, 2009 Posted July 24, 2009 [quote name='Clarky' post='550180' date='Jul 24 2009, 01:40 PM']I've started my 11 year-old son Alfie on bass. Problem is he is left handed. Managed to track down a short-scale, lefty Precision-alike by SX from the US. Cost just over £100. Reasonably good quality too and the action is OK. Was teaching him 'Killing In the Name of' last night![/quote] You wanna buy my Lefty Jaydee for him - A snip at £800? Quote
Rayman Posted July 24, 2009 Author Posted July 24, 2009 (edited) Thanks for all that. Well it was only 40 quid from the bay, so I wasn't expecting much Yes the neck shim had already occured to me, I'll get around to that. It needs new strings, so when I get some I'll shim it then. Sanding the nut down is an idea too. Like I say, it doesn't have to be of the highest quality at this point, and if she keeps up with playing it, I'll get her something better. The most important thing to her was the fact that it had to be pink . Edited July 24, 2009 by Rayman Quote
OldGit Posted July 24, 2009 Posted July 24, 2009 [quote name='Clarky' post='550180' date='Jul 24 2009, 01:40 PM']I've started my 11 year-old son Alfie on bass. Problem is he is left handed. Managed to track down a short-scale, lefty Precision-alike by SX from the US. Cost just over £100. Reasonably good quality too and the action is OK. Was teaching him 'Killing In the Name of' last night![/quote] Start him out "right handed" and do you both a favour.... Quote
Rayman Posted July 24, 2009 Author Posted July 24, 2009 Holly has started her bass playing future by trying to learn some of Tina Weymouths basslines on Talking Heads' album Remain In Light. How cool is that? 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.