Bass for a small lady

[ef37a]

My daughter is a bit over 5ft and has decided she would "quite like to learn the bass" ! She has no musical ability or knowledge but I will never put anyone off.
She had a quick go on my 'plywood Precision' and it seems she might get somewhere but my bass is way too heavy for her so, since another instrument is needed I thought a Jazz neck might suit her petite mitts better?

Had a very quick look and found several Jazz copies in the £100 area. Are these basses total farm floor material?

Dave.

[Stuart79]

No idea about the quality of the £100 jazz basses. I would imagine quality at that price point varies so it's a case of just trying them if possible to find out where the compromises are.

Have you considered short scale basses at all given her size? I'm a guitarist predominantly, but have a Mustang bass and the transition is pretty seamless for me. The body is a very comfortable size and weight relative to my friend's jazz bass.

[zenguitar]

There's a couple locally that perform as a duo. She plays a smaller bodied short scale bass that does a good job. The open mic night was last night so I won't see her again to enquire about the exact model for a month.

However, it does look like something along these lines. Small body, 30" scale.

https://www.andertons.co.uk/short-scale ... itar-black

Andy

[rggillespie]

I’ve found a full scale jazz bass a stretch for me and have settled on a mid scale Yamaha rbx a2m I think it’s called. Like a jazz bass but really super light, sounds great and comfortable sitting or strapped on. They do come up on eBay occasionally it might be discontinued I think. Also meaty but light is the Epiphone Allen Woody short scale bass a lotta bass for the money. It’s semi hollow so again not too heavy, a smallish neck too. Both of these I’d think would be better places to start than a full scale jazz or precision perhaps.

[MarkOne]

Suzi Quatro is 5'0" and most of her early gigs she played a Gibson Les Paul Pro recording bass (In her own words: "It weighs more than I do!") which she also shlepped around on the London Underground between home and gigs.

Just sayin'

[Aled Hughes]

Short-scale basses can be great. They can be easier to play, and it's fairly easy to swap between short and full-scale if you so wish.

Be aware though that it doesn't always equate to a lighter weight - I had a G&L Tribute Fallout short-scale for a while, and while I liked it, it weighed about the same as my full-size Fender Precision.

[Jorge]

The bass player in our group uses a ukelele bass for rehearsals so he can carry it on his bicycle riding into NYC from New Jersey. It is super light and sounds decent in his hands, but doesn't sound as good as his baby bass or full scale electric bass that he uses for gigs. You might try to audition some U Basses, I think there are some in your price range, especially used.

[Murray B]

I've got one of these

https://www.bax-shop.co.uk/right-handed ... ass-guitar

That I use for gigs, with flat wound strings and a felt mute and it's great for thumping bass lines. It's also a lot easier on my spine than the MusicMan bass I have.

They can usually be found for around £200 second hand perhaps a little cheaper.

There's a lot of love out there for the Squire Bronco basses, especially after a little upgrading on the tuners and the pickup, but I don't know if that kind of upgrading hassle would be what you'd want.

[ef37a]

I seem have suffered the "vanished post syndrome"!
I posted that I am being a bit sneaky. I am 75% certain daughter will not keep her interest and so if I buy the bass I will get it back in all probability and I have never had a 'Jazz'!

I always felt that the short scale bass guitar was a compromise too far? I am a rangy 6 footer so a 'proper' bass is no bother to me.

I have my answer really, nobody is saying those £100ish copies are total ***t.

Dave.

[ajay_m]

I definitely recommend a short scale bass but as the owner also of a G&L short scale bass I can attest they're not always lighter, so you'd want to check out options at one of the few remaining music shops around, and then see what you think.

[tea for two]

There's this small Welsh Lady she has some vids reviewing relatively el cheapo Bass Ukes.
https://m.youtube.com/@UkuleleWales/sea ... eap%20bass
Have seen a few go around £80 on an auction site.
I have my eye on the fretless fholes Batking Bass Uke.
I'm a chap I just like instruments I can easily take to bed with me.

[BenWilesMusic]

If the bass is for you, get whatever you like. But if it is for her, a shorter scale would probably help her progress faster and thus maintain her interest, unless she has enormous hands for her height.

Nonetheless, you mentioned the weight as the problem. I’ve never really noticed much difference between p and j basses, but looking at Fender models on Amazon (which lists weights) j basses are generally heavier than the equivalent p bass model. (Though cheaper models are lighter than more expensive models). That makes me think your daughter might get on better with something semi-acoustic (like a violin bass or a bass uke) or a travel bass like a Hofner shorty. Thomann and Harley Benton are your friends here.

One last thought. Scale length is arbitrary. Leo Fender had big hands, so standard size Strats and Teles have a longer scale length than Gibsons. Strangely, I never hear guitarists suggesting that going from a long Strat to a short LP is a compromise too far. Food for thought.

[Drew Stephenson]

Maybe worth having a look around for one of these: https://www.thomann.de/gb/harley_benton_beatbass.htm
Short scale and hollow body.

[Aled Hughes]

I always felt that the short scale bass guitar was a compromise too far? I am a rangy 6 footer so a 'proper' bass is no bother to me.

Well, they are real, proper, instruments that are often used in preference to a longer scale, not just as a ‘compromise’ for smaller people.

I’m also a 6’ player of full-scale basses but I still enjoy a short scale!

[Sam Spoons]

As I read the OP I was going to mention Suzi Quatro, who still gigs with a full size Precision bass but, as a guitar player, I do like a Jazz Bass neck. If you fancy a JB then why not just buy one and lend her your plywood PB while she decides if she's going to stick at it, then if she does you could consider a short scale like the aformentioned Mustang Bass.

I'd also endorse Thomann's Harley Benton range of cheap guitars and basses as being significantly better than they have any right to be at the price (based, TBF, on a sample of one).

[PippaPumpkin]

How about a Jackson JS1X Minion Bass?

[tea for two]

Maybe worth having a look around for one of these: https://www.thomann.de/gb/harley_benton_beatbass.htm
Short scale and hollow body.

I'd also endorse Thomann's Harley Benton range of cheap guitars and basses as being significantly better than they have any right to be at the price (based, TBF, on a sample of one).

One more endorsement from me from sample of one. I purrchased Harley Benton HB35 Cherry last April : although I don't have it anylonger I would recommend.

[Albatross]

How about a Hofner Shorty https://www.andertons.co.uk/hofner-hct- ... gKbx_D_BwE

I see they now do a 'violin' version https://www.gear4music.com/Guitar-and-B ... gKFePD_BwE

[BigRedX]

While a short scale bass might be easier for a "small" beginner, IME they don't sound the same as a standard scale bass especially if you are after that traditional P-Bass sound.

At the moment I play 34" scale basses in one band and 30" scale Bass VIs (like a guitar tuned down an octave) in the other. The Bass VI is just what I need live where I alternate between bass and melody parts, sometimes switching every couple of bars, but in the studio some of the bass parts are done on a 34" scale bass because it sounds better in that situation.

And while I'm not quite as small as the person in the OP, I've had no problem playing longer scale basses and for most of the 90s my first choice instrument was a 36" Overwater 5-string bass. I've played all sorts of scale length basses over the past 45 years and my choices have always been down to the overall look, concept and sound of the instrument and not how far apart the frets were.

Finally these days unless you are unlucky or you order some piece of crap off Ali Express £100 should buy you a very decent bass, especially if you go for a P or J style. After all they are designs that have been around for over 60 years and were conceived to be built cheaply using 1940s technology by relatively unskilled workers. You would have to be pretty rubbish as a manufacturer not to be able to get that recipe right.

[ef37a]

Thank you all.
Summing up? I shall not buy myself a Jazz clone and give her my **** P copy! The thing weighs a ton and stops the blood flow in your right leg after 20 minutes!

She seemed to have no difficulty reaching the G or F on the E string.

Tal Wilkenfeld is just 5'5" and plays a P.

The bass guitar is anyway a bastard,cobbled compromise instrument! Shortening the scale even further seems daft. I view short scale basses the same way I do left handed guitars...B......cks!

I shall probably end up buying TWO basses!

Dave.

[S2]

The bass guitar is anyway a bastard,cobbled compromise instrument! Shortening the scale even further seems daft. I view short scale basses the same way I do left handed guitars...B......cks!

I shall probably end up buying TWO basses!

Dave.

Luckily no-one told that to Jack Bruce....

Just another vote for the circa £100 bass - even if they are a total dog when you first pick them up, a setup will cure most problems. A nicely set up Squier J is infinitely better to play than a poorly set up Fender American Pro J IMO.

[BigRedX]

Another downside to a lot of short-scale basses is that they don't always balance very well on the strap, especially Fender designs due to their smaller bodies combined with the over-sized 4-in-line headstock. Gibson EBs aren't any better despite the 2+2 head.

I've been lucky most of the time in my short-scale choices because I tend to favour unconventional designs, but I wouldn't buy a short scale bass without spending some time playing it on a strap standing up first.

[ef37a]

The bass guitar is anyway a bastard,cobbled compromise instrument! Shortening the scale even further seems daft. I view short scale basses the same way I do left handed guitars...B......cks!

I shall probably end up buying TWO basses!

Dave.

Luckily no-one told that to Jack Bruce....

Just another vote for the circa £100 bass - even if they are a total dog when you first pick them up, a setup will cure most problems. A nicely set up Squier J is infinitely better to play than a poorly set up Fender American Pro J IMO.

Well, there is always one! Also Bruce was a phenomenon but not a lefty! You would not criticize HIS guitar choice lest you be impaled by the headstock.

My point about the bass guitar being a compromise is because they are full of peaks and 'wolf notes' which is why most bass rigs have a compressor built in.

Re fettling a poorly setup bass, I can do that.

Dave.

[tea for two]

Possibly worth a looksee as they split the payment in 3 instalments via paypal, alongside 30days return when purrchasing online, years warranty :
I purrchased my Harley Benton HB35 Cherry from them : cashconverters.

[ef37a]

Well, as a matter of fact Tea, there is a large second hand emporium in the town that has a very large window full of guitars of all kinds and at very attractive prices. About two years ago I saw a left hand bass in there for about 90 quid IIRC. Now, for them as needs one (poor early decision IMHO!) that has to be worth a punt?

I struggled into the town yesterday but they were closed (for the duration I hope) Will give them a try on Monday,unfortunately they do not seem to display a name or tel number. Just have to slog it.

We do have a PMT but they are too far a walk for me at the moment from a parking spot. I might however qualify for blue badge soon!

Dave.