Need help for beginner bassist

[macsim]

Shay, have you checked out Daisy Rock guitars? http://www.daisyrock.com/ I don't know a lot about them but I know they're designed with young female rockers in mind. Pink seems to be the dominant color! They even show a girl's bass method teaching book on there, taught from a "girl's perspective." I don't know whether women would find this helpful or feel like they want to play what the men play but it does seem geared towards girls rather than the usual male rocker thing. Once they learn they can play whatever they want. The size is geared toward smaller hands too. Good luck with the music!

[Iolaus]

Shay, have you checked out Daisy Rock guitars? http://www.daisyrock.com/ I don't know a lot about them but I know they're designed with young female rockers in mind. Pink seems to be the dominant color! They even show a girl's bass method teaching book on there, taught from a "girl's perspective." I don't know whether women would find this helpful or feel like they want to play what the men play but it does seem geared towards girls rather than the usual male rocker thing. Once they learn they can play whatever they want. The size is geared toward smaller hands too. Good luck with the music!

...and here are a few models with prices.

http://www.music123.com/search/?src=...tars&x=34&y=17

[auld argonian]

Oh, geez, those Daisy Rockers are like 3/5ths size...I have a fourteen year old daughter who plays guitar and we've been buying her full size instead of fractional size guitars for while. Friend of mine recommended a smaller axe and we went with it and it was just a tragically poor instrument so we just started buying "regular" guitars for her...there may be some fractionally sized guitars or basses out there but you would probably pay as much for a quality one as you would for a full size instrument. Taylor guitars would be an example of this; they make smaller guitars but they cost like the full size. Have the child try out a full size and see how it feels....and I have seen electric basses made with short, standard and extra-long necks...my brother had a Gibson SG Bass with the XL neck...very tasty instrument...he should have hung on to it.

Best

AA

[Shay]

Yikes! I was mostly kidding about the pink, (It is her favorite color, but she understands the color is the last thing to consider) but I can't let her see that page or she will want one so bad...

They're a bit more than I'm looking to spend for a first instrument- I was thinking more around $250 for a bass, small amp, and starter set- ($200 If I can get away with it) which I know is cheap, but since she's learning (and younger) I have no problem buying her a more quality instrument once she learns how to play it and has the edges knocked off a bit, if you know what I mean. (By the way, dumb question perhaps, but will putting stickers or paint on a solid-body guitar mess with the sound?)

She'll have better amps to use at her school, so I can save a smidge on the home one, too, until she would need something that fills more than the living room with sound.

[auld argonian]

I just looked at the Sam Ash website and they have a couple of bass starter kits for around $239. Look there, it's a good place to get some reference. One of the packages is a Squier bass...Squier is Fender's low priced line...my son has a Squier Stratocaster and most of my friends who are really accomplished guitarists have played it and raved about it, comparing it very favorably to a "real" Fender Strat.

Another website/catalog that most of my buddies swear by is Musician's Friend, you may want to check them out; again, if for nothing else, just for reference in terms of what's available and the price ranges.

My daughter has asked me many times what makes a good bass player (I have been a reasonalby mediocre but capable one in the past); I say that it's the guys who play more than just the root notes or components of the chord and who play what I always call "figures". She didn't understand this until she gave me a copy of some new Cream Greatest Hits CD...then she heard what Jack Bruce did when he played with Cream and understood waht I meant.

Best

AA

[Sherry]

Definitely take Daz's advice about not getting a size that is too big for your daughter. My youngest son (9 yo), my DD (now 14) & I all study violin/fiddle. Our teacher has always been very protective of the kids not having violins too large for them. Practicing with the arm stretched out & the wrist curled around the fingerboard on a too-large instrument can cause tendonitis. I've had it from crocheting too much, & believe me, your DD doesn't want it!

As far as getting a decent instrument, I don't know anything about the bass, but I can tell you, trying to learn on a crap instrument is no fun. We try to balance this with the fact that kids are not exactly gentle with their instruments.

Good luck!

[bikercelt1]

I taught guitar long ago and one of the most discouraging things I ever saw was young students playing poorly made guitars that were physically too big for them. Don't focus on the instrument at this point, focus on the teacher. Find a teacher you feel good about and enlist their aid in finding the right instrument to buy or lease. Interview the teacher the same way you would any other employee that you would trust your child to. They don't need to be a phenomenal player, they need to be a phenomenal teacher who will challenge your daughter to become the best musician she can be no matter what instrument she finally plays. Find someone who wants to teach music not just how to play songs on the bass. This can be a life changing choice for your daughter. She can take pride in herself with good guidance or she can feel like she missed something and failed with a poor teacher. Someone who can master music will have the dedication and anylitical skills to excell in other areas too. (By the way, don't underestimate the challenges of learning music. The classes for my music degree were far more difficult than those for my management degree)

Jamie