Bass Guitar

[Magicme]

Hi, my youngest is learning guitar and now wants to learn bass too. I am thinking of getting him one for Christmas and was wondering if anyone had any advice on one for a beginner ie should I get a full sized or smaller (he is 12yrs old), second hand or new etc.

I have feck all money to spend on it really and am also aware that he may play it for a few weeks and throw it in the corner and forget about it so dont really want to go into too much dosh.

Also anyone have ideas how much lessons should cost. I have priced some in Monaghan and for 10 1 on 1 lessons it is €200. Is that about right?

He is currently getting free guitar lessons in school thats why I havent a clue. His dad is a talented musician but doesnt bother teaching him.

[Rovers1]

I'd get a full size if I was you MM. i don't play much guitar anymore, but started learning when i was 13 or so. If you get a small guitar for the lad, (the frets are closer to each other on the fretboard, plus you dont get as many frets) he'll have to relearn to stretch his fingers for a larger fretboard.

[Lionel Ritchie]

Get him a full size one MM. It might seem huge on day one but if he's 12 he's going to shoot up any day now anyway.

Decent selection of beginners instruments here on Thomann. http://www.thomann.de/ie/bass_sets.html

I know I should be encouraging you to buy local but straight up you'd want to be out of your friggin mind. I've never seen a bass in smiths toys but it's the only place you'd get one at those kind of prices on Thomann.

He'll want a better instrument when he gets older but those ones will do fine for now. The closer to the €200 mark you can go the better (bigger) bass amp he'll get in those bundles as well as the day will come sooner than you think that him and some school buddies decide to start a band.

I dunno if it's an acoustic or electric guitar he's playing at the moment but he'll not be able to play a bass through a guitar amp. he'll make sh1t of it.

Hope this helps.

[Magicme]

That does help alot. He has an electric and an acoustic but is learning on the acoustic so it is his weapon of choice at the moment. As for starting a band, they have talked about it for ages! My parents have a drum kit in the basement and anytime we go there he is down hammering on them for ages too. Music is fast becoming his world and I am delighted.

Yeah I think maybe I should go with the full sized one then, mite ask my parents to chip in as his present to get him as good as I can.

[thischarmingman]

Get him a ukelele instead:

TLQ2eh5LfZY

[endabob1]

I dunno if it's an acoustic or electric guitar he's playing at the moment but he'll not be able to play a bass through a guitar amp. he'll make sh1t of it.

From personal experience and financial cost, this point cannot be over-emphasised!

The one thing I will say that if he's a bit wee, a full size bass will seem enormous and weigh a lot. I have never seen a cut-down version so I'm not sure if they exist, long term a full size would be better but it might be darn near impossible for him to play if he's small (again from experience!)

[Magicme]

Get him a ukelele instead:

TLQ2eh5LfZY

Eh no! :eek:


From personal experience and financial cost, this point cannot be over-emphasised!

The one thing I will say that if he's a bit wee, a full size bass will seem enormous and weigh a lot. I have never seen a cut-down version so I'm not sure if they exist, long term a full size would be better but it might be darn near impossible for him to play if he's small (again from experience!)


You can get a 3/4 sized one but think might go full sized. He is about 5 foot 3 at the mo and growing like a weed!

[ken foree]

definitely get him a full-size! he'll grow into it in no time. i have a fender jazz american standard made in the u.s.a., the thing is 15 years old and stays in tune quite nicely but it is hefty and the action (distance between fretboard and string) on fenders tends to be quite high - i suppose if you learn on a difficult guitar it makes others easier?

rickenbachers make nice bass guitars and they are a bit smaller if i recall. mani from the stone roses used play one. best-sounding guitar i played was an ernie ball stingray, beautiful thing:

http://www.bassguitars.org.uk/wp-content/img/2007/04/musicmanstingray4-stringcustomelectricbasses.jpg

[endabob1]

If he's 5ft 3" already, he's virtually the same size as me so he'll be fine with a full size.

[paul_oshea]

Enda are you a dwarf?

Funny i got them to take over the electric from home out of the attic, jees its completely discoloured!!!

Get him a full size one, but if he is playing guitar then i wouldn't really bother buying him a bass to be honest. If he can read music(notes really in this case) and play by ear, he can jjust pick up a bass, literally "like that".

[Jofspring]

Get him a ukelele instead:

Got one of these last year. Still haven't figured out how to tune the thing.

Agree with most here. Go for the full size. Even if he finds it hard at first he will grow into it and in a few years if he was to have a half sized one he might have to upgrade to a bigger one anyway and would find it much trickier to play.

Is he learning to play guitar at the moment on a full sized acoustic, small acoustic or electric guitar? If he is learning on a full sized acoustic at the moment he should find the transition to a full bass easier (barr the weight).

[Magicme]

Full sized acoustic at the moment and has a full sized electric too. Yeah sounds like its full sized over funsized everytime.

[endabob1]

Enda are you a dwarf?

Funny i got them to take over the electric from home out of the attic, jees its completely discoloured!!!

Get him a full size one, but if he is playing guitar then i wouldn't really bother buying him a bass to be honest. If he can read music(notes really in this case) and play by ear, he can jjust pick up a bass, literally "like that".


We prefer the term little people or short sh!t