Son wants Bass - Small hands

iamjethro

iamjethro

a good kind of terrible
My son thinks he is interested in learning bass to play with some friends. He has pretty small hands. What is a bass that has a neck he might be able to get around? He is only 5' 7 or so and prob not growing much more. His reach is not going to be much.
 
iamjethro said:
My son thinks he is interested in learning bass to play with some friends. He has pretty small hands. What is a bass that has a neck he might be able to get around? He is only 5' 7 or so and prob not growing much more. His reach is not going to be much.
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I guess I'm perfectly suited to answer this as I'm 5'7", have small hands, and play bass. So here's my first question. How old is your son, and has he played any other instruments before?
 
He is 19. Played Baritone in High School band, but only very limited experience with ukulele in string instruments.

I have a Fender Jazz (Mexican) and a Fender acoustic bass that I forget the model.

Right now everything feels big to him, just looking to see if much around is thinner and easier to get around for a beginner with small hands.
 
iamjethro said:
He is 19. Played Baritone in High School band, but only very limited experience with ukulele in string instruments.

I have a Fender Jazz (Mexican) and a Fender acoustic bass that I forget the model.

Right now everything feels big to him, just looking to see if much around is thinner and easier to get around for a beginner with small hands.
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I wasn't 5'7" until I was about 22. So he'll probably get another inch or two. Still, this is about hand size mostly and I have very small hands. I encourage your son to get comfortable on your Fender Jazz. The bass is an awkward and very physical instrument. He's not going to be comfortable right away because of that, no matter what the size of the bass is. And the Jazz is a great compromise. Have him focus on stretching exercises and he'll get comfortable with it over time.

My recommendation is also based on the fact that there aren't a lot of good, cheap short scale basses. There are a few out there that could be ok with some work, but the first serious instrument is the Gibson SG bass, and it's $1000. Fender discontinued the MIM Mustang bass and Reverend has never come out with the Mike Watt Signature they'd been working on. Also, anything semi-hollow that's not a violin shape will still feel like a 34" bass so the scale length becomes a moot point.
 
I say let him take the Jazz. Or get him something similar. I've seen a lot of monster players with tiny hands. Developing stretching and flexibility is an important, valuable, and necessary skill. But he can do it. Unless he has no fingers at all... In which case, buy him a trombone.
 
Thanks. Ikinda thought the Jazz was a good place to go. It is pretty thin necked (I have pretty small hands, too). But it also would be fairly standard as he improves to find better instruments or to get one of his own if he decides.
 
Not sold on short scales. A couple seem alright, but not for beginner prices. chip Todd (designed T series for Peavey) makes what he calls a Basslet that is interesting for just a few hundred.

Hofner is intriguing as he really loves the Beatles. Not having been around one, worried about limited tone options.
 
I am 5'6" with small hands and have been playing bass since for close to 30 years. In high school, I played an Ibanez SR series bass and that was a good fit and the neck is slim. I didn't know anything about scale then. Over the years I have gigged mostly 34" scale basses, but these days, I prefer 30" scale basses. I currently have a Squier Mustang bass and that is very comfortable. I like the Fender version better (the neck is slimmer) but I have no reason to shell out the extra cash. If it were my kid, I would go for a Mustang or Musicmaster bass.

It may be a good idea to let him start off on the Jazz that you already have to see if he is into it. He is young, so if he is into it, the 34" scale shouldn't stop him. I don't mind playing Jazz basses, but they make me look like a little kid when I play them because they are so big on me. I was playing one at Pragestock last year.

 
On the subject of small bass players, I always think of this guy:

He tears it up on long scale basses, even if wearing one makes him look like he's 13 years old.

I guess I would concur that your son should try out the Jazz first. As a (mainly) guitar player, I've always found those necks to be relatively comfy to get around on.
 
I'm 5'7" and started on upright.
My hands arnt small but not large by any means.
The Jazz is fine. So would most Ibanez or Peaveys, anything with a slim neck.
TheSquireVM SS Jags get a lot of good reviews for an inexpensive short scale.
 
I would think the scale length would be far less important than neck thickness and fretboard/nut width. A short scale Bass with a fat neck isn't going to do him any favors.

I would look into fairly inexpensive Ibanez or Yamaha. They both have thin necks, narrow fretboards and are generally well made and sound great. Plus, they won't break the bank, and if he decides he isn't into it, you haven't invested much. If he stays with it though, a decent Ibby or Yamaha will be good enough to continue playing as his skills progress.
 
OGG said:
I would think the scale length would be far less important than neck thickness and fretboard/nut width.
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Honestly, I don't think that either one should matter, provided that healthy technique is there.

Exhibit A:



I think that this forum, as a collective, spends way too much time thinking about this kind of stuff. I don't know, maybe it's a guitar thing. We wouldn't be having this conversation if we were talking about an adult with small hands taking up the piano, or a child taking up a contrabassoon.

Your hands are amazing things, and they stretch and make adjustments and develop muscle memory. A newbie will do fine. It's the experienced players who panic and think "OMG, this is new and foreign, I need to be sticking with what's old and comfortable!". So they go through the old buy-and-sell routine and everyone posts "I'll give it 6 weeks."
 
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OGG said:
I would think the scale length would be far less important than neck thickness and fretboard/nut width. A short scale Bass with a fat neck isn't going to do him any favors.

I would look into fairly inexpensive Ibanez or Yamaha. They both have thin necks, narrow fretboards and are generally well made and sound great. Plus, they won't break the bank, and if he decides he isn't into it, you haven't invested much. If he stays with it though, a decent Ibby or Yamaha will be good enough to continue playing as his skills progress.
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As someone who has small hands and has played bass for close to 30 years, scale length is more important unless you are just riding root notes. If you want to be able to go from 3rd fret on the E string to the 5th without using your pinky, scale is important. When you aren't playing chords, the thickness really doesn't come into play that much.
 
Chad said:
As someone who has small hands and has played bass for close to 30 years, scale length is more important unless you are just riding root notes. If you want to be able to go from 3rd fret on the E string to the 5th without using your pinky, scale is important. When you aren't playing chords, the thickness really doesn't come into play that much.
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Conversely, I have no issue using my pinky finger. IMO, do what it takes to get around.
 
The Squier Vintage Modified Short-Scale Jaguar basses are excellent for the low coin IMO:

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