I'm looking for a lighter bass for my wife (does a shorter scale exist in bass guitars?). I was told that the Fender Mexican P Bass is a good choice, but I'm wondering there are lighter basses around that offer good value for a basic instrument.
As a Beatle fan, I was wondering about the Hohner bass, since it seems light as it is a hollow-body). But regarding the Hohner line, I would need a recommendantion for a budget model.

Also, any recommendations on a small bass amp (maybe even tubes, if the tube sound makes a difference with the lower bass frequencies) would be welcome.

If you want a REALLY small bass... Check out the Traveler Basses on our site! They are incredibly small, but actually play very well!

I'm not a big tube fan for bass amplification. It's OK in a hybrid on the preamp side, but I'm not big on tube powered amps...

Brands to check out for small bass combos would be GK, Fender and Phil Jones Bass. GK and Fender offer some good values in small combos, and PJB is the best small combo you can get!

Give us a call if you can! We have a professional staff of players that will be happy to talk to you about your options. 866.751.3220

Peace!

Hi! As a beatle fan, I suggest you have her try one of the epiphone Hohner violin knock offs. I picked one up the other day just for kicks, and boy did I get some kicks. It plays really well, it's hollow so it's incredibly light, and it's got style. It was in the area of $250-300. I had also played a tiny little Gretsch that day, with a Les Paul-style body. Also very nice, but not quite as light, same price range.

Many Corts, especially the Curbow, are incredibly small-bodied basses. You can also shop used for older Yamaha RBX and BB designs (I'm talking about the BBs with the same tryling the TRB has now). My BB404 is on the small side and very light, so if you can find a good one I bet it'll fit the bill nicely. The RBX260, 270, etc are also very light if she can deal with the styling (extreme offset horn design). Many of the newer Yammies are heavier and bigger, and the TRBs at least have 35" scale lengths so they'd be that much harder for a woman with shorter arms to play.

To answer the scale question, yes, you can find some short-scale basses in the 30-32" range (as opposed to 34-36"). The shorter speaking length means that the string tension is less for the same note, and tone will not be as crisp (though it depends on other factors of course). If she gets used to a short scale and wants to trade up, standard scale is going to be difficult to adjust to.

Ibanez Mikro.

(They actually sound good too).

As ThePerfectBass said Fender really does have a good line of small combos.
I'm a beginner and really got a Fender Rumble 15 watter only because GC was out of that Crate 15 watter I REALLY wanted (I'm still gonna get it one day).
Anyways the Rumble is really great even for Drop tuning's I have failed to see any bad sounds come out of it. It costed me $120.00 or so. This was 1 yr and a half ago so they may have went down. So pick one up with a good Monster cable (A S-100 $20.00 for a 12ft.'er) and your wife will love you.

My sister in law has a danelectro long horn bass. one of the ones made in the late 90s. I think they are in production again now. great little instrument. short scale, hollow body, low string tension and a 24 fret neck. I'd seriously consider one...and they look very cool.

Squier vintage modified p basses are very light. Its a great beginners bass. It would be a good choice. I think I saw one for sale on the perfect bass not to long ago.

I'm a beginner, and the fender rumble 15's a great small combo! i picked mine up at GC used for $70, add a monster cable and viola. When i was researching my first bass (got a dean edge 09) i read about the squier affinity series bronco bass. It has 19 frets and a 30" scale for around $150

http://lacemusic.com/guitars/Helix/helix_series.php

It is significantly lighter than either of my G&Ls.
The body size would seem to lend itself to a smaller framed lady.
It is a 34" scale, so that might be an issue.