First Bass for 5th Grade Student

[WeaserGB]

I have a 5th grade daughter who has half year in playing upright bass in orchestra. She is sharing a home Bass to practice on every other week. I decided to buy an instrument and give her every opportunity to do well. She is playing a 1/2 size instrument.

Renting an instrument seems like the wrong choice. I would like to buy a Bass. There are not a lot of Sting instrument shops around Green Bay WI which make things harder. After researching, it seems an Upton Standard or Shen Model 80 seem like the two that stand as being a good entry level Bass. Does this seem fair? Am I on the right track?

Thanks

[LeslieD]

I'm sure there are a lot of ideas about when it's best to buy your son or daughter their first bass. I started playing a 3/4s bass when I was 11 (and in the 7th grade) as a 4'11" girl. (Still a girl...but now I'm at 5'8"). If you are set on buying a 1/2 size bass, I'd suggest that you find a shop that will let you trade it for a 3/4s size bass in a few years (you'll have to pay a bit more to trade for the 3/4s size bass).

My parents later bought me a bass when I was 14. I'm forever thankful, and I still have it. I know I've written about this before...but I actually got a nice bow first (and still have it as well).

[Bass Barrister]

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