Three quarter to full size bass?

[FrettyBassGirl]

I'm 12 yo, and have been playing on a danelecto 3/4 size bass. I feel comfortable on this bass but when should I make the transition? And how? Thanks.

[tony moore]

my 13 year old daughter plays bass too. she plays a fender mustang and a hofner icon club, both short scale basses. both basses sound great, play and feel great for her hands, and look great on her.

my advice to you is play what feels, sounds and looks good to you and not what convention says you should 'graduate' to.

the world needs more girl bassists!

[jmjbassplayer]

Hi FrettyBassGirl:

I wouldn't worry about transitioning away from a short-scale bass unless you really feel like you're missing something.

Basses of that size have a particular place in music that is undeniable. For instance, yesterday I was in the studio with Jason Mraz working on his new album, and I had at least a dozen great long-scale basses on tap to choose from, but the bass that made the cut for that particular song was the attached, my '67 Mustang, a very short-scale instrument. It had just the right punch and plenty of low-end.

Play basses that you enjoy playing and can get around on, and maybe down the road you can play other peoples' long-scale basses and see what you think. Or try some at music stores. It's definitely not urgent!

Best,
Justin

[Sauber]

Hey Justin.

I´m a very eager visitor of this forum, and a big fan. Thanks for taking the time and sharing you wisdom.

I have a ´69 Mustang. Really cool rock bass, but i can´t seem to get quite enough bottom end out of it. What strings are you using on yours.

Greetings from Denmark

[jmjbassplayer]

Hi Sauber...D'Addario Chromes. Big bottom for sure. Also, make sure to check your pickup height.

[Sauber]

Cool... I had actually thought of trying those out. They sound delicious on my old P-bass!
Didn´t know that pick-up height has an effect on that. I gotta try fiddling with that.

Thanks alot!

Btw. If you could reveal the name of the song you used it on, you´d be a darling
Don´t know if thats possible before release?

[jmjbassplayer]

The song has no name, so no.

[fretlessguy]

I had a Danelectro Longhorn once and I am still kicking myself for letting it get away. They are cool, have a great sound, and are very easy to play because they are short scales. Unless you just have a desire for something new, I'd say just keep playing it. I didn't get to get my hands on a bass until I was 17, so I consider the fact you can start your playing experience at your age as a great blessing.
In the meantime, practice, study music, and get with someone or group and play.

[FrettyBassGirl]

Thanks guys

[Jungy]

Justin, you got me craving big time an old Mustang bass on the weekend. Looked and sounded awesome at Harvest with Beck.