Daisy Rock, girl bass guitars, opinions?

nicelady · #1 08-02-2012, 10:56 AM

I play guitar, but have never tried bass and am eager to give it a shot. So I've been looking for a good beginning bass and discovered Daisy Rock, a company that makes what I'm looking for—lightweight, short scale, slim-necked guitars. Apparently Joan Jett plays a Daisy Rock guitar. That's according to Daisy Rock.

That's all fine, but the problem is that no matter what the website says about authorized Daisy Rock dealers, none of the ones I've called are actually carrying this brand. I'd like to handle one before I go buying it off the internet. Can anyone tell me anything about this brand? Or suggest another brand that can accommodate my girlish arms and hands?

Thanks.

Webtroll · #2 08-02-2012, 11:01 AM

I've picked up 2 as a lark in stores and wasn't impressed by either one. There are better budget instruments on the market and some of them are short scale. I think Ibanez makes a short scale starter bass.

nicelady · #3 08-02-2012, 11:08 AM

Thanks for the input. They certainly look pretty on the website, all sparkly and a bit too girly, which made me wonder if they were more for show than anything else.

I guess you're talking about the Ibanez Mikro. That's what came up when I googled Ibanez short scale starter bass. It looks good, and since I'm not searching for anything too fancy it might be the right one for me. I'll call around and see if I can find a real live one to try out.

JMimbs · #4 08-02-2012, 11:13 AM

I've never played a Daisy Rock, but I have used an Ibanez Mikro once. It was pretty nice for the money. I'm used to a longer scale, but it played pretty well and sounded decent. I think they're a good deal for the money.

BBox Bass · #5 08-02-2012, 11:19 AM

Interesting. I've never seen pictures of Joan Jett with anything but a Gibson. I own a cheap Daisy Rock Debutante guitar that I turned into a decent player with a setup and pickup replacement (stock ones were weak). DR is owned by Schecter, so if you're a fan of their instruments, you may also like DR's.

I'm a short female with short fingers and my favorite pencil necks are the ones on Ibanez SR series basses. They're 34" scale, which isn't automatically a bad thing if you have small hands. I also own a couple of Dean basses that are 35", and they too have skinny necks so they're easy to play. Try different scale lengths until you find something you're comfortable with.

CnB77 · #6 08-02-2012, 11:22 AM

The Mikro is shorter than short scale (like 28.5 inches). They also have a number that are 30 inch scale, including the GART and ART series. Artcore hollowbodies as well.

ampelmann · #7 08-02-2012, 11:23 AM

I've yet to play one, but I've heard some pretty great things about the Squier short scale Jaguars. It's a much more trusted brand than Daisy Rock and still quite affordable. Street price is $155 and I'm sure it'd be easier to find one that you can try out.

http://www.musiciansfriend.com/bass/...ss-short-scale

hhenry · #8 08-02-2012, 11:53 AM

Squier short scale Jaguar is the way to go. You won't find a better SS bass for the money. If you have an extra hundred to spend get the Squier Mustang. Even nicer.

plankspanker13 · #9 08-02-2012, 11:56 AM

The Squier SS Jag is a great modification platform. It will accept all sorts of aftermarket Fender replacement pickups and bridges, which cannot be said for the Mustang, to an equivalent degree.

basspraiser · #10 08-02-2012, 12:01 PM

You might be better off with one of the squire vm or other series basses...not as "pretty" better construction and sound.....imho
Good luck and welcome to the great world of bass!

Count Drugula · #11 08-03-2012, 12:46 PM

How about one of Rogue's violin basses? They're pretty light and have thin necks, being based off of Hofner. They're not pink but a can of spray pain twill fix that oversight.

iamthebassman · #12 08-03-2012, 01:17 PM

Here's mine:

Daisy Rock was started by the wife of the owner of Schecter and use lots of the same build materials/methods. The finish on the back of the neck of my DR feels just like on my Schecter Model T.

NoiseNinja · #13 08-03-2012, 01:29 PM

Buy an Ibanez Mikro!
Great cheap bass, and scale length is just 28,6" vs standard short scale 30"

boynamedsuse · #14 08-03-2012, 01:34 PM

I have two short scale basses, which I acquired after getting hand/wrist/thumb injuries in both hands. Being able to shift to short scale allowed me to keep playing the bass while I recovered (almost a year and a half). I say this because some people may suggest using a standard scale length bass, and underestimate the value of the shorter scale length.

Based on my limited experience, most short scale basses (30") have a similar feel and any differences between them will be more variations in personal preference than functionally different playability. That is, you do not need to limit yourself to Daisy Rock, Rock 'n Rose, or any of the bases targeted at younger girls.

Of course, there are exceptions to the rule, but the reality is that you don't get something for nothing and paying a little more for a bass generally results in improved quality and playability. If your budget allows, you may wish to consider basses in the $500-$1000 range such as the Fender Mustang (reissue) or Hofner's Contemporary series.

Joe Nerve · #15 08-03-2012, 01:50 PM

I'm with the gang telling ya to go with a Squier. The Jaguars are on sale all over the place for around $150. You absolutely cannot go wrong with that IMO. The new Squiers are as good as the Fenders. Don't want to restart that argument though. You can check the Squier/Fender thread from a couple of weeks ago.

As for the Daisy Rocks, I noodled with them while at NAMM one year. They seemed OK to me. If looks mean a lot to you, I'd go for it. If quality and sound mean a little more, I'd go for the Squier.

The Ibanez idea I'd ixnay. I know there are a lot of Ibanez fans here, and I'm not meaning to knock anyone's choice, BUT, I've owned a few and there are 2 things that make me dislike them. First, they sound incredibly thin when thrown into a band situation. This may not be the case with them their high end basses, but any of the ones I played (all under $500), sounded like toys in comparison to anything else I've ever taken into a band mix. The other thing I don't like is that their necks are ridiculously thin. I believe that people starting out on these get comfortable on them, and then everything else winds up feeling uncomfortable. If you plan to stick with an Ibanez the rest of your life, then great - but IMO there are many, much better basses out there.

chuck norriss · #16 08-03-2012, 01:53 PM

I'd recommend an Epiphone EB3 (shortscale, SG body) or Aria EB3 copy over a Daisy. Gretsch also makes a shorty. Shorty.

iamthebassman · #17 08-03-2012, 01:55 PM

FYI: the standard Epi EB-3 is full-scale.

chuck norriss · #18 08-03-2012, 02:15 PM

My bad. Aria for sure.

TRichardsbass · #19 12-13-2012, 03:59 AM

Not a huge fan of chick basses, but this one is calling me...

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...m=271118468334

I really dig the way the finish looks in this pic.

khutch · #20 12-13-2012, 12:49 PM

I owned an Ibanez SR505 for a while and sold it but only because I ended up not liking its tight string spacing. They are light, they have thin necks, and other than scale length they match your requirements well. Plus you can generally find one somewhere to try or if not one of the other SR basses which will be quite similar except for wood and electronics. You might find that the scale length is not an issue. As you can see several other women here do not. And I am not an Ibanez fanboy, all my present basses are Fenders! If you want a Fender family recommendation the SS Jag is fine and the medium scale Squier Telecasters are too but I don't know that any of them are as light as the Ibanez SR500.

Ken