Need rec for teenage girl

[deadphish]

I have a student that needs to upgrade her instrument. She's playing a $250 Peavey 4 string at the moment. Would a Mexican Fender be a good enough bass to get her through high school and college? She has around $1000 budget and really wants a 5 string, but I have been advising against that while she is still learning the fretboard. Much preesh for any advice or thoughts!

[DwaynieAD]

could get a squier vintage modified 4 and 5 string brand new for well under her 1000 dollar budget

[darkstorm]

No. I think the peaveys are equal instruments or better. Let her pick out of basses in her price range. Check peaveys, Ibanez, esp ltd, used dept and whatever else is in price range so she can pick best playing and sounding one for herself.

[ReiPsaeg]

If she wants to upgrade to a 5 string there is no reason why she shouldn't now. You don't need to master the 4 string in order to "move up" to the 5 or 6. Especially these days with so many 5 and 6 strings that are less than $500.

[BklynKen]

I'm a big fan of Carvins. A really nice LB20 would come in at well under $1000.

[Mushroo]

Keep the Peavey (they are great basses) and add a decent 5 string, then she'll have 2 nice basses, a 4 and a 5.

[deadphish]

Yeah her Peavey has the nicest action I've ever felt on an entry level bass. I was hesitant to let her make the jump to a fiver as a 14 year old, but it sure would make her happy.

[deadphish]

Originally Posted by ReiPsaeg

If she wants to upgrade to a 5 string there is no reason why she shouldn't now. You don't need to master the 4 string in order to "move up" to the 5 or 6. Especially these days with so many 5 and 6 strings that are less than $500.

Thanks for this reply. I used to go to school in Rochester. Haven't been there in years!

[rhino333]

Everyone comes to Rochester. Nobody stays.

[xUptheIronsx]

Originally Posted by Mushroo

Keep the Peavey (they are great basses) and add a decent 5 string, then she'll have 2 nice basses, a 4 and a 5.

I agree. And there really isn't a reason to wait to "graduate" to a 5. Let her do that while she is young, and has no pre-concieved notions of what is right or wrong!

Being a Fender guy, I would also suggest having her try a J - especially if she has smaller hands - as I think the neck would be very good, and it would be a good versatile instrument to have, especially in high school and college where she will probably be exposed to having to play many different styles

I do like the idea of possibly going with her, and her parents if applicable ,to a store and let her try many basses to get a good feel

[bassmeknik]

Let her pursue her musical dreams. If she wants a 5er let her. Age or sex is not part of the equation. I agree that 2 Squier VM's (a 4 and a 5) can be had for well under a grand but she should only be encouraged to really investigate the market and play as many basses as possible first. As a younger musician she is probably still learning what she likes musically speaking, therefore she should be given as many choices as available so she has a good idea of what she wants to do as a bassist. If she wants a 5 let her. I still own several 4's and play one for part of every gig although my main bass is a 5er so perhaps encourage her to keep the Peavey and add a 5 so she has both. After playing both for decades I practice on both frequently without serious problems with "muscle memory" or problems with the fact that my basses are of different scale lengths. You do get used to it the more you play, and the "adjustment" of playing different basses (scale length, string spacing, 4,5,or 6 strings, etc...) gets SMALLER over time.

[Raymeous]

Originally Posted by deadphish

I have a student that needs to upgrade her instrument. She's playing a $250 Peavey 4 string at the moment. Would a Mexican Fender be a good enough bass to get her through high school and college? She has around $1000 budget and really wants a 5 string, but I have been advising against that while she is still learning the fretboard. Much preesh for any advice or thoughts!

Let's see...

1) Yes a Mexi Fender would be fine for the rest of her bass playing days. There are many players here gigging a MIM Fender every week.

2) If she wants a 5 string she should get one. There is nothing hard about learning to play a 5. It's simply one more string. So what's so hard about that? I think far too many players make it into some overwhelming feat, and scare themselves into believing they can't do it.

I started out on a 4 string (Squier II P-Bass) and a year later I bought my first 6 string (Ibanez 506). I spent less than a month playing only the 6, and after that I no longer even thought about it. I jump from 4 string to 6 string bass, or 6 string to 7 string guitar and have no issues.


She should go after what makes her the happiest and go for it without fear.

[4dog]

SHE should try out as many basses as SHE can get her hands on, and then SHE should pick the most comfortable for HER, 5er or not, SHE will be playing it.

[Caca de Kick]

$1000 can go a very long ways on the used market for US made basses. I'd buy a Musicman Sterling, StingRay, Bongo, or G&L. You can even find upper scale Peavey and Carvin well below that price range.

[kai_ski]

Originally Posted by deadphish

I have a student that needs to upgrade her instrument. She's playing a $250 Peavey 4 string at the moment. Would a Mexican Fender be a good enough bass to get her through high school and college? She has around $1000 budget and really wants a 5 string, but I have been advising against that while she is still learning the fretboard. Much preesh for any advice or thoughts!

What are you teaching her? Bass, jazz band, english?

If that was my budget, I would definitely be buying used. MIA Fender Std. Jazz 4 or 5 or a MIJ Jazz 4 would be a great place to start. These are USUALLY better build quality, hardware, lightweight woods, etc vs. their MIM counterparts. If you're a bass player you could help her by vetting the instruments and checking them for neck defects, electronics issues, setup, etc etc. If you're not a bass teacher and she's getting to the point of needing someone who really knows the instrument, then do her the service of finding some more knowledgable.

MIM is fine as well, but basically like throwing half of your money away when purchased new. IMO Squire VM or CV would be better money spent.

If she is not comfortable buying private party used, I would suggest Guitar Center used gear. The prices are good. You can ALWAYS negotiate free shipping over the phone. And you get 30 day returns, no questions asked. If there is a GC in your area you can also return direct to store, or have the item you're interested in transferred to your local store, but it usually takes longer. Downside is you have to pay tax and return shipping if applicable.

[Habilis]

I agree that her best bet would be a good used Fender, G&L, EBMM, or upper-level Ibanez. As we've all sadly seen, a bass that sells new for $1500 is lucky to sell used for $900 these days--it's really a buyer's market. The "small hands" issue may come into play, as many have mentioned, so check out neck width and string spacing as well.

The final reason to buy a good "name-brand" bass is that musicians and techs will take her more seriously. Like it or not, the musical world is pretty lopsidedly male and a young woman who does not choose to be "arm-candy" for some would-be rock star can have a pretty hard row to hoe. She will already have people suspecting she's just a dilettante or not a serious musician simply because of her gender. Owning and playing a quality instrument will go a ways toward dispelling that notion. Please understand that these are not my own feelings--I have a six-year-old daughter who I very much hope will grow up to be a musician and I am heartily sick of the boys' club world and the none-too-subtle sexism if not outright misogyny therein. OK, I'll get off my soapbox now...

[bassmeknik]

Originally Posted by Habilis

OK, I'll get off my soapbox now...

+1 I agree, However if she is good enough she won't need a name brand bass to convince a pro. I like my Squier VM Jazz bass a LOT and compare it (favorably) to my high end basses often. No one blows on my Squier after I play it...

[hrodbert696]

I'm curious - why does she "need" to upgrade her instrument? I mean, I know all about GAS and have plenty myself, so more power to her if she wants to buy something. But is there anything actually wrong with her Peavey, anything she wants to do that she can't do with it?

Also, what's she using for an amp? If she's getting good enough to think about upgrading, she's probably good enough to be playing with others. Does she have enough of an amp to keep up in a band setting? If she's on a cheap practice amp that matches the price range of her Peavey, I'd say her money is better spent upgrading that.

[fmachia]

Whatever bass you buy, make sure she has a decent amp/cab, or combo, so the bass she ends up with sounds as good as it can be. I mean $1000 will get you a decent bass AND a decent rig.

[bassmeknik]

Originally Posted by fmachia

$1000 will get you a decent bass AND a decent rig.

+1