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1st Bass recommendation for 12 yo

#21
Damien1971 said:
My daughter is turning 12 and has been asking for a bass which I want to surprise her with. She is average size her age (5ft). She has played guitar for a couple of years along with cello and sax. She has never played bass. I am a noob when it comes to bass.

My budget is $200 - 300.

Would you recommend a short scale bass for her due to her age and her being used to a guitar scale? If so what bass would you suggest? I have been looking at the Ibanez Talman 30 inch and the Ibanez Mezzo. I have also been thinking of a Hofner Ignition or other cheap Beatle Bass. What are your thoughts on these, or do you have other recomendations.

If you recommend a reg scale, what would you suggest? I have been reading good things about Ibanez GSR series and Talman 100. I have been thinking of Sterling Stingray. What are your thoughts?

Thanks in advance.
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Squier Beginner Pack- You get a Squier P-Bass, a Rumble 15 amp, a gig bag, a strap and a chord for 329 bucks.
 
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#22
She could look at Dean basses. They are light weight, well made and sound good. Some go for under $200. I would also stick with standard 34" scale. She will grow into it. Please do not use a guitar amp for bass, you will destroy it very quickly. A Fender Rumble v3 15 practice amp will work very well and goes for about $80. Good luck and keep in touch. :thumbsup:
 
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#23
As a UBass owner and lover, I would strongly advise against it as a starter bass. Instead, look at short-scale options as discussed above.

My main concern about giving a UBass to a beginner: The tuning and intonation can be finicky. Could be frustrating and off-putting to a newcomer who just wants to pick up and plunk. Plus, sound-wise it's a one-trick pony, and that trick isn't really rock. (But it IS an awesome trick- plugged in, it's astoundingly close to upright.)

And even if she did take to it, it won't be long till she wants to rock out on a "real" electric bass. Because as a fellow parent, you know that's how kids are wired.

Good luck and enjoy the hunt!
 
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#24
as for a bass, I started in the 7th grade on a fender Mustang. Two years later I upgraded to a jazz bass. as for playing through a guitar amp, it can be done... at bedroom volumes only. basses tend to blow up guitar speakers. (When I was a kid I had a Kustom hustler (guitar) amp... blew the speakers). If you're buying her a bass... you better start saving for a bass amp.
 
#25
I have not seen this question answered, but yes a bass does need it's own amp. The lower frequencies of bass can damage guitar amp speakers.

I like your idea of a Hofner Ignition for a couple of reasons. I've had one for about five years and I love it. It is easy and fun to play.

First, it is a hollow body so it is light but surprising loud. I practice with mine about the house because it is loud enough to not need an amp. I could not jam with other people without an amp, but it is enough to where I'm not struggling to hear it when I practice without one.

Second, she won't grow out of it. A Hofner is classic. While it is a short scale, it is not a smaller version of some other thing. There is only one size Hofner and that is it. If she sticks with bass it is something that she could keep playing for a long time.

Some drawbacks, it is on the top end of your budget and no matter what you go with you still need to think about an amp. At some point I would recommend getting a case for it. My amp tip for parents it to always make sure it has a headphone jack on it.

You said she has a couple of years experience with guitar. Does she already have picks, straps, cords, tuner and all that? If so I would not recommend going with the all in one box.
 
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#26
Damien1971 said:
My daughter is turning 12 and has been asking for a bass which I want to surprise her with. She is average size her age (5ft). She has played guitar for a couple of years along with cello and sax. She has never played bass. I am a noob when it comes to bass.

My budget is $200 - 300.

Would you recommend a short scale bass for her due to her age and her being used to a guitar scale? If so what bass would you suggest? I have been looking at the Ibanez Talman 30 inch and the Ibanez Mezzo. I have also been thinking of a Hofner Ignition or other cheap Beatle Bass. What are your thoughts on these, or do you have other recomendations.

If you recommend a reg scale, what would you suggest? I have been reading good things about Ibanez GSR series and Talman 100. I have been thinking of Sterling Stingray. What are your thoughts?

Thanks in advance.
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The sterling SUB 4 strings are a great value as are the recent squier models. A short scale might be a good choice but I don’t see a need for one based on what you posted. Hope you’re having fun reading a list of everyone’s favorite budget basses!
 
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#28
Damien1971 said:
My daughter is turning 12 and has been asking for a bass which I want to surprise her with. She is average size her age (5ft). She has played guitar for a couple of years along with cello and sax. She has never played bass. I am a noob when it comes to bass.

My budget is $200 - 300.

Would you recommend a short scale bass for her due to her age and her being used to a guitar scale? If so what bass would you suggest? I have been looking at the Ibanez Talman 30 inch and the Ibanez Mezzo. I have also been thinking of a Hofner Ignition or other cheap Beatle Bass. What are your thoughts on these, or do you have other recomendations.

If you recommend a reg scale, what would you suggest? I have been reading good things about Ibanez GSR series and Talman 100. I have been thinking of Sterling Stingray. What are your thoughts?

Thanks in advance.
Click to expand...
Squier Bronco Bass
Hello Kitty Bass with Badtz Maru on it. It's just a Bronco with a face pickguard.
Squier-BM.jpg
Black-Front.jpg
 
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#29
matty1039 said:
I have not seen this question answered, but yes a bass does need it's own amp. The lower frequencies of bass can damage guitar amp speakers.

I like your idea of a Hofner Ignition for a couple of reasons. I've had one for about five years and I love it. It is easy and fun to play.

First, it is a hollow body so it is light but surprising loud. I practice with mine about the house because it is loud enough to not need an amp. I could not jam with other people without an amp, but it is enough to where I'm not struggling to hear it when I practice without one.

Second, she won't grow out of it. A Hofner is classic. While it is a short scale, it is not a smaller version of some other thing. There is only one size Hofner and that is it. If she sticks with bass it is something that she could keep playing for a long time.

Some drawbacks, it is on the top end of your budget and no matter what you go with you still need to think about an amp. At some point I would recommend getting a case for it. My amp tip for parents it to always make sure it has a headphone jack on it.

You said she has a couple of years experience with guitar. Does she already have picks, straps, cords, tuner and all that? If so I would not recommend going with the all in one box.
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When my daughter was that age, I bought a Hofner Ignition thinking she would like it. She hated how uncomfortable the body is when sitting. I got her a Squire Jag SS and she played that for about a year until I built her a Pbass with a Warmoth neck.
 
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#31
My standard answer is to buy a USA Fender Precision Bass that is an industry standard. Student can learn on a great instrument that they can use throughout their playing career and if student stops playing you can get a big chunk of your investment back. Plus it’s an instrument that can be professionally set up to their liking.
I know this is way out of your budget but this is how I would approach it.
 
#32
WeAreAllOne said:
I'm gonna go outside the box and say to get her a U-Bass.

I have a talented 12 year old and she has some interest and enjoys playing when she does, but it was like pulling teeth to get her to practice at home. I think it is common these days with so much stimulation available from their devices. She does have a busy schedule and always seemed to feel it was taking time away from her free time. Always a battle between whether we should push her to develop her obvious talents, or let her come to it at her own rate.

I bought the U-Bass about a year ago and it made our commute time the place for practicing and jamming. It worked great. I also got a battery powered Cube bass amp, but it really wasn't necessary since we changed to Galli flatwounds, which project much more than the stock rubber strings. Since installing those, we haven't really needed the amp.

We do stuff like study basslines in Anytune (iphone Transcription app), putting them up an octave or 2, slowing them down, playing with the EQ feature. She also enjoys learning isolated bass lines and prefers learning by ear. So driving time is like a private lesson, mostly focused on learning songs, learning a bit about the theory, and really dissecting the tracks to get all of the the nuances that give the lines their feel.

Right now she is really into "Don't Start Now" by Dua Lipa. She also enjoys playing "I want you back" with the isolated track on YouTube. She's also gotten into "I Cant Help It" and "Off the Wall" by MJ, "Senorita" by Shawn Mendez, "Good Times" by Chic.

She also has been inspired by many of the great young female bassists that post cover videos on Youtube, like Marta Altesa and JuliaPlaysGroove.

Since lockdown, we haven't been driving much and she has been playing bass indoors, which has been great as she is now playing the full size bass every day.

We do have a Ibanez Mikro and it is fantastic, super fun for both of us. There is an enormous thread here about them. They are just killer basses, and unbelievably cheap. Can't go wrong. We actually have two, I made one fretless and she messes with it every now and then.

Now she wants to be a big girl so she is playing a full size Stingray 5. But I wouldn't recommend putting a 12 year old on a full size bass until they really ask for it.

I wish you and your daughter the best!
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I respectfully disagree. You make great points. I have a U-bass that I use with a ukulele group. But for starting down the electric bass road, a conventional instrument, such as a Squier P-bass, is the logical first choice to introduce a player to the world of bass, especially since the OP's daughter already has good musical experience.
 
#35
Engle said:
When my daughter was that age, I bought a Hofner Ignition thinking she would like it. She hated how uncomfortable the body is when sitting. I got her a Squire Jag SS and she played that for about a year until I built her a Pbass with a Warmoth neck.
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Good point. She usually plays guitar sitting down. I can see how a Beatle bass may not be comfortable.
 
#37
iiipopes said:
I respectfully disagree. You make great points. I have a U-bass that I use with a ukulele group. But for starting down the electric bass road, a conventional instrument, such as a Squier P-bass, is the logical first choice to introduce a player to the world of bass, especially since the OP's daughter already has good musical experience.
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The biggest reason I recommend this to have practice time during the commute. It works amazing with my kid, but all kids are different. We have flatwounds which makes a big difference. The bass is every comfortable to play. If OP's kid is highly motivated, sure get her a cumbersome 34" scale bass and let her have at it. Though it might be awkward and not what she expected, and end up unused, with some degree of accompanying sense of failure.

It's getting to know the fretboard, getting her right hand together, learning bass lines, getting them to where they groove that will progress playing and build passion for the instrument. U-Bass has worked great with my daughter. Because she practices and the car time has been great for us. She has had no problems other than a few days to acclimate to a full scale 5 string.

I'm sharing my experience. As always, internet forum threads have a lot of experts chiming in who have no experience dealing with the situation at hand, strong opinions at that. If any other parents have had success with their 12 year old girls, I'd love to hear their thoughts.
 
#40
She doesn’t necessarily need a short scale. There are plenty of crazy YouTube videos of kiddos tearing it up on regular scale basses. But She won’t really know what’s most comfortable for her until she plays one for a while, then goes out and tries the other.

In the era of normal business hours, I’d say go out and hold Basses. If she’s played guitar and cello, she’ll be able to make some noise. Hold the neck, see how it feels in her hand. Put it on a strap and see how it balances. if you can wait til this is possible, that’s ideal.

but if you want to get this during stay at home orders, you may have to make an educated guess. Do you have the funds to buy 2 Basses, try at home, and return one? One short, one regular? Most major online retailers have generous return policies.

Most of the basses recommended here are fine quality for a beginner. I think the Yamaha and Ibanez have exceptional quality control at this price point, but the others would be great as well.

For amps, a Rumble 25 or Ampeg BA108 would be my pick.

Finally- ask her! If she helps pick a bass she likes, even if it’s just for looks, she’ll be more likely to play it. Instead of this ugly thing her dad picked out ;)

and watch videos of female bass players for inspiration! Off the top of my head:
Esperanza Spaulding
Haim
Tal Wilkenfield
Ida Nielsen

good luck on your quest! :)
 
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