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Bass for small hands?
- Thread starter Larry Grenier
- Start date
My index finger is 3". I have zero trouble with any 'normal' sized basses, including 5's and 6's. It's really not an issue. But smaller instruments be a preference and that's just fine too.
With few exceptions, no matter how small your hands are, you should be fine to use a normal 34" scale bass. Not only will it sound fuller, you'll have more options when it comes to buying instruments. You may have to be more explicit about focusing on your left hand technique early on, but that's probably for the best anyway.
okcrum
in your chest
Thinking of jumping back in. I remember back in the days we had 3 guitarists and alternated who played bass. We had one 34" scale Aria and a cheapo small, I'm thinking short-scale junky bass. I have to admit that the cheapo small bass was more fun and easier to play for me. Wish I still had it, it cost all of $50
Can you make suggestions on something I should be looking at? So far it's Ibanez TMB30, Gibson, Epiphone or knockoff EB#, Fender Mustang... Keeping the price low for an old newbie would be nice.
Mid-scale size like 32" is a thought as-well but dunno
Thanks
I like the TMB100 my son has, a lot. So there's my vote, sort of.
What's your hand span on a standard size piano keyboard? That's the distance between the tip of your
When I started playing bass at 13, my span was almost a ninth (a little under 8") and I was comfortable playing a 32" scale Hagstrom. By the time I was gigging a lot in my 20s, my span had increased to a solid tenth (a little over 9") and I was playing 34" scale P bass. I think it was part growth and part stretching out the fascia in the palm of my fretting hand learning to reach for notes.
HTH; those are the only two data points I have. I'm pretty sure you could scale the idea, though. There are certainly other factors, but it might be a starting point to narrow down the choices.
Play what feels most comfortable for scale length. Esperanza Spalding plays 34" and also 7/8 size DB!
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You want small, look at the SmallGuitars.com 1/2 size bass, 24" scale. I only play 21 to 24" scale, anything longer and I'm struggling to reach, even with medium size hands. I have one that I had painted by Pat Wilkins. I also added stick-on fret markers and chrome hardware, plus La Bella/Gold Tone 25" flats.
go with the jag ss or the GSR100EX imo. i wouldn't mess with the kit, which - i might point out - will require finishing when you're done. the jag ss is a favorite around here for a reason. and as you know, the GSR100EX is the only long scale bass i can play comfortably for hours due to several factors including its light weight. love the slim neck, too.
it is quite an awesome little ax - plays and feels great, particularly with the strings kahanmike uses. when i get mine, i'm going for the daphne blue - i never had a light blue bass before.
I really think that any Ibanez Soundgear has a neck thin enough to fit small hands without great effort. And they are great basses. Cort also has thin neck models like the Ibanez.
Of all my basses, long and short, most of which have narrow nut widths, My Gibson SG is hands down winner, followed by my Guilds.
Not popular with many, but since you mentioned Gibson, I felt it was worth mentioning.
I have short sausage fingers and though I play my long scales a lot, the shorties feel like home.
Not popular with many, but since you mentioned Gibson, I felt it was worth mentioning.
I have short sausage fingers and though I play my long scales a lot, the shorties feel like home.
I like the 34" sound but ultimately sound is pickups, pickup heights, strings, amps, fingers, pick and everything else discussed here on TB. I thought I vaguely recalled someone doing some pickup mods on Mikros and really rating the end result. Plus I'm a huge fan of the tone shaping abilities of Sansamp Bass Driver DIs (BDDIs) but a good amp and plenty of other preamps do a great job too. Buy what is comfortable and experiment - and as gets said plenty of times hereabouts; neither the audience nor the band can probably hear the difference between your ax and a fancy custom bass anyway.
buldog5151bass
Kibble, milkbones, and P Basses. And redheads.
I've seen 12 year old girls killing it with a 34" scale bass. It's impossible to know what feels best to you, and you've been playing a long time, so you should know better. Hit some stores with a budget.
You mean smaller scale or smaller body counts too? the traveller guitars tb 4p has 32" scale but smaller body
I agree with this.
When I was studying string bass, and was part of the university symphony, I was 4th or 5th chair, our 1st chair bassist, was a woman bout 5ft 3 "and her hands were half size of mine, she played the snot out of the full sized bass.
It's all about proper technique, not hand size.
Ibanez Soundgear basses are famous for their narrow necks and thin profiles.
Scale length doesn't really do anything for the problems related to hand size. A short scale bass with a 70s P bass profile neck is still going to be a drag to play.
Scale length doesn't really do anything for the problems related to hand size. A short scale bass with a 70s P bass profile neck is still going to be a drag to play.
Trying < $250. Sorry, I should have said this up front. Yes, I know I'm being cheap.
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