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best bass for small hands

i'm 5'3" and have pretty small hands (i'm a girl).

any recommendations on a good intermediate bass for small handed people? i've heard Yamaha's are good but i don't like the cutaways on some cheaper models (ie. [Invalid or Expired Link Removed])
 
Technique > Hand size

If you play properly the size of the bass shouldn't matter. That being said Ibanez have pretty close string spacing and there lots of short scale bass that you can get. I suggest playing a around. You will be surprised at what you feel comfortable


FTR: Vic Wooten is 5'3 and he plays a 34" bass and I like to think he is pretty good.
 
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i'm 5'3" and have pretty small hands (i'm a girl).

any recommendations on a good intermediate bass for small handed people? i've heard Yamaha's are good but i don't like the cutaways on some cheaper models (ie. [Invalid or Expired Link Removed])

You might want to look at the MM Sterling. It may be a little pricy to you, but you really get what you pay for and the neck is one of the best I've played ever!!! I see others have recommended the Geddy Lee Jazz Bass also and that's a great bass too with a great neck on it. You should play as many as you can and buy what you can afford that feels right and looks good to you. Best wishes with your search.:D
 
i'm 5'3" and have pretty small hands (i'm a girl).

any recommendations on a good intermediate bass for small handed people? i've heard Yamaha's are good but i don't like the cutaways on some cheaper models (ie. [Invalid or Expired Link Removed])

Play everything and find what is comfortable for you.

Keep at it because your stature is no matter. My friend Wanda is 5' 1", plays in 3 symphonies, and plays circles around me on electric.

Jim

Symphony.jpg

Second028.jpg
 
Ergonomics > hand size. Strap on a bass and try to play near first position with the bass in the usual close to horizontal position. Check the wrist angles and finger spread. Now try it with the bass in a more upright position, like a DB and again check the spread, and the comfort.

Parksung, get an SX Jazz from Rondo and move the strap pins to where they fit YOU. It's a cheap bass so it won't lose any real resale, but it might give you the ability to play and learn in relative comfort.

www.rondomusic.net
 
When I first started playing bass I thought I had this problem myself, but with practice I now play a P bass with no prob. But at 5'3", you may end up with little leverage when playing in the first few frets, so I might look at at shortscales if I were you.

I've played a bunch of Fender Mustangs and Musicmasters, and in my experience the old ones play great, the new ones just ok. I did own one of the CIJ Mustangs which played like butter, but the pickups really leave something to be desired IMO. If I had one, I'd route it out to slap a good P pickup in there. The Dano longhorn reissues look cool, and sound pretty good with the stock pups, but it really depends on what kind of music you play.

Some of the folks on this board that teach may have a better, more technique oriented, answer. I saw a "little person" shred it up on a standard sized strat once, so if there's a moral to that it's: work what you got.
 
You might want to look at the MM Sterling. It may be a little pricy to you, but you really get what you pay for and the neck is one of the best I've played ever!!! I see others have recommended the Geddy Lee Jazz Bass also and that's a great bass too with a great neck on it. You should play as many as you can and buy what you can afford that feels right and looks good to you. Best wishes with your search.:D

ditto on the sterling. my Dargie has a great neck, besides my Tom Clement fretless, my sterling has the best feeling neck of all my basses.
 
Any kind of Beatle bass or violin bass.

You can see you have lots of options (including learning to play "bigger" basses). Maybe try to approach it from the angle of 'what bass sound do I want" and then narrow it down from there.
 

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