best bass for small hands

[rfclef]

Nobody's mentioned Birdsongs... May be more $$ than you want to pay now, but they are awesome...
http://www.birdsongguitars.com/

 

[jerseyrichSnr]

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])

These guys are giving you good advice, but obviously none of them has experience of small basses.

Three words:
Fender Mustang Bass.

Very playable high quality bass that thinks it's standard size.
Sounds more like a P bass than a J.

30" scale.

Under-rated.

Strings through the body, just like MMs and G&Ls.

Even the vintage ones are half the price of the equivalent J or P basses.

The new Japanese made ones are good.

Makes a small bass player look big on stage.

But always try one before you buy, however.

 

[Aenima]

my hands are a bit on the smaller side too, a fender mustang feels great, plus it shouldnt break your bank

 

[EagleMoon]

I second the Geddy Lee Jazz bass. I'm a girl too and it's great for my hands. The thin neck is great.

 

[Hawaii Islander]

These guys are giving you good advice, but obviously none of them has experience of small basses.

Three words:
Fender Mustang Bass.

Very playable high quality bass that thinks it's standard size.
Sounds more like a P bass than a J.

30" scale.

Under-rated.

Strings through the body, just like MMs and G&Ls.

Even the vintage ones are half the price of the equivalent J or P basses.

The new Japanese made ones are good.

Makes a small bass player look big on stage.

But always try one before you buy, however.

My first bass was a late 60's Mosrite Celebrity bass. A short scale hollowbody bass. Unfortunately, they don't make them anymore.

 

[rainbownorth]

Well, I'm a wee man myself; I'm about 5' 4 and my hands arent the biggest.

I started off on a Cort action series, and found the first 5 frets were too much of a stretch. I still play it, but not as much....actually, I just tune it down to BEAD and play with flatwounds and it sounds very nice.But thats not the point:

I recently got a warwick rockbass corvette. Its got a great sound, very versatile, and perfect for the smaller handed person. The fret spacings are smaller all they way up,the neck is thinner, and did I mention it sounds beautiful? Great for fingerstyle, slap, whatever. Shouldnt be too expensive, I didnt pay much for mine.

 

[JimmyM]

Isn't the Rockbass Corvette a 34" scale like the Cort? If so, then the frets should be in the exact same position.

 

[Ayliffe]

Technique > Hand size

If you play properly the size of the bass shouldn't matter.

put perfectly

 

[flybynight]

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 played a Gibson EB-0 for quite a few years, then quit playing bass for 30 years. Started playing again, bought a used Alembic Spoiler with a 34" scale, wondered why I couldn't reach what I used to be able to ... until I learned that the Gibson had a short scale. When I found a 30-year-old short-scale Alembic Series I, I snapped it up. Fits my hands nicely, allowing me to work on other bits of technique.

Most of the short-scale suggestions will do you quite nicely. Buy what you can afford now, search for what you want later. You'll be surprised what appears on the used market.

 

[whyseye]

Maybe if your hands stopped growing when you were 5, you would have a point. But if they haven't, then you are wrong. I have the smallest hands of any male I ever met in my life, and I play long scale basses with no problem whatsoever because of knowing how to use leverage.

....but if your hands are that small, I don't think that technique can completely compensate....my pinkies are the length of the short side of a business card, my middle finger comes nearly an inch short of the long side....but I can still manage to work around most things....
....short scale just makes it that much more comfortable, so that I can concentrate more on groove and feel, less on stretching and placement...

...I'm still very much a newb...and perhaps that will change over time...but to dismiss hand size completely as a factor is to do a disservice to some who may not be blessed with hands as big as the bass inside them....

 

[rreynoldsbass]

Ibanez Soundgears are really nice, even at the five string level. I'm hoping to buy one soon, but like everyone said, try not to be discouraged by your small hands. My hands are very tiny and I play a Spector and a Warwick.

 

[spade2you]

Almost forgot that Status can do a 32" scale 4 string with 16mm bridge spacing. That would be a very small bass.

 

[Nedmundo]

Probably out of your price range, but take a look at these from Landing Basses, which specializes in shorter scale:

http://www.talkbass.com/forum/showthread.php?t=361477

Some of his other models look like Stratocasters and have three single coil EMG pickups. It's certainly a unique configuration (for a bass).

 

[ehque]

I have a friend with hands so small she can't reach the B string on my bass in normal position (thumb on spine of neck). She's slightly under 4"9 tall. So its possible that technique isn't the end-all, ok?

Also, will people stop recommending the Jazz neck? My experience is that the J body is larger than the P, and she's already complaining about the weight of the P...

I'd go with the short-scale SX, actually.

 

[lefty007]

Hand size means nothing. Playing bass or guitar is all about leverage.

That is an absurd statement to most of its extend. But, whatever. Rock on .

 

[JimmyM]

That is an absurd statement to most of its extend. But, whatever. Rock on .

Explain how that's absurd.

 

[Rumblefisher]

gretsch basses

 

[spade2you]

That is an absurd statement to most of its extend. But, whatever. Rock on .

Oy, it would seem that I'm agreeing more with JimmyM.

It would be absurd if little guys couldn't handle the bigger basses, but we can. Obviously everyone's hands are different and each will have different limitations.

Having good form is critical for my frame and basses. A lot of my technique was borrowed and modified from classical guitar.

Having a comfortable bass is important. A balanced bass means I'm not using my fretting hand to hold the damn bass in the ideal hand position. A good neck profile makes it comfortable. MikeZ's 20mm spaced Curbow 6 was easy comfortable as can be and a joy to play.

 

[johnnycat42]

I have a friend with hands so small she can't reach the B string on my bass in normal position (thumb on spine of neck). She's slightly under 4"9 tall. So its possible that technique isn't the end-all, ok?

Also, will people stop recommending the Jazz neck? My experience is that the J body is larger than the P, and she's already complaining about the weight of the P...

I'd go with the short-scale SX, actually.

Yeah, the only Jazz I would recommend is the Geddy Lee. If not, go Schecter, Ibanez, Spector or some sort of Short Scale. Also, with practice, you will be surprised at what you can pull off. I had a hard time with my P Bass at first but now it feels very comfortable to me. Something to consider. But one thing is key, you should be comfortable with your instrument, otherwise you lose your playing mojo.

 

[JimmyM]

Oy, it would seem that I'm agreeing more with JimmyM.

It would be absurd if little guys couldn't handle the bigger basses, but we can. Obviously everyone's hands are different and each will have different limitations.

Having good form is critical for my frame and basses. A lot of my technique was borrowed and modified from classical guitar.

Having a comfortable bass is important. A balanced bass means I'm not using my fretting hand to hold the damn bass in the ideal hand position. A good neck profile makes it comfortable. MikeZ's 20mm spaced Curbow 6 was easy comfortable as can be and a joy to play.

How dare you ever not have agreed with me! I've opened up for Air Supply!!!

Just for that, I'm going to agree with you.

BTW, still waiting for that explanation, Lefty.