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Best mini bass for kids?
- Thread starter krfoss
- Start date
The Ibanez Mikro 5 is a fantastic bass.
it looks rather plain, which is the biggest and only drawback, but if you cut a pickguard or something it looks super slick super easily.
I recommend this bass 10/10 times, it’s great, I’d play it as a not Mikro person
Edit- I misread that a bit, but the Mikro NOT 5 is also great, and it’s teeny tiny
I've got the Mini P (my avatar)
I'm a Squier fanboy, and I love that thing, but since we are talking about a 5 yr old, I think I would go with the Mikro
I'm a Squier fanboy, and I love that thing, but since we are talking about a 5 yr old, I think I would go with the Mikro
Seems hard to go wrong with the Mikro. You don't even really have to worry about her "outgrowing" it... when she's ready to upgrade, it will be a good backup.
I'd buy from someone local who has a tech in shop to eyeball the setup and make sure it's not a dud.
I'd buy from someone local who has a tech in shop to eyeball the setup and make sure it's not a dud.
I bought a couple Ibanez Mikros for my kids in 2009 when they were 2.5 and 5yrs old. My daughter never really took to hers all that much (20 now), but my son (17 now) did and still has both of them. He has other basses (his own and a few of mine...), but those Mikros are still kicking around. I've even used them for gigs, and my son has used them for church youth band. I have no idea if today's Mikros are on par with 15yr old Mikros, but I was always impressed with the quality for what they cost at the time.
An appropriately-sized classical guitar would probably be the best choice. It will be the most comfortable to play, and won’t require amplification. A ukulele would also be a decent choice.
Addendum to my Fender Fullerton Precision Bass Uke - 3-Color Sunburst -
Should you reckon that
- a relatively hefty, solid-body instrument further loaded with magnetic pickups (it does add up, in terms of weight) and
- steel-core strings (they'd be rough and hard to press down, as pointed out above)
on a guitar-scale bass could still too much for the kid,
1)
a solid-body ukulele bass with a piezo pickup + preamp could be a smaller alternative worth considering, and still look like daddy's bass:
Hadean Bass Uke UKBE-22 Blue - RondoMusic.com
Hadean Bass Uke UKBE-22 N 33 Long Scale
Hadean Bass Uke UKBE-22 33
Harley Benton Solid UkeBass Sunburst
[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]
They have piezo pickups and come with synthetic strings. The latter (which are fine for what they are, and preferred by many players for their double-bassy tone) can be easily replaced with nylon-core metal roundwounds (à la classical guitar low strings), which feel and sound close enough to standard bass guitar strings:
Kala Metal Round Wound U•BASS® Strings - Kala Brand Music Co.™
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B010MOPD6Y
Kala Metal Round Wound 4
MicroBass LaBella 'Silverback' Silver-Wrapped Nylon Strings
[This invalid link has been removed]
Here's what it would look (and sound, post string swap) like:
2)
the Fender Fullerton Series Precision Bass Uke looks the part, and already comes with those classical-guitar type strings I've just mentioned. That it is hollow may slightly detract from the experience (in the somewhat remote case your daughter has come to expect, and won't accept anything other than, the weight and feel of an adult solid-body), but be an obvious plus in terms of comfort:
post #33 above
Fender Fullerton Precision Bass Uke, review and video demo
Fender Fullerton Precision Uke bass
post #33 above
Fender Fullerton PBass Uke OWT
Should you reckon that
- a relatively hefty, solid-body instrument further loaded with magnetic pickups (it does add up, in terms of weight) and
- steel-core strings (they'd be rough and hard to press down, as pointed out above)
on a guitar-scale bass could still too much for the kid,
1)
a solid-body ukulele bass with a piezo pickup + preamp could be a smaller alternative worth considering, and still look like daddy's bass:
Hadean Bass Uke UKBE-22 Blue - RondoMusic.com
Hadean Bass Uke UKBE-22 N 33 Long Scale
Hadean Bass Uke UKBE-22 33
Harley Benton Solid UkeBass Sunburst
[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]
They have piezo pickups and come with synthetic strings. The latter (which are fine for what they are, and preferred by many players for their double-bassy tone) can be easily replaced with nylon-core metal roundwounds (à la classical guitar low strings), which feel and sound close enough to standard bass guitar strings:
Kala Metal Round Wound U•BASS® Strings - Kala Brand Music Co.™
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B010MOPD6Y
Kala Metal Round Wound 4
MicroBass LaBella 'Silverback' Silver-Wrapped Nylon Strings
[This invalid link has been removed]
Here's what it would look (and sound, post string swap) like:
2)
the Fender Fullerton Series Precision Bass Uke looks the part, and already comes with those classical-guitar type strings I've just mentioned. That it is hollow may slightly detract from the experience (in the somewhat remote case your daughter has come to expect, and won't accept anything other than, the weight and feel of an adult solid-body), but be an obvious plus in terms of comfort:
post #33 above
Fender Fullerton Precision Bass Uke, review and video demo
Fender Fullerton Precision Uke bass
post #33 above
Fender Fullerton PBass Uke OWT
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Ibanez mikro. Super short scale and if they don’t stick with it you can throw guitar strings on it and use it as a piccolo bass.
I vote for a Squier Mini 
I refinned one in Sonic Blue for my (adopted) grandson
I refinned one in Sonic Blue for my (adopted) grandson 
Another vote for the Kala solid body U-Bass. A much wiser choice for a 5 year old in my opinion because the body is smaller than a Bronco or mini P bass.
U bass, ukulele bass
Amazon carries them. Kala is nicely priced and there are other models a bit less.
The bonus is, if the child doesn't really care for or loses interest then you have yourself a U-bass... see how that works?
Amazon carries them. Kala is nicely priced and there are other models a bit less.
The bonus is, if the child doesn't really care for or loses interest then you have yourself a U-bass... see how that works?
Uke basses are smaller yeah, but I’m not a fan at all of the thick and kind of rubbery strings they use on them (at least the acoustic electric ones) and I could see those being a little difficult for some kids’ fingers to manipulate. It looks like the U Bass (with the P bass pickup) might not have that problem though.
I imagine uke basses were made primarily for adults who wanted a wee lil bass rather than as a bass for children to start learning on and I imagine those different design goals amount to some differences in ergonomics.
Is anyone who recommended a uke bass for a child here, actually speaking from experience of having a child who learned on a uke bass? Asking sincerely— no snark intended!
I imagine uke basses were made primarily for adults who wanted a wee lil bass rather than as a bass for children to start learning on and I imagine those different design goals amount to some differences in ergonomics.
Is anyone who recommended a uke bass for a child here, actually speaking from experience of having a child who learned on a uke bass? Asking sincerely— no snark intended!
I have a Traveler electric guitar in my office to noodle around on and I like it, but it has sort of a wide neck. I checked the specs on this bass and the neck is 1.75” wide at the nut, which may be tough for some kids to deal with depending on their age and hand size
I spent some time trialing basses from this thread in a store today, as my kids are keen (4 and 8). Instruments included the mini P and Ibanez mikro, talman, and all the other squire mediums like rascal, mustang, bronco.
The mikro was the standout, due to its balance on strap, tone, and playability.
I really wanted to love the squires but on strap they dive to almost perpendicular. That interferes with a young persons learning, as they're focusing on keeping the neck up which distracts them from clean fretting.
Ibanez mikro for the win, I'll be ordering one shortly. Thanks for all the suggestions in thread it helped get me focused and off to my local store.
The mikro was the standout, due to its balance on strap, tone, and playability.
I really wanted to love the squires but on strap they dive to almost perpendicular. That interferes with a young persons learning, as they're focusing on keeping the neck up which distracts them from clean fretting.
Ibanez mikro for the win, I'll be ordering one shortly. Thanks for all the suggestions in thread it helped get me focused and off to my local store.
Apologies for resurrecting an old thread, but I have a question for you in regards to the SD pickups. Did you have to do any routing to get them in? Are they just a standard J set (bridge/neck)?
Thanks!
