EllenPlaysBass plays a,,,

[Boneless]

Indeed. For beginners, they are a fine bass, but...

I dunno, I think if you buy a higher end, quality instrument for your child, they will be more inclined to 'want' to practice more. I grew up playing a Yamaha baby grand, I would open it up and revel in the booming, glorious tone that I got out of it. I looked forward to everyone going out, so I could really wail on it. A quality instrument is something.

A baby grand is a crap piano. Regular, if not a Concert Grand piano or GTFO.

Also, these Sterling basses are *not* what I'd call entry level. They are midrange, at least. Easily more than enough to start with. Entry level is more the likes of Harley Benton, Squier Affinity, etc. and these basses can all be setup to be easy to play on and have at least decent tone.

My opinion. Actually, the only opinion that counts: what really matters is the kind of bass. If you like metal and you're given a Höfner, then that's just not going to work and you're going to be put off music. If you like the Beatles and you're given a six string Peavey Cirrus, likewise.

 

[foolforthecity]

I'll validate any opinion for $39.95!

Hey! I value Earl’s opinion every bit as much as I did his custom “Saturday Night Specials” each weekend at the local demolition races… best six-hour paint job ever

 

[Pyrrho Epoche]

A baby grand is a crap piano. Regular, if not a Concert Grand piano or GTFO.

Also, these Sterling basses are *not* what I'd call entry level. They are midrange, at least. Easily more than enough to start with. Entry level is more the likes of Harley Benton, Squier Affinity, etc. and these basses can all be setup to be easy to play on and have at least decent tone.

My opinion. Actually, the only opinion that counts: what really matters is the kind of bass. If you like metal and you're given a Höfner, then that's just not going to work and you're going to be put off music. If you like the Beatles and you're given a six string Peavey Cirrus, likewise.

Exactly, midrange, not good and not bad, but who wants a so so instrument? Anybody with a couple years of playing, surely won't be satisfied, knowing the tone kinda blows.

I did not know anybody that had a concert piano, for practice in their home, especially for grade schoolers--but what do I know.

 

[jim nolte]

Very true on being a “personality” too early on. But does seem like her parents are really keeping a handle on her career and monitoring her celebrity. Personally, not sure it’d be something I might allow, IMO. Hoping though they stoke other fires just in case she hits a road block or just loses interest entirely. You know how growing up can be. She seems (for now) pretty well adjusted and still enjoying it all. Good for her.

Regarding the Sterlings and Markbass equipment. Good stuff, but I’m set with what I like. I’m sure the marketing ain’t aimed for a craggy jaded doofus like me.

Yeah her dad is a professional player,( Victor Wooten is a friend of the family ) and he runs a pretty tight ship, he told me Ellen doesn’t even see any of the responses that she gets on her site, so he seems to be pretty protective of her and knows the pitfalls of too much too early, that Sterling also had a Nordy pup installed at one point.

 

[NickyBass]

I think I've heard of the channel, but never watched it. Most bass 'influencer' content on YT doesn't interest me. I've watched videos that were relevant to a potential purchase, but I get more out of video reviews posted by 'regular' guys.
As for the bass, I bought a Sterling by EBMM a number of years ago. It was a nice bass. I don't know the quality now versus then, but I would have taken that bass out on gigs.

 

[sotua]

A baby grand is a crap piano. Regular, if not a Concert Grand piano or GTFO.

Also, these Sterling basses are *not* what I'd call entry level. They are midrange, at least. Easily more than enough to start with. Entry level is more the likes of Harley Benton, Squier Affinity, etc. and these basses can all be setup to be easy to play on and have at least decent tone.

The SBMM Short Scale Stingray is a legit bass. Great tone (I was pleasantly surprised at how much tone variation is offered by the passive controls too), reasonably well built, super easy to play due to the short scale, and great looks. The only things I didn't like was the surprising weight (as much as my long scale JBass), and the bad access to the upper frets - between the downsized body making the space between the lower horn and the neck smaller and the blocky neck joint it was very hard for me to get the top frets.

I have also played EBMMs side by side with SBMMs. Were they better basses? Sure. You could tell the hardware/finish was better. Did they sound better? Maybe. Did they provide an extra $2000 to $2500 in value over the SBMM version? For me, nope. Wouldn't mind an EBMM bass, but I have better uses for $2.5k-$3k USD than a bass.

 

[micguy]

Indeed. For beginners, they are a fine bass, but...

I dunno, I think if you buy a higher end, quality instrument for your child, they will be more inclined to 'want' to practice more.

An instrument that inspires you to play so much that you end up practicing a lot is a valuable thing. It may or may not cost a lot of money - the correlation is pretty sketchy between those two things.

 

[JazznFunk]

An instrument that inspires you to play so much that you end up practicing a lot is a valuable thing. It may or may not cost a lot of money - the correlation is pretty sketchy between those two things.

This. My first bass was an Ibanez pawn shop special that my Dad bought for me to get me started. Before that, my friend's Dad who was my first teacher loaned me a kit fretless bass he built to tinker on. The cost of the instrument, and the instrument itself, should NOT be what motivates you to play in the beginning. The instrument SHOULD be easy to play so that the physical challenge of learning bass early on shouldn't be harder than it needs to be, but I will vehemently argue that one must have a 'top drawer' bass starting out in order to be 'inspired' to play. I played that first Ibanez bass nonstop, knowing I was lucky to have an instrument that enabled me to simply explore the instrument. The first bass I purchased with my own money a year into my journey was a MIM Fender Jazz Bass... I got it a year and a half or so after I started playing. A much better bass than the Ibanez, but still not 'top drawer' quality. Regardless, that bass served me very well for a long time too.

 

[Smooth_bass88]

lots of opinions and projections without any evidence of what is true.

nobody lives in that house on this forum. you have no idea whether she likes it or hates it. no clue if she is being abused or if she is the one pushing to do this because she loves it. no idea of her parents or if they are getting deals for what instrument she plays or which one she actually prefers.

why so nasty without any idea of what is true?

because there are predators out there who may act on their feelings. Her page has her full name, as well as what city she lives in. Putting all this information out there with all sorts of pictures and videos opens her up to the possibility of identity theft or worse. And for what? Clicks? But
I’m sure there’s a nice income stream though.

 

[Boneless]

Exactly, midrange, not good and not bad, but who wants a so so instrument? Anybody with a couple years of playing, surely won't be satisfied, knowing the tone kinda blows.

I did not know anybody that had a concert piano, for practice in their home, especially for grade schoolers--but what do I know.

Midrange only means "doesn't cost little, doesn't cost a lot". To correlate price with quality is a very simplistic assumption. Simple Minds did make some great music but I might entrust my musical instrument procurement duties to more complex ones.

The concert grand piano comment was sarcastic.

 

[JazznFunk]

Indeed. For beginners, they are a fine bass, but...

I dunno, I think if you buy a higher end, quality instrument for your child, they will be more inclined to 'want' to practice more. I grew up playing a Yamaha baby grand, I would open it up and revel in the booming, glorious tone that I got out of it. I looked forward to everyone going out, so I could really wail on it. A quality instrument is something.

The notion that Sterlings, Squiers, etc. aren't 'acceptable' instruments for anyone other than 'beginners' grows more tiresome by the day on these boards. Upper tier instruments are fantastic, and often brag-worthy, but in the end, if a solidly set up mid-tier instrument gets it done in the trenches and feels good (and sounds good), then the self-imposed hierarchy of what is and is not 'acceptable' for certain levels of players is irrelevant. I will say that the quality of instrument that beginners have to start with these days is definitely much improved over what most of us had access to in the 80s/90s. CNC machining closed the gap between the cream and the crap quite a bit.

 

[g-dude]

Wow, some people here would have no children in movies or Broadway plays or on TV.

Maybe, just mind your business and worry about your own parenting.

There are difference between those situations and social media for starters.

Let's just start with the fact that one is unionized and has (at least on the surface) some sort of minimum child protection standards that are in place.

 

[Boneless]

The notion that Sterlings, Squiers, etc. aren't 'acceptable' instruments for anyone other than 'beginners' grows more tiresome by the day on these boards. Upper tier instruments are fantastic, and often brag-worthy, but in the end, if a solidly set up mid-tier instrument gets it done in the trenches and feels good (and sounds good), then the self-imposed hierarchy of what is and is not 'acceptable' for certain levels of players is irrelevant. I will say that the quality of instrument that beginners have to start with these days is definitely much improved over what most of us had access to in the 80s/90s. CNC machining closed the gap between the cream and the crap quite a bit.

That, and access to a shitload of decent wood, however harmful that may be for the planet. (Honestly I don't know if it's more a function of deforestation/land exploitation or improved curing processes).

 

[g-dude]

-- --
So now this kid is Brooke Shields? Alrighty then. Like. I said, people get some odd ideas.

I never said that - you know better.

I'm pointing out that kids can and will agree to things in the name of fame that responsible parents should shut down ASAP.

Look how much damage is being done to the mental health of kids from social media - and that's just as consumers.

 

[thmsjordan]

I just spewed coffee on that one… the lawn dart capped it off for me

Yep, the old "lawn dart in the kineekies" is a recurring favorite at our house.

 

[Heiwa]

Creepy thread

 

[callofcthulhu]

Wow, some people here would have no children in movies or Broadway plays or on TV.

Maybe, just mind your business and worry about your own parenting.

Movies, broadway, and TV have unions, contracts, 100 years of legal precedents and protections, and the job ends when they hand you the paycheck.

Social media is a parasite that lives in your brain and drains you for all you've got.

 

[JazznFunk]

That, and access to a poopieload of decent wood, however harmful that may be for the planet. (Honestly I don't know if it's more a function of deforestation/land exploitation or improved curing processes).

It definitely is a topic for a whole other thread, especially when you get into the sticky area of what builders are (or are not) using wood from the same sources for top end instruments that is being used in low or mid tier instruments too. If you're charging a premium price I presume you can charge a lot more for (supposedly) certified 'sustainably sourced' wood. The issue of our hobby and its environmental impact cannot be understated. But.... this is getting OT.

 

[frankie5string]

Something tells me the scale length had more to do with her (or her parents') choice of bass than the name brand. It was either this or a Mustang.

She has a few standard scale basses...

 

[TyBo]

I never said that - you know better.

I'm pointing out that kids can and will agree to things in the name of fame that responsible parents should shut down ASAP.

Look how much damage is being done to the mental health of kids from social media - and that's just as consumers.

Dude, you brought Brooke Shields' name into this, who was infamous for her heavily sexualized roles at a very young age ... in contrast, Ellen is a kid who does bass videos in collaboration with her dad. If you want to project something nefarious onto that, that's on you.
Ron Howard might be a better comparison, acting on the Andy Griffith show as a young kid, with supervision and instruction from his dad, who was also in the business. Some parallels there. Seems to have worked out OK for Ron.

C'mon already, if you want to make a statement about internet perils in general, that's fine. But don't lay all that on this kid, with questionable references or inferences thrown in. .