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Sterling as beginner bass

#21
My late father....God bless him.. had a philosophy that if he was paying for it, he had a major vote on what it was. Thats why my first bass was a 10 year old Epiphone instead of the brand new Pbass "I" would have preferred.
But because I wanted to play bass so badly, that Epi did a yeoman's job for me.
Just make sure its easy to play, and fully functional. The Sterling should be a great first bass.
 
#24
I just started playing bass a year ago, after putting it down for 15+ years. The first two instruments I got were the Ibanez SR305 and a Ray4, both made in Indonesia. I am very happy with both, and play them about equally. They both have very comfortable necks but the Ray4 neck is exceptionally thin. I love it. They both sound great. The build quality on both was top notch, although the finish on the Ray4 developed a long crack that wraps around the whole body within months. The EQ on the Ibanez impressed me. It's harder to get the Ray4 to sound how I want it to. Not saying it sounds bad, it is just more limited. I see a lot of people suggesting to put flats on. I put a set of EB cobalt flats on the Ray4 and it really took the bite out of the tone, and I was less stoked to play it. I ended up putting Black Beauties on, and I am happy again. I still want to try flats on the Ibanez though. Just some thoughts from a new old newb.
 
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#31
Honestly pretty nearly any recognizable brand can do you well. Ibanez has a reputation and a really broad range, but they're all good. It's down to what the player prefers.

Modern manufacturing processes are dialed-in, so as long as you can try before buying to avoid the occasional clinkers that escaped QC I don't expect any of them to be a gamble.
 
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#32
Cory rich40 said:
I’m dead set on this bass being a 4 string since I started on a 4 string,
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If I was starting again, or advising anyone who was asking my advice on how to start, I'd go with a 5.

Cory rich40 said:
and you don’t have to worry about a preamp fail with cheaper models.
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What failures? I hear a lot that people don't like the pres (some of which I think is confirmation bias), but reading about failures is so rare I don't remember the last I hard about. My SR206 (early '17 build) is one of my fave and most gigged basses. The only thing I don't like about it is the brown finish, but mine is still blemish free.
 
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#33
crazycloud said:
If I was starting again, or advising anyone who was asking my advice on how to start, I'd go with a 5.


What failures? I hear a lot that people don't like the pres (some of which I think is confirmation bias), but reading about failures is so rare I don't remember the last I hard about. My SR206 (early '17 build) is one of my fave and most gigged basses. The only thing I don't like about it is the brown finish, but mine is still blemish free.
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Yes, if it was me and I was starting from scratch at a young age now I would certainly pick a 5, but OP didn't provide any info on how old his daughter is, how large her hands are. All we know is she has mild spectrum issues. It is more challenging to learn on a 5, if you have small hands. Not saying it cannot be done, but it's just adding to the overhead. If she likes the 4, you can always switch to a 5 pretty early on, before things get too set-in.

Regarding preamps, that's not an issue. Doesn't matter either way. Preamps don't fail, batteries fail, and very infrequently. Just teach her not to leave it plugged in when not in use.
 
#34
13 is her age. The plan is also that she will be playing bass in guitar ensemble at high school. I’ve never taught anyone how to play bass. I can read notes as far as playing drums go, because I played percussion in the high school band. I can sight read fairly well as far as snare drum parts. But my knowledge of music theory ends there. I play strictly by ear as far as bass goes, so odds are that my method of playing will be completely different from the guitar teacher’s method. I also played the timpani in high school which are tunable percussion instruments, so there is a chance I know more than I think when it comes to reading music and playing bass. I obviously know the different notes as far as quarter notes, eight notes, sixteenth notes, etc. She can also read music. As far as her hand size I will say average for a girl her age. Height wise, she will be short like her mother.
 
#35
Cory rich40 said:
13 is her age. The plan is also that she will be playing bass in guitar ensemble at high school. I’ve never taught anyone how to play bass. I can read notes as far as playing drums go, because I played percussion in the high school band. I can sight read fairly well as far as snare drum parts. But my knowledge of music theory ends there. I play strictly by ear as far as bass goes, so odds are that my method of playing will be completely different from the guitar teacher’s method. I also played the timpani in high school which are tunable percussion instruments, so there is a chance I know more than I think when it comes to reading music and playing bass. I obviously know the different notes as far as quarter notes, eight notes, sixteenth notes, etc. She can also read music. As far as her hand size I will say average for a girl her age. Height wise, she will be short like her mother.
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If a guitarist is teaching her then I'd say the 5 string makes sense. GC is having a sale on Ibanez SR205s right not, under $300. That's an excellent, lightweight fiver with a relatively narrow neck, really good deal at the price. Understanding chords will likely be easier with the 5, and she won't have to shift as often, for playing simpler bass lines. Muting will be more difficult, but hey, you can't have everything, right?
 
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#38
Flatwound strings are silky smooth.

The cheap Sterlings are good.

I would still recommend a Sire M2 or a Low-end Yamaha BB as they are very light and ergonomic.
The M2 is 35” but it's a well engineered one, very easy to navigate and comfortable in your lap.
 
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#39
doctone said:
Phew... 5 strings, because her teacher will be a guitarist, seriously? From my experience, bass guitar is a completely different animal, but what do I know?
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Yes, a guitarist teaching bass is likely to look at chords more than a bass player would, and to structure lessons from that perspective. Plus student is playing in a group of guitarists. Double stops and chords will be easier to reference on a 5 string. It will be easier to work across the board instead of up and down the board. 13 year old might find that easier, with shorter arms. What's so "un-serious" about that? Just trying to be helpful here.
 
#40
Sorry BasicJazzy, you are probably right and surely have more experience than me. Please don't take this personally. 🤝
I'm trying to approach the bass guitar more like a drummer, with the added benefit of being able to produce a variety of notes. 😅
Not sure if the guitar ensemble's leader would agree, though. So no offense to you!
 
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