Sterling as beginner bass

[Malak the Mad]

I have a couple of suggestions, for whatever that's worth, but here it goes anyway;

The consensus seems to be Ibanez more so than other brands with Squire coming in 2nd place. Squire is appealing because it’s passive and you don’t have to worry about a preamp fail with cheaper models. Ibanez could also work very well

1. Starting off with a passive instrument might be a good idea. Not long after I bought my first bass, I was chatting with a guy from my local two-location music instruments store. I was wondering if I should've started off with something active. He said starting off with a passive instrument would give me a good foundation with how pickups work without getting into the weeds of EQ'ing an instruments sound.

2. Going back to when I had just bought my first-ever bass, I took it in for a setup. He noted the strings were pretty dead and suggested I start off with D'Addario flatwound Chromes of the .100-gauge persuasion, saying they would be much kinder to a beginner's fingers.

Personally, I think he was on to something on both fronts, but your daughter's mileage may vary.

What I can say on my own is that everyone's sense of "personal ergonomics" is exactly that; "PERSONAL". What works for others may not be 100% reflective of what feels most comfortable in your daughter's own, two hands. That's why it's important to sample as many instruments as reasonably possible. She may not know exactly what feels best at the onset, but trying a wide variety and taking notes along the way might help her zero-in on a set of criteria. And, if you get a sense of what's acceptable, you can use those criteria to find something similar that might not be immediately available. (That's how I discovered how much I dig the necks from Fender Classic/Vintera '70s Jazzes and Fender Aerodynes…certain necks did not feel "right" in my hands, so I eliminated them from my research and found what was comfortable to play.)

Nobody noticed it in the 50's and 60's when I was a kid. We weren't around the house, were out playing in traffic, climbing trees, or riding bikes to places unknown, expanding our geographic horizons. Meanwhile by the time we got home our parents were well into triple martini hour and didn't notice anything. By the 70's we as teenagers were so stoned, or rebellious, it was impossible for parents to notice aberrant behaviors.

Now, everything is measured, checked, monitored. Wait, why does my phone say my monthly screen time just increased? Let me check my Apple Watch to see if I've been sleeping less. What's my personal EKG say? I just saw a Pharma commercial and whatever it was talking about, I might have it!

As a dyed-in-the-wood Gen X'er, I feel just a little called out, here…


…and I am all for it!

 

[Pirate Captain]

Mainly pop from the last 20 years. An occasional Pearl Jam or Metallica song but mostly Lady Gaga, post Malone, Rhianna kind of stuff.

yeah...as others are saying, if she wants to play that kind of stuff a fiver could make it easier if she doesn't want to keep retuning it. That said, it's not like she's gigging and would need to be ready to go between songs in the middle of a set and learning to de-retune is a skill worth having

 

[SteveCS]

@Cory rich40 All 3 of your options, and many more besides, are several orders of magnitude better in every possible way* than the firewood many of us of a certain age began with. When looked at through that lens, the only thing you and your step-daughter needs to be concerned about is finding something that will make her want to pick it up and play. If that boils down to finding something in her favourite colour, then so be it.

YMMV

* They will all have decent fretwork, functional truss rods and bridge adjusters, reliable tuners, comfortable neck carves, adequate electrics/electronics and reasonably tough finishes in nice colours.

 

[Major Seven]

I have narrowed it down to 3 brands for my step daughter’s first bass. A Sterling by music man(the reason being, I love stingrays), a Squire cv bass(upper end Squire), or Ibanez SR. I have a plan to take her to our local guitar center to try them out. Sadly I have never played a Ibanez SR. The budget is going to be $500. For those with experience with the Sterling brand, how will it compare to a real stingray as far as comfort and string spacing goes? I know Sterling gets a lot of hate with quality control issues. Would a Sterling make someone a good beginner bass? I’m dead set on this bass being a 4 string since I started on a 4 string, but I’m sure a competent teacher could teach a student how to begin on a 5 string. Now the scary part. How many times did we develop calluses on our fretting hand’s fingers when we first started? We overcame it and toughened up. She was diagnosed as autistic when she was in first grade. If they still used the term, you would probably say she has Asperger syndrome. Which is on the milder end of the spectrum. The calluses could cause sensory overload for her and I don’t want her to give up. I will give her encouragement but is their a cheat sheet on how to deal with calluses on your fingers? Maybe a light glove or something? I also suspect I’m mildly autistic but my parents never had me diagnosed or if they did when I was younger they never told me.

I use low tension strings , low action and a very light touch. It is not necessary to develop calluses. After 5 years I haven't. .
What ever you get, get a good setup. Make if play easily

I have also played all of those bases. In my opinion the Ibanez is more ergonomic. Especially for a small frame young girl.

 

[jd56hawk]

I have narrowed it down to 3 brands for my step daughter’s first bass. A Sterling by music man(the reason being, I love stingrays)

You love Stingrays but does she?
Nothing intrinsically wrong with the Sterlings, but...
The Squier CV is a good choice, and Ibanez isn't bad, either.
Other than that, no matter what you buy, get rid of the cheap factory strings...go with some GHS black tapewounds and she won't have to deal with callouses.
One more thing, if you see one of these hanging up, let her try it, too.

Epiphone Embassy.

 

[BassicJazzy]

I use low tension strings , low action and a very light touch. It is not necessary to develop calluses. After 5 years I haven't. .
What ever you get, get a good setup. Make if play easily

I have also played all of those bases. In my opinion the Ibanez is more ergonomic. Especially for a small frame young girl.

Beginners tend to death grip the neck. Takes awhile to develop the feel to play with a light touch. I actually think it's good to start with a medium action and flexible strings, rounds with round core. String noise is a good feedback aid to developing proper technique. I agree totally about the Ibanez. Better ergonomics for a young player.

A youngster will develop proper callous, with playing time. Old guys like us for some reason don't develop as much callous. I don't really understand why, must be we get thin skinned as we age?

 

[Major Seven]

Beginners tend to death grip the neck. Takes awhile to develop the feel to play with a light touch. I actually think it's good to start with a medium action and flexible strings, rounds with round core. String noise is a good feedback aid to developing proper technique. I agree totally about the Ibanez. Better ergonomics for a young player.

A youngster will develop proper callous, with playing time. Old guys like us for some reason don't develop as much callous. I don't really understand why, must be we get thin skinned as we age?

Must be my mind is what has calluses now.

 

[SomewhatHarmles]

Hey Cory,

I think it's super sweet that you're getting a bass for your daughter.

IMHO, I think that music is especially good for Aspies, as it gives another medium of expression based on repetitive, focused practice.
Depending on what type of Aspergers she suffers from (sound, color, sensation, touch), the calluses will likely be a non issue. Just make sure the instrument is set up right. If you head to the luthier's corner, you'll find a lot of people willing to give tips.

Meanwhile, have her try all the instruments. See what she likes. If it's over your price range, try to find it used. I really think that what she loves (regardless of the sound, look, or maker) will help her the most.


And yes, I think Sterling makes a solid bass. I worked on a Sub4 for my church, and was impressed with how it was put together. I really like the Sterling short scale, but sorta wanta try building my own bass from scratch.

 

[Rich Fiscus]

I have narrowed it down to 3 brands for my step daughter’s first bass. A Sterling by music man(the reason being, I love stingrays), a Squire cv bass(upper end Squire), or Ibanez SR. I have a plan to take her to our local guitar center to try them out. Sadly I have never played a Ibanez SR. The budget is going to be $500. For those with experience with the Sterling brand, how will it compare to a real stingray as far as comfort and string spacing goes? I know Sterling gets a lot of hate with quality control issues. Would a Sterling make someone a good beginner bass? I’m dead set on this bass being a 4 string since I started on a 4 string, but I’m sure a competent teacher could teach a student how to begin on a 5 string. Now the scary part. How many times did we develop calluses on our fretting hand’s fingers when we first started? We overcame it and toughened up. She was diagnosed as autistic when she was in first grade. If they still used the term, you would probably say she has Asperger syndrome. Which is on the milder end of the spectrum. The calluses could cause sensory overload for her and I don’t want her to give up. I will give her encouragement but is their a cheat sheet on how to deal with calluses on your fingers? Maybe a light glove or something? I also suspect I’m mildly autistic but my parents never had me diagnosed or if they did when I was younger they never told me.

Speaking as someone with an Asperger’s/autism diagnosis, and with 2 daughters on the spectrum, I don’t know that I’d worry about callouses, but if it is a problem, gloves could definitely be a solution. I use Musician’s Practice Gloves to deal with neurological issues, and they should definitely make a difference. But I wouldn’t worry about it unless/until it becomes a problem.