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Tiny hands and funk bass

AlexD

AlexD

Oct 7, 2008
48
0
Stratford, CT
#1
So I've recently started getting really into playing funk (slap/pop, some tap stuff, trying to learn doublethumbing but am absolutely miserable at it right now), and my Fender Precision Special, while great for playing simple punk stuff, is a complete pain for me to play any complex lines. I've tried other basses with the same problem - my hands are freaking tiny. I've been playing for about 11 years and have had limited success, but I really feel I'm being held back by the fact I can barely stretch a third.

How are short scale basses? Should I look into anything in particular, as I'm debating getting a new bass anyway for just gigging with the "nice" band and keeping the precision for my punk gigs. Looking for anything with a great tone and short scale. Thanks!
 
#2
I have tiny hands as well, my first real bass was a early '70s fender mustang short-scale. I justified getting it because of my small hands but eventually got sick of the low-output and short-scale and moved to a Carvin with a thin fast neck. Before my mustang I had a p-bass copy that was miserable. If I were you I would look at something with a jazz-bass type neck and not worry about getting a short-scale (which suck if you downtune).
 
#3
Yeah, it sounds like you could solve your problem by finding a more comfortable neck and string spacing.

There are some pretty tiny people who make Jazz basses look enormous (say, the fella in my avatar for one) but can obviously make it work for them.
 
#4
Instead of going from the second to the sixth fret on a string above go to the first fret on the string above? I don't have particularly big hands and I've done fine by just adjusting how I finger stuff. I almost always hit the third on the higher string.
 
#6
I have been playing for over 35 years and until a couple of years ago it was on long scale 34" basses. My hands arent particularly small but I had to struggle with those basses listening to everyone say " just stretch" well it was never really comfortable. When I got my first short scale bass, an Epiphone/Gibson EBO I loved the feel. After changing out the pup and installing two "J" pups and installing a bridge mod for more sustain , the bass was good. I ordered and have received my dream bass, a short scale DP Custom with Alembic pups and electronics. It is sooooo easy to play, no more stretching till it hurts. Comfortable finally. I should have done this 30 years ago. I had to get a custom to get all the features in it which I wanted, but check around you may find something off the shelf that suits you for less money. The bottom line is to be at ease with your instrument.
 
#8
amos said:
If I were you I would look at something with a jazz-bass type neck and not worry about getting a short-scale (which suck if you downtune).
Click to expand...
I totally agree with you about that.

At first, I have to say I never had problems with the size of my hands and fingers since my hands have been compared to paws various times and I got long and thin spider-like fingers but I strongly disadvise buying a short or medium scale bass. If you'd been playin' something like blues or pop where one usually wants to have a nice round and warm bass sound I'd say there's nothing to say against it but you want to play various funktechniques. Slap, Tap, all that needs a long neck and the high string tension of a longscale bass. Of course, Stanley Clarke uses short or medium scale basses and has a funky, clanky sound but hey, it's Stanley playing Alembic and Löwenherz basses. ;)
Of course you could search for some special medium or short scale bass. But this is not going to be a cheap bass I guess. The typical short scale bass models you'll find out there on the street regulary will possibly suck at being slapped. So you might try out some slender-necked Ibanez and Jazz Bass-style basses as well. Maybe they are an answer to your problems.
 
#9
I have very small hands and slap a lot. I find Jazz style necks are perfect for me. Stingrays and Precisions are also OK but a Jazz neck is just right. A Geddy Lee Jazz neck is about as thin as it comes and is very easy for someone with small hands to play (34" scale though).

A really cool slap friendly shorter scale bass is a MIM Fender Stu Hamm Urge from the '90's. Around $300 and is kinka what I would classify as a 32" scale Jazz Bass. Bit of a different body but has the Jazz PU config. My 11 year old son plays one.

P.S. Stay away from Gibson EB and SG reissues. Terrible for slap IMO.
 
#12
Thanks for the help guys, I really appreciate it!

I'm not copping out on finger position; I generally do try to go for the most economical movement, but there are times when you're playing chords that you just need to stretch a bit, and it's seriously damn near impossible.

I have to admit that while I've been playing for awhile, I'm a complete dunce when it comes to bass specs and what kind of bass is right for me. When you talk about string spacing, are you talking how far apart the strings are from one another? What about neck width? What do these things actually mean, haha. Is there some sort of happy medium between the 34" standard scale and the 30" short scale?
 
#15
With proper technique (thumb as a pivot on the back of the neck) no bass neck should be took big if your hands are anywhere close to average. Mine are small and I play a 5 string Warwick.

If it really troubles you, look at something with a thin neck, like a jazz bass of an Ibanez. The benefits of short scale do not outweigh the loses unless those few inches less really make it far more easy to play.

Short scale makes all the strings looser, which is really a pain with downtuning. 5 strings/BEAD tuned basses simply do not work at short scale, as the strings cannot get enough tension to be firm enough to play on.
 
#16
There are undoubtedly going to be a million guys who say "I have small hands" or "This guy has tiny hands and is a monster", so quit whining. My advice is don't listen to them; that isn't productive.

If this is really bothering you, go and try a bunch of basses out, Ibanez makes killer little necks on the SR series and a Jazz neck is great as well, but if you are a small guy, then the Jazz might feel a bit big for you too.

My advice would be to do one of three things
1. Go custom- but you said you really don't know much about bass specs, so I would do a lot of research before going this route
2. Look for a P bass with a J neck, if you are a small guy the P body will feel better.
3. Go to as many stores as you can and try out as many basses as you can and take notes on what you like and don't like. This is the quickest way to find out your preferences.

It might also be a good idea to take a couple lessons to see if indeed your technique is bad.

Good luck!

Dan
 

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