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Very Small Hands

L

Lady_Mame

Jan 19, 2009
3
0
Washington
#1
Dear Talkbassists,

I have extremely small hands (part of the reason I stopped playing bass, actually) and would like to get back to playing music, after all. A friend wants to start up a rockband for jam sessions, and I'm really interested. Guess who's been tapped to play bass (because Rock and Chamber music, apparently, sound so much alike :hmm:)?

Now, I'm a moron about bass guitars, so I'm sure I'm about to come up with a really, really dumb question. Do they also come in smaller sizes like orchestral insturments? I was hoping for a 3/4, 1/2 size. If not, obviously, I can hook-up a bass to an amp and play that. Unfortunately, the only thing in town is a Shen that just didn't do it for me (the sound seemed bland.)

This is muchly outside my area of knowledge, and reading the newbie links helped in terms of how to pick from a selection, but not so much in terms of where to start looking for a smaller instrument.

Thank you!

LM
 
#3
I have very small hands and play a 6 string bass (and a couple of 5 strings) that have fretboards wide enough to drive a car along. OK, maybe not, but technique has a lot to with it IMO.

If you really want a smaller bass, here are a few to look at:

- Gibson SG Reissue bass. It is short scale, light and easy to play. Drawbacks? Sound isn't for everyone and they are $1000 or so.

- Fender Mustang or Musicmaster bass. Both shortscale, light, sounds like a Fender and can be found new for $250 (Squier Mustang) or $600 (Fender version). A used Musicmaster is approc $500 for a good used '70's version.

- Ibanez SGR. Very thin necks and reasonably priced.

I would stay away from starter or 3/4 scale instruments. They usually sound terrible and are geared towards children.

Good luck.
 
#5
another option to consider. String a 4 string BEAD and shift your hand up the neck to play the standard EADG. You lose a 1/4th off of the high end, but gain some low end. I have found that it is easier to reach across the fretboard vs stretching to reach frets in standard tuning. Just something to consider...
 
#6
You don't need big hands to play bass, that is a misconception. ;)

That being said, there are 'short scale' basses in the 30" to 32" range (a regular bass is 34"). I have an Epiphone EB-0 that is a comfortable 30" but has a huge, deep sound. Rondo Music also has some good-quality inexpensive short scale basses.
 
#8
Small hands are not necessarily a reason to go for a small scale bass. Assuming you do not suffer from dwarfism or some other affliction that cause you to have abnormally small hands, the secret to playing with smaller hands is correct technique.

Having your fingers and thumb in the C posture with your thumb in the middle of the neck and fingers parallel to the frets, you will be able to feel comfortable on the chunkiest P-bass after a while. Have a look at Tal Wilkenfeld playing her Sadowsky Jazz, are your hands smaller then hers?

[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]

Lady_Mame said:
The only thing in town is a Shen that just didn't do it for me (the sound seemed bland.)
Click to expand...

I assume your are talking about electric bass guitars. Shen is a Chinese maker of Double basses....
 
#9
Baird6869 said:
I would stay away from starter or 3/4 scale instruments. They usually sound terrible and are geared towards children.

Good luck.
Click to expand...

The key word here is "usually". The Ibanez GSRM20 Mikro Bass is a 3/4 scale instrument that is an exception to the rule and only costs ~ $170; well worth checking out. The Mikro will only fall short on reproducing the very lowest frequencies which is typical of all 3/4 scale basses.

The only slightly annoying thing I have run into with my Mikro bass is the 60 Hz hum from the J-pickup (it's a single coil, not two single coils connected in reverse series). Adding shielding to the routed pocket that holds the pots helps quite a bit but is not a 100% cure.

I am currently in the middle of installing DiMarzio DP126 PJ replacement pickup kit so I don't have anything to report on how this changes the Mikro's performance yet.

Dirk McQuickley
 
#14
The issue is not reaching around the neck, it is stretching from fret to fret-- I'm sorry I didn't make that clear. Yes, my hands are much smaller than the woman pictured-- when I put them in the position to play bass they go from about a to h on my keyboard. I played, most comfortably, a 1/2 Kay in school, which is similarly sized to the 1/4 sized Shen I played yesterday. The reason I was looking at the double basses is because I overall prefer playing them, though since I've been invited to play rock, rather exclusively, I can see a point behind getting a bass guitar instead-- I can probably get more oomph for my money.
 
#17
Basses: Check out the older Guild basses as long as you're looking at short scale instruments. A bit muddy, a lot like the Gibsons, but I liked mine (JSB2).

I had an early '70s Fender MusicMaster bass. In my recollection (it was 40 years ago) it had a far less muddy sound than the Gibson EB-0 I had, both were 30" scale basses.

Technique: Check out Carol Kay. Loads of good stuff, including the 1,2,4 fingering mentioned previously (and popular among classical bass players).

I'd say it's more about what you do with a bass, and a lot less about what bass you choose. Try to find something that sounds good and feels good to you, it will help you progress faster. Good luck!

- Paul
 
#19
Lady_Mame said:
The issue is not reaching around the neck, it is stretching from fret to fret. Yes, my hands are much smaller than hers.
Click to expand...
If your hands are large enough to reach around the neck, they are large enough to cover three frets.... Perhaps you have strength issues? Either way, have a professional teacher evaluate your hands and technique. A professional teacher will cut down your learning curve exponentially and address your physical issues with insights not possible on a web forum.
 
#20
Lady_Mame said:
most comfortably, a 1/2 Kay in school, which is similarly sized to the 1/4 sized Shen I played yesterday. The reason I was looking at the double basses is because I overall prefer playing them, though since I've been invited to play rock, rather exclusively, I can see a point behind getting a bass guitar instead-- I can probably get more oomph for my money.
Click to expand...
Dude? Lady.. whatever you are, you are talking about Shens and Kays.... this is a bass guitar forum not a double bass forum. You are confused.

Double bass questions will addressed in the Double Bass Section of this site.

Please fill out your profile. Poke around a little and read the the stickies for newbies. Welcome to talk bass.
 

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