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Anybody have suggestions for an electric bass that would be appropriate for a smallish middle school beginner? Do basses come in "youth" sizes?

I personally have a Carvin, but have not yet taught bass to any kids, especially that size/age.

Any insights?

There are short scale basses. One such is the Fender Musicmaster Bass. The music boosters at my school bought one of these the same year that I was in the 8th grade. The boosters also bought the same model for the high school.

It is a fair instrument.

George

The Hofner Beatle bass is a short scale with close set strings. There are several inexpensive copies out there. . .

http://www.musiciansfriend.com/product/ ... sku=512224

I'm a fan of the Beatle bass because its sound decays more quickly and, thus, is more like an upright to my ears. . .

just a thought,
T. J.

Hamer Slammer is a short scale bass. i bought two fo them for my school.
ken k

I'll agree with Greg. The whole series of Ibanez SR (Soundgear) basses have necks that are narrow and thin and easy to handle. Even with thin necks, they're usually stable don't require a lot of adjustment. They have excellent tones and are usually quite reliable, too.

For middle schoolers' hands, a long neck that's thin is better than a short neck that's chunky. There's less stress on their thumbs.

I thought that was one of the reasons for a Jazz Bass neck being only 1 1/2 inches wide at the nut.

I started playing bass in junior high school when I was 14. I learned on the high school's bass guitar, which was a Ventura brand copy of a P-Bass with the narrower nut like a Jazz bass. Standard full scale. I never had any problems. It just made me develop proper technique from the get go instead of grabbing the neck like a fence post or broom handle.

Every so often, magazines like Bass Player Magazine will run comparative articles on the models currently on the market.

Actually, your Carvin would be a good bass for him to learn on, as I believe it has a fairly narrow nut as well if I remember correctly from the one I bought for the bass player of a band I was in in the early 90's.

Any standard bass guitar that isn't too heavy and has a nut from 1.5 to 1.65 wide will be fine, even on a full scale 34" bass, which is what most are, copied from Fender. Try to get lightweight tuners as opposed to the older larger Fender tuners so the neck doesn't droop on him. For @$500 you should be able to get him a good one with decent hardware and a straight grained neck that will stay stable, set up well, stay in tune, and not warp. Like with brass instruments, don't get him the real cheapies, because they will warp, won't intonate, have no tone due to cheap electronics, and generally be more of a frustration.

As for scale, he'll grow into it. Even Stu Hamm, who made a big deal out of his signature bass with a 32 inch scale went to a regular 34 inch scale, and in "ancient" history, even Jack Bruce laid aside his Gibson EB's with the 30 inch scale for a 34 inch Warwick, and Jack Cassady laid aside his 30 1/2 inch scale Guild for his Epiphone 34 inch signature bass.

I second the notion that at that grade, he/she can probably handle a full scale 34" bass. I would also recommend the SX basses (rondomusic) linked above, if you can find someone to give it a good setup once it arrives. Otherwise, one of the Yamaha or Ibanez beginner basses would be great...nothing really fancy, but comes setup ok, good quality, good sound. AKA they just work

If it's at all possible, have the student go down to a Guitar Center or other music shop and try a few. That's really the best way to know for sure, and unlike other instruments, you can get a better idea of how comfortable it will be for the student even if they've never played a note before.

I don't think there's any way to go wrong with a Fender J or Ibanez Soundgear bass. Perhaps one of the Fender short scale basses mentioned earlier would be better, but trying them out is the best way to go. Thank goodness good electric basses are generally a lot cheaper than good tubas!!!

My daughter has a Fender Squier Bronco Bass, circa $150. I am not a bass player, but many friends that are like it and it sounds great. YMMV.