My granddaughter is keen on bass guitar. She’s already appeared in a school concert using a school instrument. Anyone recommend a beginner instrument? I’ve got an Ibanez TMB 30 that I could let her use to get going as I can’t actually use it atm due to lack of space. But is it suitable to begin on? She’s tall coming up to 12 years old. Short or long scale? Try out both I guess.
This link is for EllenPlaysBass. She is about 11 right now and has several guitars you may be able to pick out brands and models if you look carefully. I’m guessing that she is smaller than your granddaughter, but she seems to work with a pretty long scale length ok.
If you are not familiar with her, her early stuff is interesting to watch as her dad teaches her how to play.
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Is she going to take in person instruction lessons or online?
If online I recommend studybass, talkingbass, and or bassbuzz.
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Squier Mini P-Bass or a Bronco perhaps? They are 28.6" and 30" scales respectively.
Or an Ibanez Mikro Bass? It is the same scale as the Mini P-Bass.
Going through Ellen’s videos would be good but keep in mind one of her newest videos is of her new Custom Mayones bass, which is a 30" btw, so I think she may have left affordable behind a large wall of eager sponsors some time ago.
Whatever you choose don’t forget the setup and a new set of strings.
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Hi Willsie01,
My 14 yo daughter wanted a break from piano lessons and to learn bass on a more casual basis so she could concentrate on dance. We tried all the models that were familiar to me such as Fenders, Squires, Sterling etc. However, the one that worked for her was an Ibanez SR300E simply because the neck felt comfortable. Her choice of this guitar, coupled with a Fender Rumble 25, was supported by her teacher who is a well regarded local bass player. I thought that she might grow out of this guitar quickly but 12 months later she is still very happy with it. I have to admit, I enjoy playing it also.
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Yeah, Ellen is tiny, even for her age. Many of her basses are bigger than she is, and she’s terrific on them.
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