Bass guitar recommendation for teenager?

I've bought a bass and 6 string electric from my local Music shops.Certainly around here they seem to have a selection of "pre owned" and ex dem also.
My bass is a Peavy, a gutarist mate said it was a pretty good one well made and plays well too:-

Speaking as one proud exam dad to another ... without making anymore foolish commitments by accident have you thought of asking the successful candidate herself - to whom MANY congratulations - to see what, if any, kind of basses she likes the idea of?

If my own experience is anything to go by, the type played by her favourite bassist might influence her choice. And then nothing else will do...

You can get a proper Fender bass from about £500 new, or a Rickenbacker 4003 for £1,500...

S/h basses are not necessarily cheaper! They are often called 'vintage'!! A s/h Rickenbacker 4001 will be about £2,500.

As a more budget starter (in case she doesn't actually like it) we found that the Fender Squire Strat looked, played and sounded ok. The Jazz Bass equivalent is about £200 or a bit less.

James

There is absolutely no need to spend more than £250 for an accurate and very playable new bass.
If chosen carefully they might even look like a very expensive one. Some very good Asian replicas out there.
My Peavy was about £140.
Don't forget if after a time learning the instrument is not for her,the more expensive the bass the less the residuals as per normal.
Leaners tend to want the very best to learn on.
First learn to play like Geddy Lee(other bass guitarists are available) and buy a custom Fender bass later.

Try before buy as always.
Good luck to her.

I suspect that if I asked what sort of a bass she wanted she'd pause, think and then grinning broadly declare "PINK".

Willy.

Been there, done that. She's now 26, still got the bass guitar - plays it in a Goth-Rock York band called the Surf Sluts.

Willy, are you still sure you want to go down this route?? Wouldn't the bassoon be safer??

Actually the guitar is only half of the problem, and the easier and cheaper half. Don't let her talk you into buying a huge amplifier, which you have got to drive from gig to gig and rupture yourself on. There are a number of modern smaller bass amps around which can give a great sound, mind you for a decent one you are talking hundreds of pounds. Try and get a second hand AER or Gallien-Krueger. Certainly popular with jazzers and can give a great sound. She can also carry them with one hand!

As for the actual guitar - as I have hinted - I would spend most of the money on an amp, and get a cheap guitar. Main thing to check is that the action is not too high, and that the finger board is reasonably accurate. Go to the 12th fret - is it an octave? - if not chuck it.

Also a cheap guitar will come with the cheapest strings, which will be tarnished (and finger ripping) if it is second hand. Think about some new strings.

An honest music shop should help or you, or a pro musician.

You are nowhere near York are you?

HTH
Don, drizzly downtown York

Pig-nose? If you are just learning.

Bass guitar for a teenager?

Seems like a fair swap.

I do some work for Fodera and I think they make the finest bass guitars ever made. I own 2 of them, one a 4-string Monarch and the other a 5-string fretless that was owned by Jaco Pastorious' son Felix. They are both amazing instruments. And cost in the range of a significant "black box" Naim upgrade!
I do electronics design for them and other pro audio companies with Mike Pope.
All that aside, my thoughts for anyone starting out are the following:

• A student instrument is NOT an investment in money. They will bang it up, leave it outside over night, lend it to dodgy friends, etc. This is a stepping stone for learning and, though it could be traded in at some value for another, better instrument, it should be considered consumable.
  
• Buy a decent instrument and have it set up and fit properly. Many a bad habit and frustrated student come from a junk instrument or one that has not been properly set up.
  
• Get proper amplification. The player must be in love with the sound that they are making, don't skimp on what brings it into the room.
  
• Find a great teacher/mentor. This makes all the difference in forming their attitude and approach to this life-long journey.
  
• Get competent help with the purchase of the instrument. Don't buy on line or "sight unseen" or without someone you know and trust making sure it is a good instrument.
  
• Play a number of different varieites and examples within the line of the instrument she likes. I have outfitted my boys with instruments only after a lot of auditioning.
  
• Give your daughter plenty of room to experiment and have fun with the instrument. Back to the whole "gotta love how it sounds" thing. My 13-y-o plays guitar and many times I've given him the assignment of "find all the strange noises you can make with that thing" which gives him hours of time getting to know the guitar and himself.
  

If pressed to a particular line, I'd say go with a Fender Jazz, American version. This is a classic instrument and heard on many, many recordings. Play a lot of them, there is great variability in them at these price points. Find one she loves. Have it finished in pink if necessary!
Enjoy the journey with her.
David

yes been there, done that and yes it was 'pink'! It was a guitar tho'. She wanted and got a 'Daisy Rock' thingie which after chatting to various shops and fora was considered nothing really special but perfectly good. She still plays it and is not ashamed of it at open mike sessions so pink isn't so bad really.

Beyond that I'm sorry I know nothing but go entirely along with BigH47 just in case the bass isn't as cool as she thinks it is.
james

If she ever wants some inspiration, get her to watch the "Jeff Beck Live at Ronnie Scott's" BluRay. The young bass player in his band is Tal Wilkenfeld who is simply amazing. She had played with Beck, Clapton and many other great musicians by the time she was 21. Very cool.

I've known Tal for a number of years, she is a great player for sure. And is on her way to brilliant as long as she can step out of the stereotype that most like to put her in as a female jazz bass player.
There is a lot of good YouTube video of her playing with various folks.
Her work is typically heavy jazz fusion which might be off-putting depending on how receptive your daughter's ear is for that.
I wish I could play like that!
David

It is a bit hard not to be influenced by that stereotypical notion. That many do this shouldn't affect her development as a player though, unless it either somehow limits the opportunities she is given, or leads to "overpraise" that means she sits back at some point and thinks "I'm good enough. I know because everybody tells me I'm brilliant".

On the basis of the Ronnie Scotts BluRay alone though, the thing that stood out for me is that she still seems genuinely amazed by where she has found herself and is enjoying every second of it. No lack of enthusiasm evident on that basis.

Hell, that old bloke with the shaggy hair can play the Stratocaster a bit, too. I love his self-deprecatory comment when introducing Ecca near the end.

My eight year old has saved up to buy himself his first guitar. Whilst I'm fervently recommending that he starts with an acoustic, he insists that it has to be black, electric and go "rock and roll". Squire (Fender subsidiary) do a very cute 3/4 size strat replica. 3 pickups, 5-way switch, Volume and tone, straight neck, solid hardware, fully adjustable bridge. All very nicely finished and hard to see how they can do it for the price. Anyway, it's his money so why not?

It's also given me an excuse to get a new amp. I'm leaning towards one the Vox VT modelling amps. Anybody got any advice? I'm just looking for a versatile 30W unit.

quote:

I'm just looking for a versatile 30W unit.

You might regret getting some thing that powerful, a small practice amp, with , is all that's needed.headphone socket if possible. Stadium rock can wait a while.
He needs to learn the guitar first, not be distracted by reverb and other sound effects.

quote:

Originally posted by BigH47:

quote:

I'm just looking for a versatile 30W unit.

You might regret getting some thing that powerful, a small practice amp, with , is all that's needed.headphone socket if possible. Stadium rock can wait a while.
He needs to learn the guitar first, not be distracted by reverb and other sound effects.

I agree with you. My strong advice to him is to start acoustic. He doesn't need the distraction of all the electric stuff. But...he does insist. The bigger amp itself was for me as much as for him (I was going to pay for it and let him use it). One other possibility is to see if his own money will stretch to buy him a much smaller unit of his own at the same time as the guitar. You've made me think this is a good idea. Will definitely look into it.

One nice thing we have is a small but SEPARATE guesthouse/studio on our property .

As an aside, I also tried out a couple of 3/4 size acoustics. A Martin and a Taylor. They were both a bit north of $300 CAD, so not "toys", they should have been decent student rigs. Nicely made, but I have to say I was profoundly disappointed with the sound of both. They seem to have tried to give the smaller body too much bass and they just kind of boom with a very unbalanced sound. I couldn't stand them. At this point, the electric option didn't seem quite so bad.

Ernie Ball Musicman Bass (Stingray model)

Great action for the uninitiated.

Not exactly begginers prices are they?

The Musicman Stingray is a classic. I remember lusting after them in he 1970s. Didn't know about the Ernie Ball tie-up, though.

Wonderful clip of Jeff Beck & Tal Wilkenfeld - Cause We Ended As Lovers and a another nice clip from Aus.

Just picked up a s/h Yamaha RBX374 in metallic red (her preferred colour) for £100.

Willy.