Bass guitar for a 10 year old...

[WindyCommon]

My 10 year old wants to learn bass guitar. He has a musical background (piano and clarinet) and a somewhat musical family. I play piano and guitar myself, but know nothing about bass guitars,

I’d like to get him a decent setup that will last him for a few years at least if possible, A few questions if I may:

- He’s 10, quite tall with long fingers. Do I need to get him a short-scale bass (like this one https://www.andertons.co.uk/bass-dept/bass-guitars... or will a full size instrument be better? Note that said 10yo has spotted the neon green version of this already...

- Is there a better choice of small practice amp than the Fender Rumble? https://www.andertons.co.uk/fender-rumble-15-v3-ba...

- What about a package like one of these? I’ve always found Ibanez guitars to be well made and easy to play, not sure if the same applies to basses

Short scale: https://www.andertons.co.uk/bass-dept/bass-guitar-...

Normal scale: https://www.andertons.co.uk/bass-dept/bass-guitar-...


I’m happy to spend £300ish, but would welcome a little input from PH’s resident bass players first...

Thanks in advance.

[Mr Kitten]

Take him to a guitar shop - neck thickness will probably have more effect than scale length.

See what feels comfortable for him.

Andertons are a very helpful bunch if you're any where near them!

[rgw2012]

Agree with going into a shop as feel of the guitar in your hands is important, otherwise the instrument can actually get in the way of your concentration on playing. I personally don't think you can go far wrong with the Ibanez SR300E package, looks good value and they are nice playing/sounding guitars. I've bought from both Andertons and PMT (Professional Music Technology) in the past and found both to be really helpful, depends on where is more convenient for you to visit. Never heard the Fender Rumble amps in action but doubt you'll have any real problems in a practice environment with one, I use a small Roland Micro Cube for practice and it does the job perfectly considering its small size.

Good luck with the search and hope you enjoy the process and end result

[Mr Kitten]

... and just to add - the Fender Rumble amps are surprisingly good - I've got the Rumble 500, but tried out the 25w version and was very pleasantly surprised!

[Cantaloupe]

Getting the bass is the easy bit, are there many bass guitar teachers out there ?

I just learned the rudiments by listening to records, mind you it took me ten years.

[WindyCommon]

Thank you.

We went to Andertons and he/we chose a Sire Marcus Miller M2 and a Fender Rumble amp.

Is there a bass equivalent of Justin Guitar..?

[rgw2012]

If Justin Guitar is an online tutor then the bass equivalent would be someone like Scott's Bass Lessons or Talkingbass, both have there pros and cons but they have some really good beginner stuff (as well as advanced) and teach in a structured and easily digestible manner