Linus27 Posted January 1, 2009 Share Posted January 1, 2009 My six year old son is going to learn bass soon and so I wanted to get him a bass. The only problem is he is left handed. He even plays guitar hero left handed. Does anyone know of anyone who makes a half size left handed bass guitar? I can only seem to find right handed. Thanks in advance. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bass_ferret Posted January 1, 2009 Share Posted January 1, 2009 Make him play right handed. He will be in for a lifetime of unsatisfied gas if he carries on leftie. IMO obviously. He wont get a left handed piano! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigRedX Posted January 1, 2009 Share Posted January 1, 2009 I'm with the ferret on this one. As someone who does some things left-handed and others right-handed, I'm really glad I forced myself to learn the guitar right-handed when the initial natural way for me to pick up the instrument was left-handed. The instrument choices open to those who play guitars the 'proper' way round are vast compared with those for lefties. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Al Heeley Posted January 1, 2009 Share Posted January 1, 2009 I made my son (7) a mini P-bass from bits left over from other projects, its zebrano with gold hardware, sapele back and a p-bass clone pickup. He loves showing it to his friends but is not yet that interested in learning it. Sorry but it's right handed, not a big job to swap the nut over for left-handed stringing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Linus27 Posted January 1, 2009 Author Share Posted January 1, 2009 Would naturally being left handed but playing righted not hinder his natural ability??? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Linus27 Posted January 1, 2009 Author Share Posted January 1, 2009 [quote name='Al Heeley' post='367646' date='Jan 1 2009, 12:30 PM']I made my son (7) a mini P-bass from bits left over from other projects, its zebrano with gold hardware, sapele back and a p-bass clone pickup. He loves showing it to his friends but is not yet that interested in learning it. Sorry but it's right handed, not a big job to swap the nut over for left-handed stringing. [/quote] WOW, that looks superb. Wanna make another one? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigRedX Posted January 1, 2009 Share Posted January 1, 2009 IMO not at all. You use both hands fairly equally playing bass so which ever way around you play it you're going to have to train the 'less able' hand to do some fairly complex stuff. There are plenty of left-handed musicians who play right handed (and who are rather good) Wilco Johnson of Dr Feelgood comes immediately to mind. If he sticks with the instrument he'll thank you for it in the long run. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Al Heeley Posted January 1, 2009 Share Posted January 1, 2009 Heh, thanks! It would be cheaper for you to get a 1/2 or 3/4 size Chinese bass and get the nut flipped round and restrung left-handed for him. Then if he doesn't get into it you can ebay it, should only be about £100 for a reasonable starter bass. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Linus27 Posted January 1, 2009 Author Share Posted January 1, 2009 [quote name='Al Heeley' post='367652' date='Jan 1 2009, 12:38 PM']Heh, thanks! It would be cheaper for you to get a 1/2 or 3/4 size Chinese bass and get the nut flipped round and restrung left-handed for him. Then if he doesn't get into it you can ebay it, should only be about £100 for a reasonable starter bass.[/quote] Yeah I was just joking. If I go with him learning right handed then you can pick them up from between £50 - £80. I already have a small practise amp for him. Just need to think left or right. Leaning toward making him play right. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bass_ferret Posted January 1, 2009 Share Posted January 1, 2009 [quote name='Linus27' post='367647' date='Jan 1 2009, 12:31 PM']Would naturally being left handed but playing righted not hinder his natural ability???[/quote] It would not if he was playing piano, why should it if he was playing bass. You dont get left handed trumpets, saxes, fiddles (at least in an orchestra as they would poke somebodies eye out), so why should it affect his bass playing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ednaplate Posted January 1, 2009 Share Posted January 1, 2009 I'm a leftie naturally and remember as a child picking up a guitar and trying to play it the 'wrong' way round. Lack of left handed instruments meant that right handed was the way to go and it has not been a problem at all or at least I don't remember it being a problem. The guitarist Gary Moore is a leftie yet Hendrix played left handed but wrote with his right hand so figure that one out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Linus27 Posted January 1, 2009 Author Share Posted January 1, 2009 Thanks for the advice everyone, what you say seems to make sense. My son has just asked to play Guitar Hero so this was a good opportunity to get him to try right handed. I tried to explain the benifits of playing right handed to a 6 year old and after a few huffs, strops and arguments later, I think I may have convinced him that learning right handed is the way forward. I think what really helped him understand was I explained that when he writes with a pencil, he only uses his left hand with his right not doing anything. With a guitar, he is going to have to train both hands. With the benifits of playing right handed and the options of buying basses when he is older, he seemed to understand that he can still do all his other things left handed but playing guitar right handed is going to be easier. Now only time will tell if he sticks to it. Thanks again for all your help. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dread Bass Posted January 1, 2009 Share Posted January 1, 2009 I say let him play left handed i play left handed and i have an Alembic, warwick and a Rick Turner you have less options but if you look hard enough you can find what you want. If i was to learn all over again knowing everything i kno now id still learn left handed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redstriper Posted January 2, 2009 Share Posted January 2, 2009 [quote name='Al Heeley' post='367646' date='Jan 1 2009, 12:30 PM']I made my son (7) a mini P-bass from bits left over from other projects, its zebrano with gold hardware, sapele back and a p-bass clone pickup. He loves showing it to his friends but is not yet that interested in learning it. Sorry but it's right handed, not a big job to swap the nut over for left-handed stringing. [/quote] Put me down for one of those too - you could go into business building them. There's a demand for small basses from grown ups for portability, playability, weight and sound as noted [url="http://basschat.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=35587"]here[/url] Price could be an issue though with [url="http://www.bem-music.com/list.pl?id=105467"]this[/url] as competition. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Linus27 Posted January 2, 2009 Author Share Posted January 2, 2009 This also would be competition, [url="http://www.themusicking.co.uk/westfield-1-2-size-bass-guitar-in-red"]http://www.themusicking.co.uk/westfield-1-...s-guitar-in-red[/url] This is what I am looking at for my son. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redstriper Posted January 2, 2009 Share Posted January 2, 2009 [quote name='Linus27' post='368184' date='Jan 2 2009, 12:57 AM']This also would be competition, [url="http://www.themusicking.co.uk/westfield-1-2-size-bass-guitar-in-red"]http://www.themusicking.co.uk/westfield-1-...s-guitar-in-red[/url] This is what I am looking at for my son.[/quote] That's my kinda price - have you tried one? Do you know the scale length? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
~tl Posted January 2, 2009 Share Posted January 2, 2009 [quote name='redstriper' post='368491' date='Jan 2 2009, 02:25 PM']That's my kinda price - have you tried one? Do you know the scale length?[/quote] I would guess it'd be something around 17" since it's a half size instrument... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redstriper Posted January 2, 2009 Share Posted January 2, 2009 [quote name='~tl' post='368508' date='Jan 2 2009, 02:54 PM']I would guess it'd be something around 17" since it's a half size instrument...[/quote] What ! I didn't realise it was actually 1/2 size - can you buy strings that short ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Linus27 Posted January 2, 2009 Author Share Posted January 2, 2009 [quote name='redstriper' post='368525' date='Jan 2 2009, 03:12 PM']What ! I didn't realise it was actually 1/2 size - can you buy strings that short ?[/quote] Thats actually a very good question. I have seen half size padded gig bags but not strings. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clauster Posted January 2, 2009 Share Posted January 2, 2009 My youngest stepson is also left handed - he's been learning the guitar for 18 months now and started on his 9th Birthday. We had a similar quandry when he first said he wanted to learn. He was adamant he couldn't manage to play right handed, but it was on my mind that if he keeps going he'll have fewer instruments to choose from and in some cases will pay a premium for a left handed model. In the end we struck a deal - start learning right handed and if he (or his teacher) think he'd do better left handed I'd restring his first guitar and buy him a proper south-paw for Christmas, if not we'd get him an electric. He has stuck with the right hander and is really happy he did. He's at the age where a lot of friends started guitar and lost interest so he's buying up their instruments for pocket money or swapping them for Playstation and Nintendo games and now has more guitars than his mum and I put together. The only downside is he's started talking about bass and has his eye on my Warwick! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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