Post by Tony Ravenscroft on May 10, 2023 2:10:19 GMT -6
A longtime personal gripe:
I am really really REALLY annoyed by short-scale guitars being marketed to "younger players" as "a student model" - or worse, to "players with small hands" though some come right out and say women.
I mean, STOP being mealy-mouthed and SAY "pandering to the weak and encouraging their weakness so that Just Us Guys can continue feeling superior."
Firstly, when is the last time you saw a piano shrunk down for those tiny delicate hands? Yes, violins for the Suzuki method DOES do this... and we're talking like THREE YEAR OLDS. (If you're seriously teaching basic guitar to a toddler, then buy a Loog.) If some WEAK WOMAN with her stubby li'l arms and tiny hands can play freakin' BASS - start with Tina Weymouth and Carol Kaye! - then she damn well has enough reach to handle a full-size guitar.
Secondly, most such guitars get standard-length strings tuned to standard pitch. The result is difficult to keep in tune AND does not sound good - a great way to discourage enjoyment!
(Worse, in order to further "protect" the wee sma things, guitars intended for tykes and weak girls get super-thin strings, which not only slip out of tune but break very easily AND slice more easily into the fingertips of beginner students.)
Thirdly, think about it: what would ACTUALLY help out those with small hands, short fingers, short arms, or minor-but-annoying disability? A NARROWER DAMN NECK. And guess what's almost impossible to find. 🤨
I am in possession of an electric bass, the Vox "Panther," that is short-scale - for which I bought short-scale strings! - but has a VERY RARE trait: a narrow neck. 😮 Where a standard bass (the Fender "Jazz Bass") is like 38 mm, the Vox is 35 mm... which feels TINY. It is a delight to play, it is the second bass I've ever owned.
I am really really REALLY annoyed by short-scale guitars being marketed to "younger players" as "a student model" - or worse, to "players with small hands" though some come right out and say women.
I mean, STOP being mealy-mouthed and SAY "pandering to the weak and encouraging their weakness so that Just Us Guys can continue feeling superior."
Firstly, when is the last time you saw a piano shrunk down for those tiny delicate hands? Yes, violins for the Suzuki method DOES do this... and we're talking like THREE YEAR OLDS. (If you're seriously teaching basic guitar to a toddler, then buy a Loog.) If some WEAK WOMAN with her stubby li'l arms and tiny hands can play freakin' BASS - start with Tina Weymouth and Carol Kaye! - then she damn well has enough reach to handle a full-size guitar.
Secondly, most such guitars get standard-length strings tuned to standard pitch. The result is difficult to keep in tune AND does not sound good - a great way to discourage enjoyment!
(Worse, in order to further "protect" the wee sma things, guitars intended for tykes and weak girls get super-thin strings, which not only slip out of tune but break very easily AND slice more easily into the fingertips of beginner students.)
Thirdly, think about it: what would ACTUALLY help out those with small hands, short fingers, short arms, or minor-but-annoying disability? A NARROWER DAMN NECK. And guess what's almost impossible to find. 🤨
I am in possession of an electric bass, the Vox "Panther," that is short-scale - for which I bought short-scale strings! - but has a VERY RARE trait: a narrow neck. 😮 Where a standard bass (the Fender "Jazz Bass") is like 38 mm, the Vox is 35 mm... which feels TINY. It is a delight to play, it is the second bass I've ever owned.