beginner rig for a non-guitar player

[Forkface]

So I've looked thru some threads and found mostly "guitar players looking for a first bass", so this is to get some input for a first time anything player.
Context is that my youngest sister just told me she is interested in learning to play bass, and i got really excited cause its the first person in my immediate or extended family to even express interest in any instrument whatsoever. so i was thinking of gifting her some relatively beginner gear.

for starters, i was thinking maybe a 4 string classic vibe squier bass. I've used classic vibe guitars before and they're ace for what you pay. currently seems like a no-brainer.
Now, for amps, i ain't got a clue. after some googling i found the Fender rumble 40, but i dont know if it would be overkill mostly given the size of thing (even though apparently, its very light). I don't know if there are amps similar to like a Yamaha THR, that would be any decent.

now, I've considered a started pack, but considering i got one of those for guitar when i started and i hated it, i'm not sure if that's the best idea. (maybe starter packs have gotten better over the years)

now, in the case she ends up not being that interested, i could always keep the bass for myself, and if the amp has some sort of bluetooth connection, she could keep it as a (rather large) music speaker. so even then its a win-win in my book.

I'd love to hear y'all's take on the situation, maybe some input and whatnot.
thanks in advance!

 

[budda]

A vintage modified is a great first bass, or second bass. They do have different neck shapes, so chances are the slimmer profile on the jazz bass will work best.

I have a rumble 40 and it is indeed light and loud if need be. Like the bass, the amp will work for her (or you) now and later. It is capable of playing smaller venues as well as at home.

If you have any friends who play guitar or bass, you can probably find the rumble 40 used easily. Since it's a gift, if you can swing the bass brand new I'm sure she will be ecstatic.

 

[Forkface]

A vintage modified is a great first bass, or second bass. They do have different neck shapes, so chances are the slimmer profile on the jazz bass will work best.

I have a rumble 40 and it is indeed light and loud if need be. Like the bass, the amp will work for her (or you) now and later. It is capable of playing smaller venues as well as at home.

If you have any friends who play guitar or bass, you can probably find the rumble 40 used easily. Since it's a gift, if you can swing the bass brand new I'm sure she will be ecstatic.

Hadn't considered the Vintage mod series, will take a look. and also, i honestly didn't expect Squier to make multiple neck profiles haha, i just assumed the mass produced a single shape and slapped it on everything.
Finally, forgot to mention that she just moved to Toronto for college, and i'm in Mexico city. so technically my plan was to order it thru long&mq or something, and have it shipped to her apt. seemed to be the simplest way.

Does your rumble have BT connectivity? and if so, is it any good?

 

[budda]

I didn't think they made a CV bass, I just know about the VM models. I've had two and both were good.

I don't think there's BT, but it has an aux in if she gets a 1/8" adapter.

 

[LordCashew]

Squier VM and CV series are both excellent budget choices. A student of mine had a shortscale Jaguar bass from one of those series and it was quite easy to play. I’ve played a couple of the P basses as well that were quite nice overall but a bit heavy.

I’ve also been pretty impressed by the passive Ibanez GIO soundgears. I’m not sure if they even make them anymore but the few I played were very light and somehow sounded unbelievably good. Fretwork and action were not quite as good though. I wouldn’t bother with the active ones as the preamp just seems to make them worse.

I think Yamaha also makes some solid but unremarkable beginner basses.

 

[Mike_R]

My wife wanted to start learning the bass as a first instrument and she bought a Squier VM Jaguar (with the 30" short scale). The one she received is amazing for the money ($199 US new) and had better fretwork than the last Fender I played. The short scale helps with her hand size (she tried playing my 35" scale 5 string Schecter and found it to be very difficult) so that may be a factor for your sister. The 30" scale sounds fine in standard tuning. Setup was OK from the factory, but a bit of tweaking to get the saddles lower and intonated made a significant difference.

We also picked up a Rumble 40, which sounds pretty good, and as referenced is super lightweight (still not sure how they do it). Both have been good purchases and great for a first rig.

 

[dax21]

Those Ibanez Mikro basses are pretty good and not expensive, a lot of people love them. Short scale with a nice tone, fast neck, light weight. Consider showing her a bunch of basses in terms of style, looks can be pretty important for someone who is just getting into it. You want something that will inspire her to pick it up when she sees it. Ask her what color she likes. Squiers are a decent choice too.
+1 for a small Rumble combo, those things sound alright.
Get her a tuner too. Life is easier without having to use shitty smartphone tuner apps.

 

[c7spheres]

Check out Peavey's. Good amps for good prices (especially in the used market) and they come in all sizes. The Tko and TNT comes to mind. They sound good at low volumes and can handle loud stuff too incase it gets to that level.

 

[Thorshammer1980]

So I've looked thru some threads and found mostly "guitar players looking for a first bass", so this is to get some input for a first time anything player.
Context is that my youngest sister just told me she is interested in learning to play bass, and i got really excited cause its the first person in my immediate or extended family to even express interest in any instrument whatsoever. so i was thinking of gifting her some relatively beginner gear.

for starters, i was thinking maybe a 4 string classic vibe squier bass. I've used classic vibe guitars before and they're ace for what you pay. currently seems like a no-brainer.
Now, for amps, i ain't got a clue. after some googling i found the Fender rumble 40, but i dont know if it would be overkill mostly given the size of thing (even though apparently, its very light). I don't know if there are amps similar to like a Yamaha THR, that would be any decent.

now, I've considered a started pack, but considering i got one of those for guitar when i started and i hated it, i'm not sure if that's the best idea. (maybe starter packs have gotten better over the years)

now, in the case she ends up not being that interested, i could always keep the bass for myself, and if the amp has some sort of bluetooth connection, she could keep it as a (rather large) music speaker. so even then its a win-win in my book.

I'd love to hear y'all's take on the situation, maybe some input and whatnot.
thanks in advance!

I'm a guitarist that started playing bass.

My first (beginner) bass was a 4 string Musicman Sterling Stingray ($300) with a 20W Fender Rumble I found on sale for $100.

Wasn't long before I upgraded to a $1200 5 string and an Ampeg bass amp.

 

[TheBloodstained]

I guess I was spoiled?
I started out on an Ibanez SR1000 that I got pretty cheap from a friend of my dad. I've been a huge fan of Ibanez basses ever since.

For a beginner I think a cheap/used Ibanez SR series would be a good place to start, but there's a lot of awesome basses out there today. I've played some amazing and cheap J- and P-bass knockoffs over the years.
Amp wise... well... I actually played for years without a proper amp! At home I did everything from playing my electric bass acousticly, to plugging it into my home stereo. When I played with a band a usually borrowed an amp or used what was available at the rehearsel spaces or venues. Whatever it takes to get started and going