Back to School: The Best Gear for Music Students

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Crafted specifically for smaller hands, the Squier Mini Precision Bass is our favourite bass guitar for those who struggle to play on a full-sized instrument.

With a shorter 28.6” scale length, this bass offers lower string tension and therefore reduced fatigue when fretting notes. The smaller body is also made from lightweight poplar wood, ensuring that almost anybody will be able to try it out and begin to learn how to make music.

This guitar has everything you would expect from a P-bass, both in terms of aesthetics and in the tone it delivers - with its awesome split single-coil, the sound is instantly recognisable and ideal for developing your musical ear.

If classic Fender-style silhouettes aren’t for you, then check out our range of Ibanez Bass Guitars.

This Ibanez GSR180 has a sleek, modern design and offers the same experience you’d get from a far more expensive instrument.

With lightning-fast frets and an aggressive tone that is well-suited to a range of genres, music students that are looking to brush up on their low-end theory will love this instrument.

Anyone who has ever had to transport a full bass setup between music lessons, rehearsals, and home will attest to the fact that it can be an extremely difficult task.

That’s why our favourite bass amplifier is this Ashdown Studio-10 Combo.

Weighing in at just 9.7kg, this is the lightest 50w combo ever created by Ashdown.

Not only is it easy to move around though, it also has a uniquely brilliant sound that boasts a valve-emulated drive circuit and a headphone output for practicing at home.

This amp is also available in a couple of different sizes, so check them out if you plan on some extra-curricular gigging or playing at larger venues!

To shop for strings and a range of other bass accessories, click here and get them delivered straight to your door!

The Mapex Tornado series is our choice for music students who need a complete drum kit for lessons, rehearsals, and gigging.

Pictured here in Burgundy, the 22” Rock Fusion kit comes complete with a set of hi-hats, a crash/ride, a kick pedal, and a drum throne in addition to all of the necessary stands to get started. The shells are high-quality and include:

• 22” x 16” Bass Drum
• 10” x 7” Rack Tom
• 12” x 8” Rack Tom
• 16” x 14” Floor Tom
• 14” x 5” Matching Snare

With pro-level hardware and space to grow your set-up as your skillset improves, the Tornado series is incredible value for money. Shop more of the range here.

If you need a quieter solution for practicing drums away from your usual study space then an electronic kit might be your best bet.

We’ve picked out this Alesis Nitro Mesh Kit as our top-choice for music students thanks to its all-mesh design, flexible rack, and range of built-in sounds.

The mesh heads are ultra-responsive, and with the CD/MP3 AUX input you can play along to your favourite songs or practice along to backing tracks.

With 385 different drum and cymbal sounds and 60 built-in tracks to play along with, this kit is the ultimate tool for learning and practicing - it even includes a metronome for ensuring you’re keeping everything tight.

If you’re looking to get started with Keys this school year, then we recommend the Alesis Concert 88.

With 10 premium voices, this unit also features full-sized semi-weighted keys and digital effects for a truly immersive experience.

Delivering its beautiful tones via a premium 20-watt speaker, you can also connect the Concert 88 to a mixer or external amplifier - as well as using it to control MIDI instruments!

This instrument also has a built-in metronome for practicing your time-keeping and making sure everything sounds groovy - ideal for rehearsing before performance exams or gigs.

The Yamaha P45 is another excellent option for budding piano players.

Our favourite feature on this instrument is the ‘Split’ feature, which allows you to play alongside a teacher in order to copy chord shapes, bass lines, and melodies on the same machine.

The keys have a realistic feel, featuring a Graded Hammer Standard Keybed which replicates the heavier action on bass notes compared to the higher notes.

The sound is exquisite too - by making use of Advanced Wave Memory technology, this keyboard samples stereo recordings of real acoustic instruments for a selection of rich and inspiring tones.

Check out this Starter Pack bundle for everything else you'll need to get going with piano!

If you’re more interested in studying the production aspect of music, then a great way to get started is with a controller.

The Novation Launchkey Mini MK3 is a completely portable solution for seamless control of your DAW.

Its extensive feature list includes an on-board arpeggiator, fixed chord mode, and MIDI-out for use with hardware instruments, too.

There are 16 backlit pads, 8 rotary encoders, and Pitch/Modulation Touch Strips for complete control, and included in the box is a software bundle so you can get started using it right away.

Powered simply by USB, this unit is a great addition to any home recording set-up.

Want to learn more about the best gear for music students? Have more questions about the things you need for studying music? Call us on 0151 448 2089 or check out your local store to speak to one of our Experts about your needs.

Working in education? Want to get the whole department kitted out? Our team has been supplying musical instrument solutions to schools, colleges and universities for over 25 years. Let us help you today - just click on the link below for more information!