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Hey everyone! I’m Dan, a full-time musician and studio owner based in Milton Keynes. I’ve been playing bass for around 20 years, and I’m fortunate to be an artist with both Alpher and Blackstar. Alongside running my studio and events company, I play in a few different bands and get involved in lots of music-related projects, but bass has always been at the centre of everything I do. In recent years I’ve become a big advocate for short scales. My JMJ Mustang has stuck with me longer than most of the basses I’ve owned, which says a lot! I love the style and vibe of short scales, and they’ve also been a huge help since I developed a tendon issue in my right hand a couple of years ago. The lower tension makes them far more comfortable and keeps me playing longer. I’ve followed Bass Chat for a while but never joined until now. Excited to finally be part of the community and talk all things bass - especially the short-scale side of it!

Thanks, I’ll I’ve a look into it. i don’t currently use a DAW or anything like that. I generally play along to the track on my headphones on the Katana go

Like the Daily Star in 1990.

Crazy Little Thibg - check with the drummer for the triplets run down. Not all drummers can drum Sweet Child could be interesting. Other than that, it looks fun.

You got any more of those pics....?

Good, because so far I think I've only bought g**t*r gear in 2025, and... *shudders* ...sold a bass! I can change, I swear! It was a fretless acoustic that I haven't used since 2015, so to be fair it was about time.

If you pop the top then you should be able to see the value and taper of the pots. I’ve got an old TC head that’s broken that I don’t mind desoldering them on mine if they’re the same value.

@Silky999 Who did the wrap? Looks like it might be a better bet than my local car place who have never done it before! Presumably it does not go under the bridge so the contact with the wood is unaffected?

Hey everyone! I’ve followed Bass Chat for a number of years but only just joined the community properly. My name’s Dan, and I’ve been playing bass for around 20 years. I’m lucky enough to work in the music industry through my own music studio and events company, and I also play in a few different bands. Earlier this year, I was fortunate to join the artist rosters for both Blackstar and Alpher Instruments, which has been a real highlight for me. Over the years I’ve owned more basses than I can count, but lately I’ve found myself gravitating more and more toward short scales. My JMJ Mustang has actually stuck with me longer than most others, which says a lot! I’m a huge advocate for short scales—not just for their mojo and unique vibe, but also for how playable they are. One thing worth mentioning is that I developed a tendon issue in my right hand about 3–4 years ago (likely from overplaying). Because of that, longer-scale instruments aren’t always an option for me, but the lower tension of short scales means I can still play comfortably for much longer. So, I’m partly here to say hi, and partly to share my appreciation for short scales. Really looking forward to being part of the conversation!

I have done some experiments with Z (the load the pups see) - and found there can be all kinds of changes in sounds as a result. However, I found, deciding which is "the best one?" an difficult choice- it's possible to make 20 modifications, each yields a different sound, the obvious one to go for is not always that obvious! So for me, end result, just don't waste time experimenting. I connect passive pups into a hi Z preamp/interface (>1Mohm) using a short good quality lead. If I want fuller/cleaner tone I go for active pups. One test was to have little capacitors across the passive pups at the socket on the guitar, using a selector switch, say 20pF, 100pF, 220pF, 1000pF I could switch between. They did seems to have an effect on tone, which directed to me think, I need a short good quality lead (low C) - but then a radio link which has a high Z input, all sorted. So now I don't do anything - I take it as-is. Just my MO.

I'll admit I'm fascinated with the neck construction here.

In my originals band - I have more input from a rhythm and chord change standpoint (knowing the most theory) than anything else. But no real melody or actual "song" input if that makes any sense..

I suspect the difference you hear when shifting a bridge backwards or forwards slightly is the change in the relative position of the soundpost qnd the bridge foot. If you move it by 5mm, say, that's going to be a barely noticeable change in scale length, but a significant change in the gap between bridge and soundpost.

Update: Well, the sale has fallen through. The guy selling said he could not find the case and didn't want to send it without but I got a full refund so I've not been scammed. I think he's either a flake or found out how much it'd cost to send the thing or both - the listing didn't even mention a case so he's not a very experienced seller. Anyway. It wasn't a scam.

Can you not change the key of your playback system..? Any track in Reaper, for instance (other DAW's are available...) can be transposed up or down, without changing tempo. Worth looking into..?

That's a repaired neck break! Though I'm puzzled as to why you are saying it is a 90's bass. By 1990 Warwick necks were Maple with Wenge stringers; that neck is predominantly Wenge and likely an 80's bass. 'If' done correctly and by someone who knows what they are doing, a break can be repaired as strong as new. However... the fact you can see it a mile away makes me wonder how competent the repairer was. Unless it was significantly cheaper than other examples I'd just wait for another to come along. Saying that, if this was repaired in the late 80's and looked like that when repaired, then it is 35 years with that repair so could be fine.