Owno

Two mighty fine basses on the loggia settee: Serek Midwestern and Wilcock Mullarkey.

2 hours ago, LeftyJ said:

Oh, lol! I'm on a Dutch bass forum too, and there's a guy there with the username Owjeej which would more or less translate to Owno (oh no) phonetically, who just bought a Mullarkey too. Quite the coincidence! 

 

The only thing off was your mention of a Serek, when he compared his to a Mustang instead on our Dutch forum 

Haha, I see. What a coincidence! I actually sold my 78’ Mustang to fund the Mullarkey. No regrets, as it is one of the best basses I’ve played. It is a superior instrument in every way. The Serek is however on par in terms of both playability and craftsmanship. 

On 17/03/2025 at 10:26, miikebass said:

Looking for a short scale semi hollow.

I’ve narrowed it down to a Hofner Contemporary Club bass and Hagstrom Swede bass. Love the look of both and that’s the type of body shape I want.
Considered a Hofner Verythin and Guild Starfire but prefer the smaller bodies of the other two. 
 

Are there any others I should consider?
We’re a rock/country rock band. 

 

Please help me decide. 

I would suggest looking for a 70’s Hagström bass, but not perhaps the Swede as it weighs a lot, but rather the HIIbn which got the very same pickups. I’ve had a HIIbn from 74 and while not the lightest bass as it was made of Swedish birch (3,8kg or so), it had the fastest neck of all basses I’ve ever played and the sound was great. They rarely pop up for sale at BassChat, but try and post in the Swedish equivalent PrataBas and you will find used Hagström basses “en masse” as the French say.

In case you want to buy newer basses, I would suggest the Guild Starfire with bisonics. It is a great bass and the craftsmanship is way better than the chinese made Hagström basses.

On 18/03/2025 at 09:45, LeftyJ said:

 

It only just struck me that "Owno" and "Owjeej" are in fact the same guy. Hi Tim 

You’ve got the wrong guy, I’m just a random Swedish basist and my name is not Tim.

Just now, AlexDelores said:

Ah fair enough! Looks great! Grain on the neck looks brill too! 

Yes! A lightly roasted flame maple neck. It looks like caramel irl.

7 minutes ago, AlexDelores said:

That’s stunning! What top is on that body? 

The bass is nothing out of the ordinary in that respect: two piece alder body with an amber burst, which is magnificent.

New bass day! I acquired this Wilcock Mullarkey yesterday and took it with me to rehearsal - what a lovely and well-built instrument! Dare I say even better than my Serek…

24 minutes ago, meterman said:

Mustangs with flatwounds on is the quintessential Mustang sound for me. I know it's always a personal preference, but I've owned maybe 6 or 7 Mustangs over the last 23 years  (vintage, reissue, also Squier) and it's always been flatwounds that have brought the best out of them.

 

Favourites: La Bella's special Mustang flats. Pricy but totally worth it 👍

I fully agree! The LaBella’s are my favourite as well. I just had my 78’ setup with a fresh set of said strings last week after trying rounds for a while. It felt at home immediately and it plays and sound so much better.

4 minutes ago, greghagger said:

That’s my next move. Also interested in trying some Creamery pickups. 

Great move, indeed. I can highly recommend the LaBella Mustang flats (for a vintage vibe) or Dunlop steel flats (for a tad more zing the first couple of months).

2 hours ago, greghagger said:

Really interesting. Great info. I’ll be trying my Mustang with some effects to see! Thanks 

…and they sound even more even across the fretboard strung with flatwound strings! Try it if you haven’t already.

1 hour ago, Lozz196 said:

 

But as @ezbass said the balance is better, probably due to the weight distribution so I just find short scale basses better on the back/shoulder over long rehearsals. 

I agree! 

Great comparison @greghagger!

1 hour ago, ezbass said:

My JMJ is actually heavier than all my longer scale basses. However, they are particularly light, 3 of them being chambered. But the Mustang is still a tad heavier than my Squier P bass. With all that said, the perceived weight of the Mustang feels less, due to the balance.

 
The JMJ I had some couple of years ago was also on the heavier side and considerably heavier than my p-bass. My current Mustang, made in 78’ with a beautiful single piece ash body and chunky neck, weighs 4,4kg despite having contours. Shortscales - and perhaps Mustangs in particular - does not necessarily have to be lighter than 34” basses. ☺️

I can highly recommend trying a 70’s Mustang in alder. They weigh around 3 to 3,5kg and the pickups are second to none if you’re looking for a p-bass vibe.

I use a Mono Sleeve guitar case for my Mustang and it works great. Not the cheapest case, but it is great for most short scale basses. I kind of wish I bought the Mono m80 instead as it is a bit more sturdy so that would be my recommendation.

Just now, warwickhunt said:

NBD Sandberg Lionel.  

What a beauty!

New bass day! 78’ Mustang in translucent wine-red. The picture does not do the beautiful ash body justice. What a find!

The L’il Fella is one of the best fuzz pedals I have tried and it has not left the pedalboard since I bought it! 🎸

New bass day! Hagström hIIbn from 1975. A thing of beauty and it plays great! Surprisingly resonant and light considering it is made of birch as well. Chords sound beautiful with both pickups engaged and it sounds absolutely massive cranked up. 

What’s the general opinion on the Trent Guitars basses? Has anyone tried their mk1 bass?

I noticed now that you have the Aguilar Tonehammer 350 as well. I have paired my Barefaced SC with a TH500 amp and it is by far the best combination of amp and cab I have had! 

Having tried both, I must say that the Barefaced Super Compact is superior to the Aguilar SL. Go for it!

I believe my Serek Midwestern bass has got a 40mm neck. It is amazing! Chunky as a 70's P bass neck, yet more narrow nut width.

44 minutes ago, Oomo said:

I'd considered that, but wasn't sure it'd be enough of a step up from the PJB combo I've already got compared to some of the other options. I mostly use the PJB double four for convenience, its sound is great, but not something I'm particularly attached to or aiming for (I'm definitely going more for convenience that any particular tone, since this is just for practice/jamming rather than gigging).

I see. Personally, I tend to find the PJB combos to be a bit too transparent, but the Double 4 really is a beautiful piece of equipment for what it is. Good luck with the search for an amp! My advice would be a lightweight cab and class-D amp. It is such a versatile combination. And I haven't tried any better cabinets than the Brighton made Barefaced cabs to be honest. 
 

I use a Barefaced Super Compact (a 12 inch speaker and no tweeter in a neat package) paired with my Aguilar Tonehammer 500. I toss the Tonehammer in the gig bag and carry the cab (about 10 kilo) with one hand. I highly recommend that combination! The Markbass CMD121, AER or EICH amps might be better alternatives for you if you are set on a high-end combo rather than amp and cab. 

Edit: I just noticed that you use a PJB combo right now. Why don't you get yourself a Bass Cub 120 or a Phil Jones Brief Case combo if you like the sound you get from your current amp? There is  always the possibility of adding extension cabinets to those combos, right?

 

The most I have spent on a bass thus far is about £2300/€2600 (a Serek Midwestern) and I can't see myself buying more pricey boutique or vintage basses any time soon. I don't play enough to justify such a purchase and I tend to gel with cheap passive basses. 

If you change your mind regarding (international) shipping - shoot me a PM! Someone in Tyne and Wear please buy this bass and put me out of this misery!