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Short scales up to around £1000 - what's out there?


Osiris

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I'm on the lookout for a new 30" short scale and have a maximum budget of about a grand (or at least I will have once I've sold my Sandberg TT) but looking online there doesn't seem to be much choice in that price range. There's loads of entry level shorties and some well above my budget. There's the JMJ Mustang (although I'm not sure about the Thomas the tank engine blue finish) and the Supro range (although I'm not really a big fan of the aesthetics) and that's about it as far as I can find. Used is also an option too (I just missed out on the cracking ACG short scale on the market place!)

Does anyone else know of anything else in this sort of price range? Generally speaking I'm into a more traditional design and prefer passive to active but they're only guidelines in terms of ideas.

 

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1 minute ago, fretmeister said:

Spector has one. Was one in the classifieds recently.

Is that the Bantam? From the YouTube clips I've seen it's a very modern sounding beast which isn't really what I'm after but I'd need to get my hands on one to try to see if it's something I could live with. 

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I know @rockdog was trying to sell my old ACG one a little while back, however his ad has gone...

Here's my original ad >> 

It's a 31.5" scale, so maybe not short enough, but it's a lovely bass, and SO easy to play.
I very much wish I hadn't had to sell it and that I could afford to have it back :(

Eude

 

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Cheers guys, there's some good suggestions coming out, I'm particularly intrigued by the Maruskything one, although I'd have to have one in a different colour scheme as I just can't cope with turdburst and tort finishes 🤢

Keep 'em coming!

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10 hours ago, jrixn1 said:

 

7 hours ago, Osiris said:

Cheers guys, there's some good suggestions coming out, I'm particularly intrigued by the Maruskything one, although I'd have to have one in a different colour scheme as I just can't cope with turdburst and tort finishes 🤢

Keep 'em coming!

That particular Marusczcyk has sold if you check the price bit! I played it while it was still around and liked it a lot. There is this though...:

http://www.bassdirect.co.uk/bass_guitar_specialists/SH_Maruszczyk_Elwood_4p_Short_Scale.html

 

edit - sorry just seen the comment about tort plates! Damn.

Edited by Merton
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8 hours ago, Osiris said:

Cheers guys, there's some good suggestions coming out, I'm particularly intrigued by the Maruskything one, although I'd have to have one in a different colour scheme as I just can't cope with turdburst and tort finishes 🤢

Keep 'em coming!

If you go on their website you can configure it how you want:

https://public-peace.de/configurator/jake-c

You will have to go light on the fancy options to keep to £1000.  The base price for their precision style is €1090.

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Cheers guys. I'm veering more towards classic Fender body shapes over the semi acoustic and single cut styles at the minute, but all options are open :)

For the record I currently have a P/J Mustang which I'm more than happy with and an Ibanez Talman short scale that has had some new pups and is regularly gigged alongside a couple of other basses that cost 10 times as much. I'm happy with both but I've got the itch for something more expensive. You know how it is xD

I briefly had a Chowny SWB and although it was a well made bass with a fantastic sound, the way it sat on a strap meant that the first fret was in more or less the same position as the first fret on a 34" bass which defeated the object of a shorty for me! There's a couple of shouts for the Gretsch, the one I tried a while ago had a neck that was so sticky that it was difficult to play, but looking on the thread above it seems that others haven't experienced that issue which suggests the one I tried was a Friday afternoon special. 

@Merton Cheers for the link to the white Marusczcyk, I reckon with a change of scratch plate (3 ply black/white/black?) and some black pickup covers that could well be a serious contender, although I find pickup selector switches quite limiting in comparison to a blend pot.  

Jeez I'm hard work, I think I must be turning into my dearly beloved!

Right, I'm off to play with that Marusczcyk configurator  :) (Thanks @crunchman

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10 hours ago, Jus Lukin said:

The Epiphone Rumblekat is rather lovely, if a little polite visually ( I use mine for dinner-jazz or swing and blues, so it fits!)

The Hagstrom Viking looks cool. Fender has a Mustang- latest incarnation is with mustang and J pickups I think. There was also a Squier one on here for sale somewhere, might be worth checking out.

The Birdsong Shortbass might come in on budget with the exchange rate- I've not tried one, but get the impression the Birdsongs are up there in the short-scale stakes.

Those Rumblekats look nice but the control knob panel looks horrendous (to me). The only way they could have made it worse would have been to nail it on.

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  • 2 weeks later...
7 hours ago, therealting said:

I have two short scales (MIJ Mustang and a Hofner Violin) which I’m probably going to move on as medium scale suits me better. Those are worth a look. 

What do you think of the MIJ Mustang? I have the Mexican PJ Mustang and love it, the stock pickups sound good enough to not warrant considering replacing them and the neck is fast and comfortable. The only mod I have made was to ditch the 3 way pickup selector switch and swap it out for a blend pot as this makes the bass so much more versatile. But in truth I spend 90% of the time just on the P pup :lol:

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2 hours ago, danny-79 said:

Have you seen the Nordstrand short scale bass ? Don’t know when they are up for sale but are being shown at NAMM now. Don’t know about price though but worth a look

I like the design of the Nordstarnd, the body shape is more to my tastes but finish was an affront to all that is decent and holy - the one I saw was blue with a nasty turdashell scratch plate and gold hardware. Really fugly 🤮

If they do it in some more sensible colour schemes (natural and black always works for me) then it could well be a serious contender. 

As for the Stingray, interesting but I personally can't get on with that nasal Stingray sound, it works great in a mix but I find it irritating when it's just the bass on its own!  

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