The Short Scale Bass Appreciation Society!

[MoonBassAlpha]

4 minutes ago, MoonBassAlpha said:

If Status still do them their half rounds are brighter than flats, and  not expensive at all!

Just  checked, they do still sell them. £18.32 + p&p

[BabyBlueSound]

I think the Ibanez Talman also scratches that P itch, with the J rolled down.

[RichT]

21 hours ago, Bernardo said:

I have started playing short scales recently - starting with a little Gretsch expanding since then into a U5, JMJ Mustang and an Acinonyx. Shallow I know but I Googled short scale red bass because for showbiz reasons I needed a red bass to match some stage outfits! What came top of the list was a refurbished Vox Starstream Artist 2S on the Vox website. Including gig bag it was £350. Given they were well north of a grand when they came out - and some people had paid that - I went for it. I took it to a gig and our sound engineer raved about it compared with my other basses. Ironically I don't enjoy playing it as much as the Mustang and the Acinonyx basically because they have flats on them which feel better to me - so my next quest is to find flats that sound brighter than a normal flat.

It's a weird looking thing and not everybody's cup of tea but it's nicely balanced and very light and with the right strings could be my go to bass - something I never would have predicted when I Googled red short scale. 

 

Welcome to the Starstream owners club! I love the artist Starstreams, I've got 3 of the buggers now, 2 A1H with the MM style pickup and 1 A2S with the jazz config. 

 

I've got short scale EB Cobalt flats on one A1H, and they're perfect for it. They basically sound like played in rounds, with enough tension to work well at 30" scale but not too stiff either. That particular bass has become my goto for almost everything. Can highly recommend them. 

 

[AlexDelores]

11 hours ago, YellowLedBetterBass said:

Are there any short scale P Basses that actually sound like a P Bass out there? After Glasto this weekend and seeing so many people using them (especially Inhalers bassist who sounded fantastic with that Ampeg behind him), I really fancy a P bass.

SX do a very nice looking 30” P bass copy. Looks the part but can’t comment on the sound or quality of them. 

[scrumpymike]

18 hours ago, RichT said:

 

Welcome to the Starstream owners club! I love the artist Starstreams, I've got 3 of the buggers now, 2 A1H with the MM style pickup and 1 A2S with the jazz config.

 

A small but extremely discerning club I like to think 😉. I know the Starstreams are a bit Marmite-y but everything about these basses is as good as the best I've ever experienced. I don't 'need' (?!) another bass but if I see a nice used A1H, I don't think I'll be able to resist buying it to keep my A2S company. The fact that heavy discounting by Vox has undermined their second-hand value makes them a steal too.

 

It's my practice/back-up bass and much to my surprise my band-mates love it too - the sounds AND the look.

[scrumpymike]

Blimey!! Just jumped on the Vox UK website to check if they've got a refurb'ed A1H (they haven't) and I see that the current Starstream range has gone headless - a 4-stringer and a fiver, both over two grand. I think that fits in well with the avant-garde design.

 

https://www.voxamps.co.uk/collections/bass-guitars 

 

They're also doing a solid electric uke bass and the opening words of the promo spiel amused me:

 

'Enjoy the freedom of playing the ukulele without disturbing others.'

 

Say no more! 🤣🤐

[Obrienp]

1 hour ago, scrumpymike said:

Blimey!! Just jumped on the Vox UK website to check if they've got a refurb'ed A1H (they haven't) and I see that the current Starstream range has gone headless - a 4-stringer and a fiver, both over two grand. I think that fits in well with the avant-garde design.

 

https://www.voxamps.co.uk/collections/bass-guitars 

How long before they start being discounted? Having been burnt badly on the previous Starstream, I certainly wouldn’t buy one of these for that money, even though they are now Japanese made. It seems like a lot of cash for a very marmite design (one that I like BTW). You could spec a Maruszczyk Frog, or the Mensinger equivalent for similar, or less money.

[mikebass456]

2 hours ago, scrumpymike said:

They're also doing a solid electric uke bass and the opening words of the promo spiel amused me:

 

'Enjoy the freedom of playing the ukulele without disturbing others.'

 

Say no more! 🤣🤐

Just been and had a quick look - not sure that's a Uke bass - just a 4string Uke? 🤔

The sentiment remains though! 😆😆

[scrumpymike]

34 minutes ago, mikebass456 said:

Just been and had a quick look - not sure that's a Uke bass - just a 4string Uke? 🤔

The sentiment remains though! 😆😆

You're right, it's just a regular uke - the VFU-1 to be precise. Presumably stands for Very Funny Uke, although there could be much ruder interpretations using a different f-word!

 

No doubt a bass variant will follow.

[mikebass456]

59 minutes ago, scrumpymike said:

You're right, it's just a regular uke - the VFU-1 to be precise. Presumably stands for Very Funny Uke, although there could be much ruder interpretations using a different f-word!

 

No doubt a bass variant will follow.

I see that Bass Direct have currently got a full carbon fibre Klos uke bass for sale - that should take some serious stamping on! 😆😆

(I do play Uke basses by the way, and have had a couple from BD themselves - lovely chaps all) 😎🤘

[RichT]

8 hours ago, Obrienp said:

How long before they start being discounted? Having been burnt badly on the previous Starstream, I certainly wouldn’t buy one of these for that money, even though they are now Japanese made. It seems like a lot of cash for a very marmite design (one that I like BTW). You could spec a Maruszczyk Frog, or the Mensinger equivalent for similar, or less money.

 

The original Artist line Starstreams (A1H & A2S) are also Japanese made, and come with Gotoh hardware and Aguilar pickups & preamp. They then had the cheaper Indonesian made versions, which from what I hear were nowhere near the same level of quality. 

 

I bought my last A2S back in March directly from Vox for £299. It was such a ridiculous bargain, just the price of the Aguilar gear it contains would have cost me more than I paid for the entire bass! 

 

I'd love a headless one but those new ones are 34" scale and yep much too pricey for me. 

[scrumpymike]

12 hours ago, RichT said:

I'd love a headless one but those new ones are 34" scale and yep much too pricey for me. 

Well spotted!! I didn't look at the spec, just assumed that Starstream = short-scale.

[Obrienp]

2 hours ago, scrumpymike said:

Well spotted!! I didn't look at the spec, just assumed that Starstream = short-scale.

I guess big boy prices, big boy bass. Shame in a way but the original models didn’t sell well and they seem to have concluded that the scale length had something to do with that. I wish them well but I think these are going to be even less successful at this price.

[Obrienp]

15 hours ago, RichT said:

 

The original Artist line Starstreams (A1H & A2S) are also Japanese made, and come with Gotoh hardware and Aguilar pickups & preamp. They then had the cheaper Indonesian made versions, which from what I hear were nowhere near the same level of quality. 

 

I bought my last A2S back in March directly from Vox for £299. It was such a ridiculous bargain, just the price of the Aguilar gear it contains would have cost me more than I paid for the entire bass! 

 

I'd love a headless one but those new ones are 34" scale and yep much too pricey for me. 

I had one of the Indonesia passive single humbucker models that I bought direct from Vox. There were no problems with it but it had clearly been removed from the shipping box and worked on. It was well set up and everything fitted properly. Unfortunately, the price I paid was much closer to RRP. I was in the process of selling it when they dumped remaining stock on GuitarGuitar at fire sale prices. I had to go even lower to sell it. Consequently, I have lost my trust in Vox and radical designs in general (although I still have a Nordstrand Acinonyx).

[Adee]

Not flashed off my pair of Lionels together. The blue one I added a clear scratchplate so you can see more of that gorgeous finish and an EMG Geezer Butler, I found the stock a bit sterile and was lacking something, the GZR is spot on, so much so that I took the 2 band active out of the cream Larry and put an Ivory GRZ It just wasn’t sitting the mix and felt a bit lost but the EMG punches thru nicely. The third knob is just a dummy … I’ve got an EBMM Stingray Short Scale in Starry Night, it looks the nutz but just doesn’t beat the Lionel Bergs!!

 

[BabyBlueSound]

1 hour ago, Adee said:

Not flashed off my pair of Lionels together. The blue one I added a clear scratchplate so you can see more of that gorgeous finish and an EMG Geezer Butler, I found the stock a bit sterile and was lacking something, the GZR is spot on, so much so that I took the 2 band active out of the cream Larry and put an Ivory GRZ It just wasn’t sitting the mix and felt a bit lost but the EMG punches thru nicely. The third knob is just a dummy … I’ve got an EBMM Stingray Short Scale in Starry Night, it looks the nutz but just doesn’t beat the Lionel Bergs!!

 

Absolutely gorgeous. Where did you get the clear scratchplate in Lionel size? The custom plate cutter guy from eBay, or...? 😁

[Adee]

24 minutes ago, BabyBlueSound said:

 

Absolutely gorgeous. Where did you get the clear scratchplate in Lionel size? The custom plate cutter guy from eBay, or...? 😁

 

I used Tiny Tone for the clear one http://www.tinytone.co.uk/

 

and RF Custom for the two part black one http://www.custom.co.uk

 

 

 

[scrumpymike]

19 hours ago, Obrienp said:

I guess big boy prices, big boy bass. Shame in a way but the original models didn’t sell well and they seem to have concluded that the scale length had something to do with that. I wish them well but I think these are going to be even less successful at this price.

 

19 hours ago, Obrienp said:

I had one of the Indonesia passive single humbucker models that I bought direct from Vox. There were no problems with it but it had clearly been removed from the shipping box and worked on. It was well set up and everything fitted properly. Unfortunately, the price I paid was much closer to RRP. I was in the process of selling it when they dumped remaining stock on GuitarGuitar at fire sale prices. I had to go even lower to sell it. Consequently, I have lost my trust in Vox and radical designs in general (although I still have a Nordstrand Acinonyx).

I think the way Vox have crashed the used market for the s-s Artist is clumsy to say the least. Owners who bought at full RRP (over £1300) or even after the first price drop (to £799) as I did are quite obviously pi55ed off that the second-hand value is now determined by the final 'refurbished as new' price of £399!! Seems to me that Vox have effectively managed to lose a significant number of repeat customers by turning what was initially a happy group of owners into a group with a grievance. I also think the change-over to standard scale length is a mistake for a brand that was traditionally associated with s-s basses. If they had got their marketing right they could have secured a big share of the now significant s-s bass market. Instead they have done what Gibson managed to do - squander the value of a 'heritage' brand name by messing with its DNA.

[martthebass]

17 hours ago, Adee said:

Not flashed off my pair of Lionels together. The blue one I added a clear scratchplate so you can see more of that gorgeous finish and an EMG Geezer Butler, I found the stock a bit sterile and was lacking something, the GZR is spot on, so much so that I took the 2 band active out of the cream Larry and put an Ivory GRZ It just wasn’t sitting the mix and felt a bit lost but the EMG punches thru nicely. The third knob is just a dummy … I’ve got an EBMM Stingray Short Scale in Starry Night, it looks the nutz but just doesn’t beat the Lionel Bergs!!

 

Lovely pairing Ade.

Im with you on the Ray/Lionel comparison, despite the price difference the Lionel is imho the better all round bass. I’d love another but I think Mrs MTB might kill me…..plus I want to change my Mini Cooper.

[RichT]

12 hours ago, scrumpymike said:

 

I think the way Vox have crashed the used market for the s-s Artist is clumsy to say the least. Owners who bought at full RRP (over £1300) or even after the first price drop (to £799) as I did are quite obviously pi55ed off that the second-hand value is now determined by the final 'refurbished as new' price of £399!! Seems to me that Vox have effectively managed to lose a significant number of repeat customers by turning what was initially a happy group of owners into a group with a grievance. I also think the change-over to standard scale length is a mistake for a brand that was traditionally associated with s-s basses.

 

I'm not so sure, they all seem to be gone now so scarcity may well push 2nd hand values up again. I suspect those of us who've clicked with them would happily pay more if we needed one, we know what they're worth.

 

I know I'd pay handsomely to replace an A1H if I needed to now. I paid in the region of £700 each for my two A1H models and don't regret either for a second. I'd pay that much again without questioning it if I needed one. 

 

The A2S I got was more sort of a curio for me because I'd never had a jazz bass (single coil hum allergy), and that £299 offer was just too low to turn down. If it hadn't gone so low at the end I'd probably never have bought it at all, all because of my wariness of hum. I've actually been mulling whether I should try getting the Aguilar 4J HC hum cancelling pickup set for it. I love the sound of the 4J 70 set, but I still wonder if I might love hum-free more? 

 

edit - Meant to add that I agree it's a mistake for Vox to go 34" scale. As has been discussed, they're Marmitey and as well as the brand's history, I think short-scale players are naturally more open to quirky designs overall. 

Edited Friday at 22:02 by RichT

[Obrienp]

@RichT I’m surprised you are getting hum from an active bass but perhaps you use it in passive mode? I’ve always found the active circuit does away with the hum but perhaps I have been lucky with my active basses. If you like the sound of the 4J 70s, I would be inclined to try copper tape shielding of the cavities, before lashing out on another set of pickups. I have always found this very effective with jazz type basses. It helps if you run some ground cables between the cavities that are not contiguous, with everything going to the output jack ground.

[Woodinblack]

52 minutes ago, Obrienp said:

@RichT I’m surprised you are getting hum from an active bass but perhaps you use it in passive mode? I’ve always found the active circuit does away with the hum but perhaps I have been lucky with my active basses. 

 

An active circuit would get rid of a hum induced in the cable, but if the hum is induced in the pickups there is nothing an active circuit can do about it. If I sit by my computers with one of my basses with the nordy singles, I get a hum, but can get rid of it by just tilting the bass at another angle.

[Stub Mandrel]

On 04/07/2025 at 10:25, scrumpymike said:

Instead they have done what Gibson managed to do - squander the value of a 'heritage' brand name by messing with its DNA.

 

See the endless posts moaning about Fender not wanting to do anything different...

 

Damned if you do, damned if you don't.