The Short Scale Bass Appreciation Society!

[Obrienp]

I would love to play in a band, with a brass section, doing those old soul/R&B numbers. I get to dep with a band at NYE that does quite a lot of old R&B but they don’t quite reach that level. Nice one @Bernardo👍.
 

Nice basses as well. I have had a Starstream but not Aguilar equipped and I still have a Cat. Matter of interest, have you got rounds, or flats on your Cat?

Edited yesterday at 13:23 by Obrienp

[Bernardo]

7 minutes ago, Obrienp said:

I would love to play in a band, with a brass section, doing those old soul/R&B numbers. I get to dep with a band at NYE that does quite a lot of old R&B but they don’t quite reach that level. Nice one @Bernardo👍.
 

Nice basses as well. I have had a Starstream but not Aguilar equipped and I still have a Cat. Matter of interest, have you got rounds, or flats on your Cat?

I love it. I use IEMs and have broadly the full band sound so I enjoy listening as much as playing!

 

Flats on the Cat  - as much for the feel as anything else. 

[slowTwitch]

On 24/09/2025 at 17:25, Clarky said:

New Rick shorties being rolled out

 

Further info here

[Sté]

I'm in. 

At first it was not a real choice: i was playing at home with a Fender acoustic CB60-SCE, and was really happy to be able to play without plugging anything, at correct level to follow music from my stereo. It's 80 % of my playing time; at one hour minimum rate per day. But i'm getting older now and a pain started to arrive in my right shoulder and prevent me to play my acoustic bass due to shoulder position with the acoustic body thickness. My osteo-therapist explained my shoulder has 30 years of bad position playing when seat and advices to change it to the classical guitarist position: bass between my legs, laying on my left leg, 45° angle neck, shoulder without any tension. Problem is with my 34" basses, weight it not comfort and F note on my E string become hard to stay on for my left shoulder.. So after small search in the internet bass galaxy, short scale idea popped in my head. So i looked a lot of vids and listened sounds, read reviews, etc; and finally gone for a Sire U5. I quickly changed tuners for ultralite hipshot ones; that removed completely the slight neck dive. 

I just had to file a little fret edges : The Sire process for rounded frets is very good but let some small rawness on the edge sides

And what i can say: it's the best bass for the price i never had... This bass is ridiculously good, comfort and playability awesome, a really good tone with stock pickups. I have it since May, previoulsy dedicated to my house playing only. Few months after i can say she's entered in my A-Team and took the first rank. I can't wait to rehearse and play outside with. It's really a shock for me that sounds like a before/after moment. 

When i think i've paid 437 euros + 102 euros for hipshot licenced tuners; and she sounds like a 1000/1500 euros bass; this is the best money i spent for musical instrument since 30 years.. 

 

 

 

And to welcome her in my A-Team, i even build her a ramp

 

 

 

So i think my 34" basses will get out less. 

Edited 3 hours ago by Sté

[Obrienp]

19 minutes ago, Sté said:

I'm in. 

At first it was not a real choice: i was playing at home with a Fender acoustic CB60-SCE, and was really happy to be able to play without plugging anything, at correct level to follow music from my stereo. It's 80 % of my playing time; at one hour minimum rate per day. But i'm getting older now and a pain started to arrive in my right shoulder and prevent me to play my acoustic bass due to shoulder position with the acoustic body thickness. My osteo-therapist explained my shoulder has 30 years of bad position playing when seat and advices to change it to the classical guitarist position: bass between my legs, laying on my left leg, 45° angle neck, shoulder without any tension. Problem is with my 34" basses, weight it not comfort and F note on my E string become hard to stay on for my left shoulder.. So after small search in the internet bass galaxy, short scale idea popped in my head. So i looked a lot of vids and listened sounds, read reviews, etc; and finally gone for a Sire U5. I quickly changed tuners for ultralite hipshot ones; that removed completely the slight neck dive. 

I just had to file a little fret edges : The Sire process for rounded frets is very good but let some small rawness on the edge sides

And what i can say: it's the best bass for the price i never had... This bass is ridiculously good, comfort and playability awesome, a really good tone with stock pickups. I have it since May, previoulsy dedicated to my house playing only. Few months after i can say she's entered in my A-Team and took the first rank. I can't wait to rehearse and play outside with. It's really a shock for me that sounds like a before/after moment. 

When i think i've paid 437 euros + 102 euros for hipshot licenced tuners; and she sounds like a 1000/1500 euros bass; this is the best money i spent for musical instrument since 30 years.. 

 

 

 

And to welcome her in my A-Team, i even build her a ramp

 

 

 

So i think my 34" basses will get out less. 

They are really good basses. Much better value than any Squier IMO. That’s not saying Squier bad, it’s just Sire seem to have hit a purple patch in terms of design, features and manufacturing quality. I have the fretless version of the U5 and I can endorse everything you say about them. It is the first value bass I haven’t seen the need to upgrade; even the machine heads are standard but I use a grippy strap to counter any neck dive. I have put black nylon tapes on it but that is just to make the fretless experience even better.

[BassApprentice]

If Sire want to do a short scale P bass - I'm here for that! 

[Sté]

25 minutes ago, BassApprentice said:

If Sire want to do a short scale P bass - I'm here for that! 

Send them a request.  Perhaps they already have received some. Their P pickup is really good on the U5.