The Short Scale Bass Appreciation Society!

[msb]

 

Harmony H22 batwing , SG , and Gretsch Thunderjet 6128B , all with flats , I’m a thumper.

[AlexDelores]

1 hour ago, Stub Mandrel said:

 

Works for me... I hate the feel of flats, so I rarely play them, and they last ages! 😁

I’m the opposite, I love the feel, but hate the sound. They make everything sound clanky to my ears. But, then I’ve only ever really played cheaper flats. 

[stewblack]

8 hours ago, ezbass said:

Depends on your definition of affordable. However, it has to be remembered that flats typically last way longer than rounds, so they might even work out cheaper in the long run. With that said, there are some for sale from JLP..

I appreciate your point. Affordable long scale flats, which are perfectly good strings, are available for about 10 to 15 quid. So for something more specialised I suppose I was thinking 15 to 25 ballpark.

Anyway thank you for the info

[Clarky]

On 24/10/2025 at 18:20, scrumpymike said:

YEEE-HAAA!! Just bought a pre-owned Wlcock Mullarkey from Bass Direct 🙂 Same colour as the one recently sold on here by Clarky but with a scratch-plate from the red end of the tort spectrum. Will be delivered Tuesday - can't wait.

 

Watch this space!

Has the eagle landed @scrumpymike and how are you enjoying it?

[fiatcoupe432]

The craftsmanship on this ..... 

Just love 30 inch basses now

[Aidan63]

Looks great; handcrafted in Brazil, what make is that ?

[scrumpymike]

Just now, Clarky said:

Has the eagle landed @scrumpymike and how are you enjoying it?

 

Yes it has, thanks for asking. Delivered around 2pm yesterday. Perfect timing as the band was working on some new numbers last night. I unpacked it to make sure all was in order (which it was), had a quick play and parked it until the practice.

 

The short answer to your question is I'm loving it!!

 

I hadn't said anything to the other members of the band but much to my surprise they were all over it with 'Ooos' and 'Wows' as soon as I took it out of its gig bag. Much more important than that, they were very complimentary about the way it sounded as the evening went on. For rehearsals I go through a Mesa D800+ and Barefaced SC3 with amp EQ pots centred at 12 o'clock. A few tweaks of the 'voicing' and HPF controls and experimentation with the low boost quickly found the right 'default' sound with both pickups selected on the bass.

 

The Mullarkey has a robust but well-defined presence that sits very nicely in the mix. This is timely because our guitarist's new Strat has very dominant lows that were competing with my stuff.

 

Can't wait to hear this bass through my Ampeg SVT-7 PRO and LFSys Monaco gig rig a week on Friday.

 

More later.

[Obrienp]

@scrumpymike you have got some amazing rigs there to go with your fantastic bass! Enjoy!

[Clarky]

1 hour ago, scrumpymike said:

 

Yes it has, thanks for asking. Delivered around 2pm yesterday. Perfect timing as the band was working on some new numbers last night. I unpacked it to make sure all was in order (which it was), had a quick play and parked it until the practice.

 

The short answer to your question is I'm loving it!!

 

I hadn't said anything to the other members of the band but much to my surprise they were all over it with 'Ooos' and 'Wows' as soon as I took it out of its gig bag. Much more important than that, they were very complimentary about the way it sounded as the evening went on. For rehearsals I go through a Mesa D800+ and Barefaced SC3 with amp EQ pots centred at 12 o'clock. A few tweaks of the 'voicing' and HPF controls and experimentation with the low boost quickly found the right 'default' sound with both pickups selected on the bass.

 

The Mullarkey has a robust but well-defined presence that sits very nicely in the mix. This is timely because our guitarist's new Strat has very dominant lows that were competing with my stuff.

 

Can't wait to hear this bass through my Ampeg SVT-7 PRO and LFSys Monaco gig rig a week on Friday.

 

More later.

Damn, was hoping you'd hate it so I can buy it

 

Haha - no really, delighted for you. Its great when a plan works out 🙂

 

[fiatcoupe432]

3 hours ago, Aidan63 said:

Looks great; handcrafted in Brazil, what make is that ?

Hi mate it's a S. Martyn 30 inch 6 strings 

[BassApprentice]

Just spotted this (via Danny Sapko).

 

A LeCompte 31.18" scale (very precise?) but with a reverse headstock. Having never played a bass with a reverse headstock, does it have a noticeable impact on string feel/tension? I know some complain about the lower strings on short scales feeling a bit off.

 

 

Edited 5 hours ago by BassApprentice

[eude]

44 minutes ago, BassApprentice said:

A LeCompte 31.18" scale (very precise?)

Is that better or worse than 791.972mm?

Weird choice, but might be based on available string lengths, as I would guess the reverse headstock might let you have a full scale E string without any of the wound string on the tuner?
I doubt the reverse headstock will make much difference if any to the tension, as the witness points on the nut and bridge are where that's determined.

 

It's a rather tasty looking bass though, I have to say!

[LeftyJ]

LeCompte makes some interesting pickups, with those triple pole pieces.

They were on my radar through NoTreble, who made their creations Bass of the Week several times. 

This one stood out to me, I love the body shape which appears to blend the offset waist of the Jazz Bass and something a bit Wal or Shergold like. 

 

LeCompte Electric Bass - SHR - Short Scale

 

Interestingly, they spec this one as a 30.3" scale model. 

Edited 6 hours ago by LeftyJ

[Obrienp]

4 hours ago, BassApprentice said:

Just spotted this (via Danny Sapko).

 

A LeCompte 31.18" scale (very precise?) but with a reverse headstock. Having never played a bass with a reverse headstock, does it have a noticeable impact on string feel/tension? I know some complain about the lower strings on short scales feeling a bit off.

 

 

I don’t think the reverse headstock has any impact on string tension but it can be very confusing to tune, especially when you switch basses during a set. I have an Acinonyx, which has a Stingray config but reversed and when I switch to it during a set, I always take ages to tune it.