The Short Scale Bass Appreciation Society!

[ezbass]

On 25/04/2024 at 18:30, ped said:

Recorded a bit of my 66 Mustang today. Backing track is my band, used Moises to remove the bass and put mine over. Backing track is only a demo so not 100% full quality but it gives you some idea. Love the sound of this bass, it just sits and pokes out when needed. 
 

 

That sounds ace, both the bass and the track itself.

[ezbass]

Question for the short scale collective: has anyone replaced the PJ pickups in their shorty, with EMG GZRs? If so, how did it turn out? I’m wondering about ordering some for my HB ‘stangalike, but saw on the shortscale FB group that someone had had poor results, with regard to boominess.

Edited May 1 by ezbass

[Osiris]

15 minutes ago, ezbass said:

Question for the short scale collective: has anyone replaced the PJ pickups in their shorty, with EMG GZRs? If so, how did it turn out? I’m wondering about ordering some for my HB ‘stangalike, but saw on the shortscale FB group that someone had had poor results, with regard to boominess.

 

Not a PJ set but I've put a GZR P in my Sandberg shorty and it sounds great, not quite the classic precision sound as the pickup position is 15-20mm closer to the bridge relative to my Mustang (which nails the classic P tone) but it sounds great, definitely no booming in the lows. It's a punchy low end, bags of mid range detail and enough highs to add clarity without getting abrasive.

 

Dunno if it matters but I always string my shorties with rounds whereas a lot of guys use flats but I find flats are too dull and lifeless, which some may interpret as boominess 🤷

[Baloney Balderdash]

On 01/05/2024 at 17:46, ezbass said:

Question for the short scale collective: has anyone replaced the PJ pickups in their shorty, with EMG GZRs? If so, how did it turn out? I’m wondering about ordering some for my HB ‘stangalike, but saw on the shortscale FB group that someone had had poor results, with regard to boominess.

I replaced the stock P/J pickups in my Ibanez GSRM20 Mikro Bass with a P/J set of EMG Geezer Butler pickups, and the tone went from decent to amazing.

 

I can only recommend it.

 

Definitely no boomyness.

 

Quite on the contrary, these pickups are really articulate and adds a ton of definition. 

 

Edited May 3 by Baloney Balderdash

[tayste_2000]

I couldn’t decide what to keep so I’ve listed my 3 not main basses and will let the market decide.

 

For this crowd

 

 

[martthebass]

With my JMJ on hold and the Mikey Way in the classifieds I thought I’d take a quick group shot of my shorties before they are reduced from 4 to 2.

[vates]

 

So. One month since we’ve finally reunited with my first (and so far the only) Serek.
10 gigs in 10 cities with an audience of roughly 4000 people in total. 10 rehearsals and a few dozen hours of practice. I think I have a proper opinion re.the bass’ durability, pros and cons. 

 

Well, the bass is durable alright. The finish albeit rather rustic (see below) is sturdy enough.
The hardware works as it should.

The gig-bag is not perfect (see below) but it works well. It saved the bass from the harsh loading and unloading on buses, cars, trains, hotels, station premises, lockers etc. Saved if from a few more than likely bumps and bruises. 

 

Cons. 
The body finish looks a bit amateurish up-close. Strong DIY vibes. The color is spot-on though. And a few feet away it looks fine. I personally don’t like the texture contrast between the stripes and the main finish: how it feels to the touch under my elbow. But it works and it’s rather durable. 
The neck heel plate is horrible. Just an unfinished square of sheet metal with rough edges. It will ruin the insides of the gig-bag one day. And it was hard on my clothes as well.
The pickup is rocking a bit inside the pickguard. And it’s unprotected: I had to rest my finger directly on the blades. I guess one day the perspiration will get through them to the coils and kill them. Rather unsustainable.
The gig-bag is nice in the pictures. Looks almost like a Mono. But in reality it’s a rather budget Chinese product: the quality of zipper seams and straps is not very high. The pocket is poorly designed and struggles to hold even the basic necessities (strap, cord, rag), the neck cushion is crooked. But again, it works.

 

(turned out to be) not a con. 
The presumably silly built-in fuzz circuit is surprisingly useful. And the rather radical switching between the full tone and tone cup is amazingly practical in real life situations. I got used to it and will not change it to the stacked vol-tone (as previously planned) until it’s broken. The purchased parts are going to wait for now.

 

Pros. 
The sound. It’s there. The stock rounds are fine. But I changed to Dunlop flatwounds right away and never looked back (

Spoiler

well, actually the G string just popped and I had to change to a spare Pyramid Gold. the latter is awful but Dunlop just do not ship single strings and they just do not care about such complaints

).  After the swap - it’s just the sound from my head. I can’t put my finger on it. It’s just right. Sits perfectly in our rather motley alt-country mix. It’s different from my preferred P-bass tone. But it works in the similar manner by being both unobtrusive but always present and fundamental, and by firmly moving the whole band in the right direction. 
The ergonomics. Although geometrically the shortest one from my stable, this bass doesn’t feel small. The body is shaped in such a weird off-set way that it feels like a full-size instrument. The upper frets reach is even better than on most of my “traditional” full-scale basses. And the balance is strange but somehow works properly: you may swear that you feel the neck dive but in reality there isn’t any. A rather uncanny feeling that goes away after a few hours of play. 
Overall, the bass feels to be meticulously designed by a rigorous engineer. A lot of thought went into this design. Heck, even the lower Dunlop strap lock once connected forms a firm standing base together with the lower bout of the bass’ body.
The neck feels and looks fantastic! Now, this is probably the best part of the instrument. I like everything about this neck: back shape, radius, how it feels in the hand, how the wood looks and the shade of it. 
It looks tasty and feels sublime. 
The color scheme is beautiful. It came right from my dreams and I’m happy that I didn’t pull the trigger on the earlier batches. The quality of plastic parts is on the highest level.

 

Conclusion.
A unique instrument with rather appealing vibes despite all the quirks.
I will definitely keep my eyes open for another Serek. 
Preferably a Midwestern with a single B-90.

 

Thanks for reading!
 

[tayste_2000]

5 minutes ago, vates said:

 

So. One month since we’ve finally reunited with my first (and so far the only) Serek.
10 gigs in 10 cities with an audience of roughly 4000 people in total. 10 rehearsals and a few dozen hours of practice. I think I have a proper opinion re.the bass’ durability, pros and cons. 

 

Well, the bass is durable alright. The finish albeit rather rustic (see below) is sturdy enough.
The hardware works as it should.

The gig-bag is not perfect (see below) but it works well. It saved the bass from the harsh loading and unloading on buses, cars, trains, hotels, station premises, lockers etc. Saved if from a few more than likely bumps and bruises. 

 

Cons. 
The body finish looks a bit amateurish up-close. Strong DIY vibes. The color is spot-on though. And a few feet away it looks fine. I personally don’t like the texture contrast between the stripes and the main finish: how it feels to the touch under my elbow. But it works and it’s rather durable. 
The neck heel plate is horrible. Just an unfinished square of sheet metal with rough edges. It will ruin the insides of the gig-bag one day. And it was hard on my clothes as well.
The pickup is rocking a bit inside the pickguard. And it’s unprotected: I had to rest my finger directly on the blades. I guess one day the perspiration will get through them to the coils and kill them. Rather unsustainable.
The gig-bag is nice in the pictures. Looks almost like a Mono. But in reality it’s a rather budget Chinese product: the quality of zipper seams and straps is not very high. The pocket is poorly designed and struggles to hold even the basic necessities (strap, cord, rag), the neck cushion is crooked. But again, it works.

 

(turned out to be) not a con. 
The presumably silly built-in fuzz circuit is surprisingly useful. And the rather radical switching between the full tone and tone cup is amazingly practical in real life situations. I got used to it and will not change it to the stacked vol-tone (as previously planned) until it’s broken. The purchased parts are going to wait for now.

 

Pros. 
The sound. It’s there. The stock rounds are fine. But I changed to Dunlop flatwounds right away and never looked back (

  Reveal hidden contents

well, actually the G string just popped and I had to change to a spare Pyramid Gold. the latter is awful but Dunlop just do not ship single strings and they just do not care about such complaints

).  After the swap - it’s just the sound from my head. I can’t put my finger on it. It’s just right. Sits perfectly in our rather motley alt-country mix. It’s different from my preferred P-bass tone. But it works in the similar manner by being both unobtrusive but always present and fundamental, and by firmly moving the whole band in the right direction. 
The ergonomics. Although geometrically the shortest one from my stable, this bass doesn’t feel small. The body is shaped in such a weird off-set way that it feels like a full-size instrument. The upper frets reach is even better than on most of my “traditional” full-scale basses. And the balance is strange but somehow works properly: you may swear that you feel the neck dive but in reality there isn’t any. A rather uncanny feeling that goes away after a few hours of play. 
Overall, the bass feels to be meticulously designed by a rigorous engineer. A lot of thought went into this design. Heck, even the lower Dunlop strap lock once connected forms a firm standing base together with the lower bout of the bass’ body.
The neck feels and looks fantastic! Now, this is probably the best part of the instrument. I like everything about this neck: back shape, radius, how it feels in the hand, how the wood looks and the shade of it. 
It looks tasty and feels sublime. 
The color scheme is beautiful. It came right from my dreams and I’m happy that I didn’t pull the trigger on the earlier batches. The quality of plastic parts is on the highest level.

 

Conclusion.
A unique instrument with rather appealing vibes despite all the quirks.
I will definitely keep my eyes open for another Serek. 
Preferably a Midwestern with a single B-90.

 

Thanks for reading!
 

😉

 

[scrumpymike]

3 hours ago, vates said:

 

So. One month since we’ve finally reunited with my first (and so far the only) Serek.
10 gigs in 10 cities with an audience of roughly 4000 people in total. 10 rehearsals and a few dozen hours of practice. I think I have a proper opinion re.the bass’ durability, pros and cons. 

 

Well, the bass is durable alright. The finish albeit rather rustic (see below) is sturdy enough.
The hardware works as it should.

The gig-bag is not perfect (see below) but it works well. It saved the bass from the harsh loading and unloading on buses, cars, trains, hotels, station premises, lockers etc. Saved if from a few more than likely bumps and bruises. 

 

Cons. 
The body finish looks a bit amateurish up-close. Strong DIY vibes. The color is spot-on though. And a few feet away it looks fine. I personally don’t like the texture contrast between the stripes and the main finish: how it feels to the touch under my elbow. But it works and it’s rather durable. 
The neck heel plate is horrible. Just an unfinished square of sheet metal with rough edges. It will ruin the insides of the gig-bag one day. And it was hard on my clothes as well.
The pickup is rocking a bit inside the pickguard. And it’s unprotected: I had to rest my finger directly on the blades. I guess one day the perspiration will get through them to the coils and kill them. Rather unsustainable.
The gig-bag is nice in the pictures. Looks almost like a Mono. But in reality it’s a rather budget Chinese product: the quality of zipper seams and straps is not very high. The pocket is poorly designed and struggles to hold even the basic necessities (strap, cord, rag), the neck cushion is crooked. But again, it works.

 

(turned out to be) not a con. 
The presumably silly built-in fuzz circuit is surprisingly useful. And the rather radical switching between the full tone and tone cup is amazingly practical in real life situations. I got used to it and will not change it to the stacked vol-tone (as previously planned) until it’s broken. The purchased parts are going to wait for now.

 

Pros. 
The sound. It’s there. The stock rounds are fine. But I changed to Dunlop flatwounds right away and never looked back (

  Reveal hidden contents

well, actually the G string just popped and I had to change to a spare Pyramid Gold. the latter is awful but Dunlop just do not ship single strings and they just do not care about such complaints

).  After the swap - it’s just the sound from my head. I can’t put my finger on it. It’s just right. Sits perfectly in our rather motley alt-country mix. It’s different from my preferred P-bass tone. But it works in the similar manner by being both unobtrusive but always present and fundamental, and by firmly moving the whole band in the right direction. 
The ergonomics. Although geometrically the shortest one from my stable, this bass doesn’t feel small. The body is shaped in such a weird off-set way that it feels like a full-size instrument. The upper frets reach is even better than on most of my “traditional” full-scale basses. And the balance is strange but somehow works properly: you may swear that you feel the neck dive but in reality there isn’t any. A rather uncanny feeling that goes away after a few hours of play. 
Overall, the bass feels to be meticulously designed by a rigorous engineer. A lot of thought went into this design. Heck, even the lower Dunlop strap lock once connected forms a firm standing base together with the lower bout of the bass’ body.
The neck feels and looks fantastic! Now, this is probably the best part of the instrument. I like everything about this neck: back shape, radius, how it feels in the hand, how the wood looks and the shade of it. 
It looks tasty and feels sublime. 
The color scheme is beautiful. It came right from my dreams and I’m happy that I didn’t pull the trigger on the earlier batches. The quality of plastic parts is on the highest level.

 

Conclusion.
A unique instrument with rather appealing vibes despite all the quirks.
I will definitely keep my eyes open for another Serek. 
Preferably a Midwestern with a single B-90.

 

Thanks for reading!
 

Love quirky, love this!

[vates]

14 hours ago, scrumpymike said:

Love quirky, love this!

 

Yep. It's obviously imperfect and that's what makes it special.
The main merits are there though: it plays great and sounds killer.

[Obrienp]

1 hour ago, vates said:

 

Yep. It's obviously imperfect and that's what makes it special.
The main merits are there though: it plays great and sounds killer.

Yes, those are the main merits. It’s a bit disappointing to hear that the finish isn’t that well executed, given how much Sereks sell for and I think the looks are a bit marmite. However, if it plays well and sounds good the rest is superficial.

[Teyeplayer]

I’m in the ‘early’ stages of rediscovering bass having had a cheap knock-of eb3 copy that I purchased (and gigged) for £60 about 30 years ago. In due course I moved onto guitar and bass fell by the wayside until I picked up a lovely precision bass a couple of years ago. Something wasn’t quite the same and I have gradually pieced together that as good as the precision is, it’s long scale. Since then a Hofner ignition Beatles bass has been added which is fantastic for the price, and then in the past few weeks a Vox VBW3000 (Bill Wyman) bass has turned up. Since it’s arrived I have played little else, though I do need to get a set of flat rounds on there for that authentic mid-60s sound.

Edited May 14 by Teyeplayer

[Frank Blank]

2 minutes ago, Teyeplayer said:

... in the past few weeks a Vox VBW3000 (Bill Wyman) bass has turned up. Since it’s arrived I have played little else, though I do need to get a set of flat sounds on there for that authentic mid-60s sound.

 

Christ, always lusted after one of these...

[Teyeplayer]

30 minutes ago, Frank Blank said:

 

Christ, always lusted after one of these...

I’m really impressed with it. This modern run are built in partnership with one of the Japanese factories and it is the usual high quality build we’ve all come to expect from Japanese made guitars and basses. It plays really well and was almost perfect straight out of the box. Smallest neck I’ve ever encountered on a bass, but kind of fun for it. 

[scrumpymike]

7 hours ago, Frank Blank said:

 

Christ, always lusted after one of these...

You and me both!! Lee Jackson also used to play one in The Nice IIRC.

[scrumpymike]

7 hours ago, Teyeplayer said:

I’m really impressed with it. This modern run are built in partnership with one of the Japanese factories and it is the usual high quality build we’ve all come to expect from Japanese made guitars and basses. It plays really well and was almost perfect straight out of the box. Smallest neck I’ve ever encountered on a bass, but kind of fun for it. 

I've got a Vox Starstream A2S and the quality is as good as anything I've ever played.