The Short Scale Bass Appreciation Society!

[Woodinblack]

53 minutes ago, whave said:

That little string holder thingy in the middle is also spraypainted 

 

Those string holders in black are pretty cheap it has to be said. I only know this as I have finally got round to buying a string retainer that should have come with my Maruszczyk 

[Woodinblack]

Looks nice with the black though - I need to do up my TMB35, its a great bass.

[Obrienp]

4 hours ago, whave said:

 

Only problem with that is I tried two sets of similar machineheads and 2 out of 4 screwholes were always just 1mm away from where they should be. So seems like Ibanez went for something non-standard there. Ultimately just used some bamboo, wood glue to plug in old holes and then drilled new ones for the black Schaller machine heads.

 

For what it is worth; I just measured up some Northwest Guitars own brand vintage tuners and they seem to have the same dimensions as the OEM ones on my TMB35. NWG say they come from the same factory as Wilkinson but they are not quite as chunky as the Wilkinson vintage tuners. I haven’t tried fitting them to my Talman, so make sure you check dimensions before buying.

[Stub Mandrel]

On 03/03/2022 at 15:13, scrumpymike said:

 

Posted this a couple of weeks ago and 10 forum members liked it. So, some of you may be interested to know that Vox UK have some more FS on their website at the knock-down price I paid for mine, namely £799 as opposed to the original RRP of £1400. Now I've had chance to get to know mine properly, I can tell you that these are well worth £1400 and are therefore an unbelievable bargain at the discounted price. This is MIJ quality at its best, witness the pic showing the edge binding I forgot to mention in my original post. And I can confirm that IMHO the Aguilar pick-ups ARE fantastic.

 

 

Very distinctive   but not unattractive instruments  although I hate the little feet.

[Guest gazzatriumph]

Just got a Fender Player Mustang, first impressions are good, really nice sound, needs a set up and fret edges a bit rough and I'm changing the toggle switch to a blend knob, only played 34 inch scales before but need the comfort of a short scale so I can continue gigging. I've ordered a Maruszczyk custom short scale which will take 4 months to arrive so got the Mustang to get me used to a short scale. Will be selling my Warwick Corvette $$ which I've used for 7 years it's a brilliant bass but need a shortie now.

Edited March 27, 2022 by gazzatriumph

[BCH]

On 05/03/2022 at 12:54, BassApprentice said:

To throw another spanner in the works, there is Medium scale (32") basses available - most popular one to dip your toe in the water is the Ibanez Mezzo. 

 

Depending on when and if you want to try short scale and want the best possible start, I'd go for a Sandberg Lionel - P bass sounds and the quality is always spot on. 

This is good advice. I went from 34" to 32" (2017) for a year then committed to short scale. now use 30.5" & 30" and for rehearsals where  the box! is small..I use a 26.5" scale....they are all below 7lb so no back or shoulder issues....

[ots]

I'm loving the Maruszczyk and Lionel up there 👆

 

I've currently got a JMJ Mustang and a baby Sterling Stingray. I have a 34" scale Sandberg Electra California and a Lionel is probably next on my list.

 

[fretmeister]

I bought Hooky’s Jim Deacon short scale P and I’m loving it. He does seem to like a really high action so I’ve sorted that for my tastes.

 

It’s my first 30 inch scale and now I’m wondering about a Lionel as well!

[barrycreed]

Might have been posted already but anyone see the new Aria Pro II DMB 206? Looks cool anyway.

[fretmeister]

 

yup. I have to have one. That sounds amazing.

 

I’ll get my Fender listed so I can raise the money.

[ezbass]

1 hour ago, fretmeister said:

 

yup. I have to have one. That sounds amazing.

 

I’ll get my Fender listed so I can raise the money.

Oof! That sounds so good. I love the P bass aesthetic and I’m a short scale convert. I’m in a lot of trouble 😬.

[fretmeister]

I sent him a message. He’s got Ti flats on it. My preferred strings for a P.

I am definitely in trouble!

[mr4stringz]

Just felt the need to post a brief update on my JMJ Mustang now I’ve had it for a few months.

 

I’m sure it’s been said many times, but my God, they got this bass so right. It really is my perfect s/s bass and now largely all I play in my band. For me it’s got future classic written all over it.
 

I finally got around to switching the pickguard too. Also switched to black screws. Think I’ll be doing the same with the pickup screws now too.

 

 

 

 

[Clarky]

Not sure if this has been posted before but here's a quite superb demo of the wonderful sounding Spector Bantam by BC's very own @Dood

 

 

[ezbass]

30 minutes ago, fretmeister said:

I sent him a message. He’s got Ti flats on it. My preferred strings for a P.

I am definitely in trouble!

They have a soft aged one in Guitar Guitar with a roasted maple neck, nearly £2k of trouble.

 

24 minutes ago, mr4stringz said:

Just felt the need to post a brief update on my JMJ Mustang now I’ve had it for a few months.

 

I’m sure it’s been said many times, but my God, they got this bass so right. It really is my perfect s/s bass and now largely all I play in my band. For me it’s got future classic written all over it.
 

I finally got around to switching the pickguard too. Also switched to black screws. Think I’ll be doing the same with the pickup screws now too.

 

 

 

 

You are not wrong about future classic, it’s just has something. I’ve just recently had to dress the fret ends as they were becoming a bit more obvious in the hand, accentuated by the rolled ‘board and the fact we’ve moved into a new build house that has been drying out.

 

Those black screws are a classy touch.

[fretmeister]

1 hour ago, mr4stringz said:

Just felt the need to post a brief update on my JMJ Mustang now I’ve had it for a few months.

 

I’m sure it’s been said many times, but my God, they got this bass so right. It really is my perfect s/s bass and now largely all I play in my band. For me it’s got future classic written all over it.
 

I finally got around to switching the pickguard too. Also switched to black screws. Think I’ll be doing the same with the pickup screws now too.

 

 

 

 

I’ve been watching demos of that since you posted the pic.

 

Now I want one of them too! 😂

[ezbass]

1 hour ago, fretmeister said:

I’ve been watching demos of that since you posted the pic.

 

Now I want one of them too! 😂

When I first started looking at short scales, I tried a JMJ and it was the stand out bass on that day. Then lockdown V1 happened and I didn’t get to try another until things loosened up again, that one was also the best of that day, but I needed to sell a bass to finance it. Then lockdown V2 occurred, but I sold my bass via the Bass Gallery and I just decided to order one from somewhere that had stock. Yet again, a rock solid instrument, although the relicing could be more imaginative. It seems that it’s hard to go wrong with this model, Fender have got it right, the Mexican facility should be very happy with their output on this one.

[mr4stringz]

2 hours ago, fretmeister said:

I’ve been watching demos of that since you posted the pic.

 

Now I want one of them too! 😂

Really can’t say enough good things about it. Feels so good to play to the point I feel like I’ve had it years. It just ‘does’ bass brilliantly well across the board.

Edited April 10, 2022 by mr4stringz

[dmc79]

12 hours ago, mr4stringz said:

Just felt the need to post a brief update on my JMJ Mustang now I’ve had it for a few months.

 

I’m sure it’s been said many times, but my God, they got this bass so right. It really is my perfect s/s bass and now largely all I play in my band. For me it’s got future classic written all over it.
 

I finally got around to switching the pickguard too. Also switched to black screws. Think I’ll be doing the same with the pickup screws now too.

 

 

 

 

I know I’ve said I’m not crazy about the Mustang look, but this does look really cool with the black plate. Black screws would effectively hide those mini pickups nicely. I wish standard black was an option in the current lineup, as the roadworn / relic thing is not everyone’s bag. But yeah the black on black on rosewood looks great here 

 

[ezbass]

3 hours ago, dmc79 said:

I know I’ve said I’m not crazy about the Mustang look, but this does look really cool with the black plate. Black screws would effectively hide those mini pickups nicely. I wish standard black was an option in the current lineup, as the roadworn / relic thing is not everyone’s bag. But yeah the black on black on rosewood looks great here 

 

The looks are challenging for sure, it seems like it needs to be a bit fatter in the bouts, but that’s what you get by having an interchangeable guitar and bass body shape I guess. However, once on the knee or strap, it all kind of makes sense. That stretched body stops it feeling toylike (something that the SS ‘Ray does on the knee for me, it’s fine on a strap) and the left hand positions feel natural and fall easily to hand. My right hand falls just on the edge of the scratch plate, midway between p/up and bridge. Because of the shape, the slab body sits fine for me, without any digging in and my plucking arm rests nicely on the edge without discomfort.

 

If I sound like a rabid fanboy, it’s because all of the perceived shortcomings actually seem to be positives (beware the ramblings of the recently converted ). However, upper fret access is an issue and the lack of just one more fret annoys me (albeit for just one song), although the amount of time I spend up there is very rare and I can only cite 2 songs from my old set list that I would actually need to be up there. Replacing the neck plate with a rounded off one and taking a file to the neck join would improve matters dramatically but, for the amount of times I need that access, can I be bothered?

 

 

EDIT: For reference, I’m 6 foot tall and medium build.

Edited April 11, 2022 by ezbass

[martthebass]

3 hours ago, dmc79 said:

I know I’ve said I’m not crazy about the Mustang look, but this does look really cool with the black plate. Black screws would effectively hide those mini pickups nicely. I wish standard black was an option in the current lineup, as the roadworn / relic thing is not everyone’s bag. But yeah the black on black on rosewood looks great here 

 

 

The aesthetics are always personal I guess.  I think, personally, the Mustang shape has grown on me over the years and I especially like the comp stripe look.  The lack of upper fret access can be a 'challenge' but for what I play it's rarely an issue.  For years I played a Stingray/Jazz/4003 set up and looking back on the pics taken at gigs realise how big some of these looked on my 5'8" physique.  

 

Some of the issues with the Mustang are addressed in the G&L Fallout but I still prefer the look of the Mustang in general but prefer the flexibility of the Fallout on some gigs.

 

 

[fretmeister]

Well… it seems a Sandberg Superlight can be ordered with a 30 inch scale!

 

So I’m guessing that’s it’s also possible to order a Lionel with the Superlight woods.

 

That’s settled my next bass!

 

 

[Osiris]

23 minutes ago, fretmeister said:

Well… it seems a Sandberg Superlight can be ordered with a 30 inch scale!

 

So I’m guessing that’s it’s also possible to order a Lionel with the Superlight woods.

 

That’s settled my next bass!

 

 

 

I've got no idea what the weight of a super light model would likely be but my ash bodied Lionel probably weighs less than 6 grams. I have to tether it to something substantial, like a drummer, to stop it blowing away in the breeze 😃

[scrumpymike]

2 hours ago, fretmeister said:

Well… it seems a Sandberg Superlight can be ordered with a 30 inch scale!

 

So I’m guessing that’s it’s also possible to order a Lionel with the Superlight woods.

 

That’s settled my next bass!

 

Good call! I think my choice would be a PJ. Maybe one day.

[Rayman]

Absolutely loving this DeArmond Starfire short scale, fitted with tapes, it's a total funk machine. Lovely low action, and a surprising range of tones depending on where you place your fingers. It sounds amazing with a palm muted pick. I'm trying felt picks to protect the tapes, but it has more attack with a regular pick and sounds big through this TCBG250.

 

I've never been much of an effects guy, but on a whim I bought a Zoom B1on, and man, there's some very useable presets in there.....