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reccomended short scale bass


rockerbox

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Okay, after recently advertising for a Chowny SWB-1 short scale bass it seems that they don't come reccomended.

Can anyone suggest a decent alternative?

I already have a Hofner HCT Club bass which is great for the old stuff  but was looking for something to stand in for my Fender '60s reissue Jazz. You may be thinking why bother, but age is affecting my hands and I need something a little less demanding to fret when gigging. Thanks.

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Really? A chum of mine, and also a fellow BCer, recently acquired one, which he seems very pleased with. However, in terms of recommendations, I recently took delivery of a Fender JMJ Mustang and I’m very pleased with it. During my deliberations, pre lockdown 2.0, I also tried the Vintera Mustang and that was rather nice too. With all that said, the best bang for buck has to be the Gretsch G2220B, good sounding, with good playability, for not many £s. IMO better than the Epiphone EB, Squier Mustang or even the Gibson DC.

There’s a lot of love for Sire basses on here as a general rule, but I don’t know of anyone who has one of their recent SS releases.

Edited by ezbass
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Fender made a short scale Modern Player jazz bass for a time, not sure how easy they are to find now though. A couple I saw on Reverb were €455 and €800.

F4078A96-4D88-44D5-A872-7D19254883F8.thumb.jpeg.49c726685a45cb509174935f3b2d1b8d.jpeg
 

Otherwise for about £107 after currency exchange there’s always the short scale J&D jazz from Musicstore DV 247. These don’t come with a high mass bridge, or Fender pickups etc, of course but... £107! Has to be worth checking out?

F64FA515-FA9D-4CFD-AAC2-00B5474F66BD.thumb.jpeg.3ea19039be2a37dc2a01674fc999af71.jpeg

I’m tempted to try one of these myself.

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I'm a long time Danelectro Longhorn player, but appreciate they may not be for everyone, so would recommend - Squier Jaguar bass short scale. Recently discontinued but they do crop up s/h from time to time. Were around the £180 / £200 range when new, so expect to get one for around £125 ish. Great 30" scale, P/J pickups (which are fine) and overall a cracking little bass. Wish I hadn't sold mine now 🙁

https://www.andertons.co.uk/bass-dept/bass-guitars/retro-bass-guitars/squier-jaguar-bass-special-short-scale-bass-in-candy-apple-red

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Some great responses above and mention of many of the basses that I'd be minded to recommend.  A lot depends on budget of course.  If you can be a little more ambitious, the Spector Bantam comes in around £1200.  Fantastic European Spector quality and a very high spec.  If you're thinking of spending really serious money, then there's the Spector Shorty, ACG and Wilcock (Mullarkey) etc. - indeed, over around £1500 and the higher-end options are numerous.  Good luck with it - I transitioned to short-scale seven or eight years ago and play little else - I find it much easier on the back, shoulders, arms and hands

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2 hours ago, three said:

Some great responses above and mention of many of the basses that I'd be minded to recommend.  A lot depends on budget of course.  If you can be a little more ambitious, the Spector Bantam comes in around £1200.  Fantastic European Spector quality and a very high spec.  If you're thinking of spending really serious money, then there's the Spector Shorty, ACG and Wilcock (Mullarkey) etc. - indeed, over around £1500 and the higher-end options are numerous.  Good luck with it - I transitioned to short-scale seven or eight years ago and play little else - I find it much easier on the back, shoulders, arms and hands

Ooh, Wilcock Mullarkey for the win IMO, but certainly a premium product.

Mmm 🤤 https://thebassgallery.com/collections/bass/products/wilcock-the-mullarkey-short-scale

 

1BCF6C45-0B4D-48B9-87A6-FA6F3B3CED50.jpeg
 

Other options if you wanted go up market are:- Maruszczyk do short scale versions of their Jake and Elwood (P&J) models, or you could go down the Sandberg Lionel route, both makes are around the £1300 IIRC.

Edited by ezbass
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I love my short scales. I have a few with 30” scale length: a pair of mustangs (CIJ & JMJ), a pair of early 70s musicmasters, a danelectro longhorn, a guild starfire, and a squier Jag SS. The Squier was my regular rehearsal & gigging bass in a previous band mostly playing blues.

I have recently become aware of the very cute squier mini precision which can be found for under £140. I’m currently resisting the temptation to get a black one and add a mirror pickguard, EMG Geezer pickup and Fender HiMass bridge. 

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On 25/04/2021 at 20:35, casapete said:

I'm a long time Danelectro Longhorn player, but appreciate they may not be for everyone, so would recommend - Squier Jaguar bass short scale. Recently discontinued but they do crop up s/h from time to time. Were around the £180 / £200 range when new, so expect to get one for around £125 ish. Great 30" scale, P/J pickups (which are fine) and overall a cracking little bass. Wish I hadn't sold mine now 🙁

https://www.andertons.co.uk/bass-dept/bass-guitars/retro-bass-guitars/squier-jaguar-bass-special-short-scale-bass-in-candy-apple-red

Well... I’m not selling my Squier Jag SS. I paid £180 for it. I put a Gotoh bridge on it... just because I had one hanging around... and also put EMG Geezers on it. It has a neck to die for (if you like skinny necks) and is my number one gigging bass. My former number one... a Mustang with Nordy pickups is now reserved for “special duties”.

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5 minutes ago, mikel said:

I have a Chowney and an Ibanez, both excellent basses. No idea why your mate has an issue with his Chowney, great build quality. One thing I will say, don't use Rotosound strings on a short scale.

Mr Short Scale, Scott Whitley, agrees with you.

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4 hours ago, triplebass said:

had this for a while, super light and comfy with extra upper register accessibility, a bit adventurous visually and sonically though..

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I have the identical bass and love it! Had a few Danos and it is the best one, perhaps due to to it being the ‘Pro’ model, which basically means upgraded bridge and tuners along with just a vol and tone control with a 3 way switch. Featherweight and sounds great too.

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1 hour ago, casapete said:

I have the identical bass and love it! Had a few Danos and it is the best one, perhaps due to to it being the ‘Pro’ model, which basically means upgraded bridge and tuners along with just a vol and tone control with a 3 way switch. Featherweight and sounds great too.

exactly, and i’m pretty sure my back will miss it in a few years..

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