SamIAm Posted December 29, 2022 Share Posted December 29, 2022 (edited) New Bass Goes Back Day I'm searching for "the bass". Short Scale Five String. I'd grab an Ibanez GSRM25 if I could find one (If you have one you'd consider selling than please get in touch) I've tried the Ibanez TMB35, sounded pretty good (tho better pups might have been called for) but was overall heavy and I found the neck dive a problem; changing to lighter tuners can reduce the dive I'd read, but the cost started to creep up. On Xmas eve I went into GAK to audition an Ibanez EHB1005SMS, a 30-32 inch multiscale headless five string. It was beautifully light and amazingly well balanced. Sound was pretty good and I loved the look of it. But a huge chunk of money! I ended up leaving GAK ... and the Ibanez left with me! It was a big birthday last week and a nice bass could last me till I no longer need a bass so ... I've been playing it a lot these past few days, and loving it more and more ... apart from one crucial factor ... my fretting hand was cramping up and the tendons on the back of the hand were starting to get sore. This is the same problem I have when I play a long scale but never experience with short scales. I had hoped that the fan fret would let me manage the mid scaleness of the lower strings, but sadly this turned out not to be the case; I can get by with 30 inch but nowt longer. I'm on the bus on the way home after dropping the bass back to GAK (They have a 7 day refund policy for in store purchases). I think I've exhausted the options, whilst I would not say no to a Birdsong shortscale five string they cost way too much for me to consider. S'manth x Edited December 29, 2022 by Smanth 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheGreek Posted December 29, 2022 Share Posted December 29, 2022 Better to return the bass knowing that it doesn't fit than hold onto it in the hope that you will gel with it later. It can be hard though. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cosmo Valdemar Posted December 29, 2022 Share Posted December 29, 2022 If our body rebels against a bass it's just not meant to be. I had a beautiful old Rickenbacker 4001 years ago and the neck was so wafer-thin my hand would cramp up pretty quickly. Happy 21st birthday btw 😁 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SamIAm Posted December 29, 2022 Author Share Posted December 29, 2022 29 minutes ago, Cosmo Valdemar said: Happy 21st birthday btw 😁 I still feel like that sometimes ... in my dreams! lol S'manth x Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grahambythesea Posted December 30, 2022 Share Posted December 30, 2022 There must be something out there which suits and is affordable. Do not despair, just keep looking. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Newfoundfreedom Posted December 30, 2022 Share Posted December 30, 2022 I had my money on New Bass Gig Bag Day. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lemmywinks Posted December 30, 2022 Share Posted December 30, 2022 Atelier do a baby 5 string in 30" scale, price will be high and looks like it will have the same weight/balance issues as the TMB35 though. Might be worth ordering the little Ibanez Mikro and waiting a few weeks for stock. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nikon F Posted December 30, 2022 Share Posted December 30, 2022 my eight year old grand daughter plays an ibby mikro and it sounds huge .really nice instrument .bought like new condition for £120 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cato Posted December 30, 2022 Share Posted December 30, 2022 (edited) On 29/12/2022 at 16:24, Smanth said: I've been playing it a lot these past few days, and loving it more and more ... apart from one crucial factor ... my fretting hand was cramping up and the tendons on the back of the hand were starting to get sore. This is the same problem I have when I play a long scale but never experience with short scales. I had hoped that the fan fret would let me manage the mid scaleness of the lower strings, but sadly this turned out not to be the case; I can get by with 30 inch but nowt longer. Daft question but have you considered stringing a shortscale 4 stringer for BEAD. I've not tried it myself, no idea whether it would work on a cheaper bass, but given that there are shortscale five strings it seems like it might. Edited December 30, 2022 by Cato Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SamIAm Posted December 30, 2022 Author Share Posted December 30, 2022 1 minute ago, Cato said: Daft question but have you considered stringing a shortscale 4 stringer for BEAD. I've not tried it myself, no idea whether it would work on a cheaper bass, but given that there are shortscale five strings it seems like it might. Not at all daft (IMHO). I have considered BEAD setup but ... I've really grown to like a five string setup, not just for the low B but also the way I can play with fewer position changes ... I find I can play common 3 string patterns on the B/E/A and then with a wee shift on the A/D/G. S'manth x 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SamIAm Posted December 30, 2022 Author Share Posted December 30, 2022 8 hours ago, lemmywinks said: Atelier do a baby 5 string in 30" scale, price will be high and looks like it will have the same weight/balance issues as the TMB35 though. Might be worth ordering the little Ibanez Mikro and waiting a few weeks for stock. Those Atelier do look lovely ... but the cost is quite high for me (if it were headless tho ...) I think you're right, I might just have to pre-order and wait the 3 or 4 months for a GSRM25. (tho I have started digging into the design and build of Phoenix again) S'manth x Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lemmywinks Posted December 30, 2022 Share Posted December 30, 2022 1 minute ago, Smanth said: Those Atelier do look lovely ... but the cost is quite high for me (if it were headless tho ...) I think you're right, I might just have to pre-order and wait the 3 or 4 months for a GSRM25. (tho I have started digging into the design and build of Phoenix again) S'manth x DV247 have it listed as stock expected on 12th Jan, they may be lying though. Last time I had to wait for stock on Thomann it was a few weeks early, same with Gear4Music so it might not be as long as you think. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SamIAm Posted December 30, 2022 Author Share Posted December 30, 2022 (edited) 48 minutes ago, lemmywinks said: DV247 have it listed as stock expected on 12th Jan, they may be lying though. Last time I had to wait for stock on Thomann it was a few weeks early, same with Gear4Music so it might not be as long as you think. Nods about DV247 ... tho a couple of weeks ago they were saying stock expected on 28th Dec ... so I'm a little dubious! Musiker actually had a couple in pre xmas ... but the £30 shipping put me off (as well as concern about getting hit with import charges). The other option I've just discovered is the ESP LTD B 5JR 5, which is a similar size but a P Bass 🤔 tho it also seems availability is an issue. S'manth x Edited December 30, 2022 by Smanth Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SamIAm Posted December 30, 2022 Author Share Posted December 30, 2022 (edited) Oh bu99er it! I've just ordered a GSRM25 from Thomann ... it is the best price and I have had great experience with them. If I can find one online earlier than their quoted 9-12 weeks (or locate a used one) then I can cancel ... otherwise I've got one queued up ... I'll just have to be patient! And in the meantime, I've popped a capo on the third fret of my Hohner B2V (which gives me a scale length about the the same as the Ibby) so I'm not totally having to chomp on the bit! lol S'manth x Edited December 30, 2022 by Smanth 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lemmywinks Posted December 30, 2022 Share Posted December 30, 2022 37 minutes ago, Smanth said: Nods about DV247 ... tho a couple of weeks ago they were saying stock expected on 28th Dec ... so I'm a little dubious! Musiker actually had a couple in pre xmas ... but the £30 shipping put me off (as well as concern about getting hit with import charges). The other option I've just discovered is the ESP LTD B 5JR 5, which is a similar size but a P Bass 🤔 tho it also seems availability is an issue. S'manth x When we were looking for our XR18 desk it was mid covid and out of stock everywhere, DV247's lead time was noticeably shorter than everyone else's but was still being pushed back long after I'd sourced one from a smaller retailer. I reckon they'll get them the same time as everyone else. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tauzero Posted December 31, 2022 Share Posted December 31, 2022 (edited) 5 hours ago, Smanth said: Oh bu99er it! I've just ordered a GSRM25 from Thomann ... it is the best price and I have had great experience with them. If I can find one online earlier than their quoted 9-12 weeks (or locate a used one) then I can cancel ... otherwise I've got one queued up ... I'll just have to be patient! And in the meantime, I've popped a capo on the third fret of my Hohner B2V (which gives me a scale length about the the same as the Ibby) so I'm not totally having to chomp on the bit! lol S'manth x Do you use open strings a lot? If not, just shift your hand position up five frets and across one string. And if you do, just user a different open string. Edited December 31, 2022 by tauzero 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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