Small bass for cramped public transport

[tauzero]

Thinking of cricket bats, there's also the Westone Quantum and the non-cricket-bat small-bodied headless Ibanez Axstar, although both are now obsolete and priced accordingly.

[crazycloud]

Steinberger Spirit or Hohner B2. Add a strap pin extension and a single ball adapter and you're gold. I've had an XL2 for 38y and B2 and Spirits for nearly as long and they're great, especially the older Hohners. Nothing else will be as compact, cases are easy and cheap (rifle bag) and I've even played mine on a bus as you can play it vertically like an upright.

[lemmywinks]

On 07/09/2025 at 11:32, bassbiscuits said:

At the very cheap end is a Tanglewood Elfin bass, or Squier do a mini precision bass. 
 

I have a Tanglewood Elfin and it’s merely ok, rather than brilliant. It’s something like 26” which is really short for a bass. 
 

Cheap and fairly cheerful tho. 

 

Tanglewood also did a 30" Elfin bass, I have one. It's loads of fun but like a lot of 30" scale basses it's still close enough in length to a full size bass to be cumbersome. It doesn't fit in a guitar gigbag like my Ibanez EHB does.

[fretmeister]

I'd measure the entire instrument rather than relying on scale length alone. Some headstocks are surprisingly long to the point that a shortie with a big headstock could have a total length more than a Medium scale with a smaller headstock.

 

Bridge placement varies a bit too with some designs having their bridges away from the edge of the bass so they are actually longer.

 

In the photo on the left is a Jim Deacon shortie P bass. 30 inch scale. On the right is an Ibanez Mezzo SRMD200 32 inch Medium scale (this one is for sale! It's in the classifieds). The bottom of the basses are both in my bass stand.

 

When they are on the floor standing up the shortie is actually a tiny bit taller than the medium.

 

The little Jim Deacon P basses are cheap used if you can find one but will need some upgrades. The stock pickup is very poor and the controls are really on/off with nothing happening in the middle. They are also quite neck divey.

 

I have 2 as after upgrades to a good pickup and loom and lightweight tuners they are fantastic little basses. The one in the photo hasn't had the tuner upgrade yet. I have them here already but I've been really lazy!  

 

 

 

 

[Pea Turgh]

Not sure if these have been mentioned yet, and I’m assuming you’ll have a marmite reaction…

 

https://lindoguitars.com/product/lindo-kawa-short-scale-electric-bass-travel-guitar/

[zonular]

I sorta love it! It's waaaay outside my price range of 200 euros

2 hours ago, Pea Turgh said:

Not sure if these have been mentioned yet, and I’m assuming you’ll have a marmite reaction…

 

https://lindoguitars.com/product/lindo-kawa-short-scale-electric-bass-travel-guitar/

 

[lemmywinks]

Tbh I'd just get the Ibanez Mikro, they're dirt cheap used and you can upgrade it as you see fit. They have a lot of fans on here, generally regarded as solid basses which punch well above their weight.

 

 

[toneknob]

I got my Mustang JMJ precidely for this reason - lugging bass and occasional other misc gear around London's various public transport options. Doing ok so far!

 

Although to paraphrase Ian Faith, sometimes topsy-turvy world of public transport, having the good solid piece of a long-scale bass in your hand is often useful.

 

 

Edited September 10 by toneknob

[redstriper]

The Ibanez Mikro was my choice after trying a few shorties and I love it.
I changed the strings to flats because I like that sound, otherwise it's perfect.
I bought mine from Amazon with next day delivery and free returns:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Ibanez-GSRM20-MiKro-Electric-Guitar/dp/B00YNJGBL6/ref=nav_signin?crid=1A7T2YZ6L695R&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.I0otZrhyHz_aDn61EVJYnWyfCbvDpotpKl4hQchOtJOZwLBHR75NoRC71QBJpx69VNHixH3gUPaJ2VVElMFCe9Ed7pq2YgrjQNIS8UZoAm63xrPuweL8M6Zls3G7l4jzzF8bHSTzD-7IlEZua35iltLZ5OA44in0F-2FWwUhDtfY2xwJOgiVZfCaUdLj3jFsq3KhMpLg8vBr10_KFtykt7EBNrpz4ON8mli5d6O38wyUdyvIayJxLpCNz4au0IZmwliDkW6nXdlchaiYD5E-O_JBO7ZCjNKihoB3jWFUBqo.1jVasVGFw1IDnVCWudZCLu0Y0K-Bqrn39Mkst6vBbcA&dib_tag=se&keywords=ibanez%2Bmikro%2Bbass&qid=1757513174&sprefix=the%2BIbanez%2BMikro%2Caps%2C103&sr=8-1&th=1

[zonular]

What strings did you use for the flats? Id be looking to do the same

[redstriper]

1 hour ago, zonular said:

What strings did you use for the flats? Id be looking to do the same

I used some old Picatos I had lying around but I don't think they make them anymore.
These look good alternatives and they should be a good fit:
https://www.bassdirect.co.uk/product/la-bella-760fl-s-deep-talkin-bass-flats-light-43-104-short-scale/

[fretmeister]

Just discovered this:

 

AKAMA MINI BEAST  Mini Bass travel bass - ultra-lightweight silent por – AKAMA_guitars

https://akamaguitars.myshopify.com/products/akama-mini-beast-mini-bass-travel-bass-ultra-lightweight-silent-portable-electro-acoustic-bass-high-quality-portable-bass-for-music-lovers?variant=44530846597292

 

It's a 24 inch scale. Total bass length only 33 inch.

 

 

 

[Russ]

Might an Ibanez EHB fit the bill? Full scale, fits in a guitar gig bag, weighs next to nothing. Not as cheap an option as the others, but would be useful outside of the office too! 

[crazycloud]

9 hours ago, Russ said:

Might an Ibanez EHB fit the bill? Full scale, fits in a guitar gig bag, weighs next to nothing. Not as cheap an option as the others, but would be useful outside of the office too! 

Or a Cort Space 4 or 5 for less money.

[lemmywinks]

A used 1000S would be the one to go for if you want an EHB, 30" scale and headless so super tiny.