Short scale basses

[phil.mcglassup]

Following on from my earlier post concerning me considering a violin bass due to a shoulder injury I have realised that the problem is not so severe when I move my existing basslines so that they fall, wherever possible, between the 5th and 12th fret on my existing bass. This is maybe to do with keeping my arm straight in front rather than reaching down to the nut end of the neck - if that makes sense.

This has left me asking, apart from the violin basses, are there any other short (or even very short) scale basses that are also very light that would suit my needs?

Once again, quality and sound of the bass are not too important, even if they are 'cheap' as long as they're playable and readily available -even secondhand. The band I'm with are just happy to have a bass player producing a bass sound so any bass sound at all is better than none. I would prefer a bass that is in proportion rather than one with a normal body and a short neck!!

I have come across an Epiphone EB-0 but have no idea how much they weigh.

Has anyone any ideas what else might I consider?

TIA

[waynepunkdude]

IME shortscales ( 30" ) are easier to manoeuvre but the sound is less defined.

[Ou7shined]

It's been a while since I've held one but I imagine a Squier Bronco would be pretty light.

[Stag]

If you can get hold of an old Musicmaster that would probably be perfect! Small, easy to play basses.

The Epi EB0's ive played are quite heavy IMO, considerably heavier than EB3's.

[martthebass]

I have a recurrent shoulder problem which means long sets with my beloved mm are tough. I moved onto the streamline for long sets. The combination of design and low weight (7lbs) cured my problem. There doesn't seem to be much of a stretch to the 1st and no neck dive as it has no headstock. Expensive but worth a try.

[PURPOLARIS]

My Ibanez AGB 200 is great guitar for the price I think. I managed to get mine for £150. I'm currently thinking of getting another short scale bass possibly a Mustang.

[Stag]

You can have a look at my Musicmaster here : [url="http://basschat.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=14065"]http://basschat.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=14065[/url]

I also have a short scale Gibson LP, that's very very nice indeed but weighs as much as a tank.

[PURPOLARIS]

[quote name='Stag' post='897268' date='Jul 17 2010, 01:31 PM']You can have a look at my Musicmaster here : [url="http://basschat.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=14065"]http://basschat.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=14065[/url]

I also have a short scale Gibson LP, that's very very nice indeed but weighs as much as a tank.[/quote]

That Musicmaster looks great, is the Bronco the Squier version of that ?

[Stag]

[quote name='PURPOLARIS' post='897272' date='Jul 17 2010, 01:39 PM']That Musicmaster looks great, is the Bronco the Squier version of that ?[/quote]


I think Fender originally made the Bronco as a guitar in the 60's... the Bronco bass is pretty much the closest you'll get to it (other than an old Mustang bass, and they tend to be considerbaly pricey-er than Musicmasters.

[Jus Lukin]

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Edited February 15, 2022 by Jus Lukin

[saxobass]

Have you looked at the Kala U Bass? weighs a little over two pounds and has a 20" scale. Sounds like nothing else out there!

[ezbass]

[quote name='PURPOLARIS' post='897265' date='Jul 17 2010, 01:31 PM']My Ibanez AGB 200 is great guitar for the price I think. I managed to get mine for £150. I'm currently thinking of getting another short scale bass possibly a Mustang.[/quote]


Friend of mine picked one of these up cheap too. Last time I visited him I had a go (well you've got to) and I must say I was very impressed and I loved the scale and overall size. A very nice bass indeed and I would imagine a good chassis for upgrades.

[derrenleepoole]

I'm not sure where I copied this from, here or Talkbass? But here is a very extensive list of short scale basses available:

Fender Mustang 30"
Fender Bass IV 30"
Musicmaster 30"
Fender Urge 1 32"
Fender Bullet 30,32" (also 34")
Fender P-Bass Jr. 28.5"
Bronco 30"
[b]SX (Essex, Rondo) shortscale P and J 30"[/b] <stupidly cheap from Rondomusic.com and good to modify
Alembic (custom)
Birdsong 30.5"
Landing 30,32"
Gibson EB2 30.5"
Ric 4001 and 4003 33.25"
Gibson EB1 EB0 and EB3 30"
Danelectro
Hofner Violin 30"
Rob Allen Mouse 30"
Ovation Typhoon 30.5"
Epiphone Allen Woody 30"
Epiphone ET-280
Ventura 32"
Carvin SB series
Phantom bass (new reissue) 30"
Vox 30"
Gretsch G2202 Electromatic Junior Jet 30"
[b]Cort Action Bass Junior[/b] <I've owned the 34" Action bass, and they're incredible value for money, good all rounder
Samick Corsair 26"
Ovation Applause AE-40 30"
Teisco 30,31,32"
Hamer Slammer 30"
Hallmark Swept-Wing 30"
Guild Starfire
Guild JSB-2 31"
James Bass (custom)
R Bass (custom)
Michael Dolan (custom)
FBB (custom)
LeCompte (custom)
Framus 30"
Egmond 30"
Gibson Les Paul 30.5"
Wishbass (custom)
Ampeg SSB 30"
XStrange/Bruce Johnson SSB 30.5"
Ampeg AMB-1 (Dan Armstrong) 30.5"
Jay Turser 30"
Ibanez GAXB 150
Gretch hollowbody
Gibson EB-6
Gretsch Synchromatic BassVI
Epiphone Rivoli
Epiphone EB-O 30"
Epiphone Viola
Jerry Jones Longhorn 30"
Jerry Jones Longhorn BassVI
Jerry Jones Shorthorn 30"
Harmony 30"
Hagstrom (various models) 31,31.5,32"
Hamer 8-string
Hamer 12-string
Rickenbacker 3000 30"
Hofner Club
Hofner President
Rogue VB-100 31"
Fender Hello Kitty/Badtz-Maru 30"
Daisy Rock 30"
Fender Squier P-basses (a few) 32"
Kubicki Ex-Factor 32"
Kramer (aluminum neck) 31.5"
Westone 32"
Aria (some older models) 32"
Univox 30,32"
Vantage 30,32"
Epiphone EA-260
Lyle
Hohner
[b]Dean Evo 30"[/b] <Heard nothing but rave reviews about this sub £200 bass
Luna
[b]Tanglewood TEB-12[/b] 30" <I have one of these, see profile pic, and it's a good blues/jazz bass
Brice HVB-600 30.3"
Douglas WVEB Violin Bass (Rondo)

I've highlighted a few basses that I think might work for you. But I think the first thing you need to do is identify what type of role the bass will fulfill. So for example, if you're an all singing all dancing Mark King wanna be, a Violin bass isn't the first port of call. I think identifying the area and roll the bass will play may be key to your purchasing decision.

Have a quick scout around on Youtube to see if anyone has done a gear review of the bass you're interested in, it may give you some insight from a player who uses one everyday. For example, there are loads of clips of the SX J & P basses on Youtube and they sound superb. The clips I've seen of the Bronco also sound excellent.

Edited July 17, 2010 by derrenleepoole

[razze06]

If it's any help, i've owned a Danelectro Longhorn, which is short scale, stupid light, and sounds pretty good and defined. You can buy one new for around £250 or slightly less.
Only reason i sold it is that i got another shortscale I liked even better (epiphone et280, not very light)

[derrenleepoole]

[quote name='waynepunkdude' post='897215' date='Jul 17 2010, 12:26 PM']IME shortscales ( 30" ) are easier to manoeuvre but the sound is less defined.[/quote]

I think that is a bit of a generalization - you're not totally wrong, but it's an assumption that has no real truth anymore. It all depends on who plays them and how, and if the bass is or is not high or low end. The clips of Birdsong Cortobasses on Youtube clearly show the instrument to be anything but less defined - a throughly modern bass with excellent internal preamp and killer tone out of a 30" scale bass. There are loads of clips of the 30" SX J-basses on Youtube, and if you didn't know any better you'd swear blind they were the full size basses. Some instruments will by their nature suffer from what you describe, but string manufacture, body and neck manufacture and preamp design have all come a long way since the early days of bass design. I am convinced that short scale has a real future, so much so that I've made the move to 30" scale after 20+ years of playing. There is nothing that I can't do on 30" that I couldn't do on 34" - it's more comfortable too! It doesn't do Stanley Clarke any harm and listen to his tone

[benebass]

I had a really bad back for a while & my workaround was to play a five string for a bit. This is similar to Andy's BEAD tuning idea, but you keep the G - for standard four string lines you never need to go down lower than the fifth fret & string spacing is tighter so there's less of a stretch between strings (think the scale you're actually playing on is something like 27" when you work it out). Might be a bit of a change if you're not used to a five, but could be a good alternative to a short scaler - especially if you're after a more modern/active sound.

Wayne's right that many do suffer from bad definition. I think the main problem is that most 30" basses are aimed at beginners and/or people on a tight budget - if the build quality's not there then it seems to be more obvious when the scale is shorter.

I've recently bought a 32" scale bass & I find that a good compromise between sound & comfort so that might work for you too.

Cheers,

B.

[lozbass]

I'm a big fan of short-scales - some have a full, bassy tone that lacks a bit of definition, however, this is not the case for all (take a listen to Clarke on his short-scales!)

Among the shorties I use is a Danelectro Longhorn (a re-issue from around the late '90s). It's around 3-4lbs in weight, balances well and is ridiculously easy to play and very fast to get around on. The tone is acceptable (to me) but not fantastic - I use extremely light gauge nickel rounds so manage decent definition. I find that the bass doesn't really cut through as much as I'd like when I play in a band situation (this is a very rare occurrence). I think you can pick-up a Longhorn at around £150 second hand. I certainly recommend that you give it some consideration

[phil.mcglassup]

Wow Thanks for all the replies!!

There's lots to choose from. It's just a case of choosing one I like the look of and finding the weight and then trying one for playability etc.

Thanks y'all

[domjohnson]

I'm also looking for a lightweight, short-scale bass. Lightweight is most important, but I really want a short-scale. Unfortunately, nowhere nearby stocks Danelectro, so are there any other light, short scale basses other than the Hofner violin bass and Hagstrom Viking?

[Wolverinebass]

[quote name='waynepunkdude' post='897215' date='Jul 17 2010, 12:26 PM']IME shortscales ( 30" ) are easier to manoeuvre but the sound is less defined.[/quote]

Depends on what price bracket you're talking about though I would agree on passive shortscales being a bit, well, wooly as I learned on one. I wouldn't say my Alembic Stanley Clarke has a "less defined" sound than say a 34" Jazz bass for example. It can literally rip your face off it's got so much upper mids and treble. Just my opinion though.

Edited July 27, 2011 by Wolverinebass

[Stag]

Just to add to this since it's been resurrected... My Les Paul as a thunderous tone. Very strong in the bottom which the Musicmaster is not. Was playing the LP tonite and my word you can hear it!

[boynamedsuse]

Been here 9 months and finally got around to my first post.

Playing a full scale starting at the 5th fret (as suggested) is not a great option. For starters, you are eliminating 1/4 of the instrument's range when you do this and you don't have to go very much further up the neck to reach into the guitar's sonic space. Tuning BEAD (also as suggested) is an option, but now you are dealing with heavier strings and still have the heavy instrument and limited range—not to mention that B strings often sound like they belong on a separate instrument. More relevant to the OP (long ago), the light weight of short scales is a nice plus. My Mustang RI is the lightest of my three basses by at least a pound—weighing it at only 7.5 pounds—and the semi-hollow and hollow body basses are still lighter. (I think I read 4 pounds—wow.)

[gsgbass]

I go with my Gibson SG Std. Light, and a lot of booming bottom.