Strings for a 25" scale bass?

[DoubleL]

I just (admittedly on a whim) bought a second-hand Tanglewood EB-18 'Elfin Bass'. It's a tiny little thing with a scaled down P-bass body and what seems to be the same scale as a Strat - I haven't measured it but I compared it to my Squier Strat and it's pretty much the same.

The body is apparently mahogany and the sound is actually quite decent. It's great fun to play as well. However the strings on it are ancient and rusty and probably the originals.

My query is, what strings are best for something this short? Am I right in thinking heavier gauge strings are better for short scales? Or should I just put guitar strings on to make it a piccolo, which is a tempting idea!

Thanks for any advice.

[bassteban]

Ernie Ball(& others, I'm sure)makes strings for short-scale 'tic-tac' basses, ala Fender Bass VI or 'baritone' guitars. I put a set of the EB's on a 26" scale fretless 5 I'm slowly building for my 8-yr-old son. I tuned it EADGC w/no floppiness to the low E.