Quick pic, just unboxed it. I'll get a daylight pic tomorrow. For $52 I'm impressed.
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Sub-Short Scale Talk
- Thread starter SBassman
- Start date
It's not gorgeous, but if it's not a train wreck in terms of function, I'll try to make it look less obscene.
Mini bass tuners will do 4 on one side. Look at my avatar
Your's looks great! I'll certainly consider getting some. Part of my want to do this project was based in the idea that I could use some of the random parts I have around.
Otherwise, I have 2+2 Grover mini tuners, if I could somehow adapt those.
When I bailed on the Glen Burton, I took the plunge on - a Squier Mini. Didn't expect to. It was kind of, um, an impulse buy.I know it doesn't match our sub short definition, but I thought I'd do just one post on it here.
The neck is so slim, and the body is so light, you might not notice the difference between a Squier Mini and a shorter 25inchish scale.
I'm enjoying it. Fun little bass. Impressive neck.
I'm really having too much fun with the Mini P. I adjusted back to a 28" so quickly that it removes my sub short focus. I have played lots of 25 to 28s now in my journeys, and that Mini P is a great little bass.
A 28.6" scale acoustic could be pretty nice, too.
I tried to talk Ibanez into that a few years ago. I think they would sell a ton of Mikro Acoustic Basses.
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I find the Mini P just as simple to play as a sub shortie, but with just enough extra string tension to be a huge improvement. Plus normal short scale Chrome flats are usable if one doesn't mind the fat part of the E string on the tuning post.
The pickups are really quite thunderous, especially for the price. I personally would like a slightly wider neck and larger body, but I realize I'm in the minority here and Fender is trying to make a budget Squier bass that will appeal to younger players as well as us old farts who have lusted for the discontinued and ridiculously-expensive-used Fender Precision Junior. Overall I think they knocked it out of the park in that regard.
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Plenty of quirks to work out, quick and dirty pic.
Way too much string tension! It's wearing EB Slinky BEAD, tuned EADG. Not going to work for me.
I'll update when I have things sorted.
As always, I'm open to suggestions!
I'll update when I have things sorted.
As always, I'm open to suggestions!
Well, I used standard strings, tuned to standard EADG- much better in my opinion. I've got 5 springs on the tremolo to keep it in place 
. I did have to trim the bridge a little more.
What sort of pickups might be worth looking into? The little humbuckers in single coil size look interesting.
. I did have to trim the bridge a little more. What sort of pickups might be worth looking into? The little humbuckers in single coil size look interesting.
I would use rails in whatever choice i made. I haven't changed any of mine. I am not a tone snob. I can use pedals if i need to change.
I recently inherited a super short scale 1960s-ish Kingston -- 24.75 inch scale, 6.5 lb. I posted some photos over in this thread. It needs new strings.
I am a total n00b. I have never bought or installed strings before. I've read that it's a bad idea to buy long scale strings and cut them down, but I don't know why. Can someone please explain?
Is it okay to use strings that are a little too long, or do they have to be exactly the right length?
The bass is 27.5 inches from ball end to nut. It is 30 inches from ball end to the closest tuner.
Finally, flatwounds. Are they available?
Many thanks.
I am a total n00b. I have never bought or installed strings before. I've read that it's a bad idea to buy long scale strings and cut them down, but I don't know why. Can someone please explain?
Is it okay to use strings that are a little too long, or do they have to be exactly the right length?
The bass is 27.5 inches from ball end to nut. It is 30 inches from ball end to the closest tuner.
Finally, flatwounds. Are they available?
Many thanks.
Look at labella micro bass flat wound strings they may fit. They are for gold tone
You have the possibility the ends will unwind when cutting. on a round wound but I never have any problems. Ghs m7200 or ml7200 would be a good in between if no flats fit
If you decide for rounds (more options, and able to be shortened to length if you choose to unroll your own), here's a recent post of mine, with advice for a 26" scale bass owner:
I new I shouldn't have left my P-Bass out in the rain...
As for flatwounds, these are the strings @tymbrewolf mentioned, the Gold Tone MBLS (Micro Bass La Bella Strings):
MicroBass LaBella Flat Wound Strings | Gold Tone Folk Instruments
They reportedly have a 28" winding length, ball-end to headstock-side taper. Basically, they appear to be exactly what you need.
However, in your shoes (bass in rough shape and unlikely to command high prices on the used market even if restored to perfection) I'd consider moving the trapeze tailpiece as far back as possible: if you can eke out 3 further inches that way, you'd then be able to use regular short-scale strings (32~33" for most manufacturers), and even if you decide you want very heavy gauges to counteract the ultrashort scale, the La Bella Deep Talkin' Bass 760FM-S (same as the MBLS save for length, and less likely to go out of production) or the 0760M-S (a little fatter) would be available.
You could also do the above and drill string-through-body holes under the tailpiece, and in so doing gain a "long-shortie" (Pyramid, DR)/medium-scale string additional option. The Dunlop 5-string medium-scale flatwound sets (DBFS40120 and DBFS45125), minus the G string and tuning the rest up to EADG, would become an interesting alternative.
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Thanks, several good options. The Gold Tone MBLSes look like a good thing to try first.
I've decided this bass will be my "try stuff out because there's not much to lose" instrument, so I may well move the tailpiece later on.
How do you measure winding length? From the center of the ball, include the ball, exclude the ball, other?
I use the Gold Tone/LaBella flatwounds on my 24" scale solid body bass ukes. I just measured a new set I have, all the strings are 28" from the middle of the ball to the silk and 49" full length.
if you decide later to try rounds, newtone strings makes custom length strings. they made a set for my 24.75" scale MB2 that fit perfectly.
Great, thanks!
I read your thread about those, thanks. Newtone is definitely the right choice for rounds, especially if you know exactly what you want.
