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25" scale micro basses anyone?
- Thread starter Avezzano
- Start date
OMG she's a giant! Run!
Ah, ah! Under those pics, at Warwick they actually say that the bass is not really functioning, it's just for display. BTW, rumours are that she said to the husband: "today it's friday; please go get some bass, my dear..."
Hummergeist
Commercial User
- Jul 21, 2020
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- Tutorials, reviews, and interviews for Future Publishing.
Antique store find-- '60's Kent 25". Fortunately the neck is good and a little repositioning of the bridge gives decent intonation for being just a single bar bridge. I'd like to replace the pickup (it's microphonic), but I can't find anything that is the same size.
Good find!
I would replace the pickguard and have it routed for a standard P pickup. Bridge maybe made by wood and somehow finetuned... If you want to invest some money and time, obviously...
Just dropping in to say that I love my Pyramid flats on my short scale P-bass!Now this is an interesting and informed conversation.
From entry #25 on the thread
"Length and Tension relationship with the Scale."
This entry is by JRMK: "All those insights are valuable but I think the answer for OP problems is hidden in plain sight.
OP uses TIJFs which are the floppiest, softest wet noodle strings you might get
Answer by S.F.Sorrow:
This problem sadly isn't unique to TIJFs. Lots of short scale sets from many manufacturers are RUBBISH. In fact, I would say most short scale sets from most manufacturers are rubbish. Typically far too low tension, far too floppy and also extremely unbalanced.
One notable exception is Pyramid Gold flatwounds. Unlike most short scale strings these were actually designed for a short scale bass (specifically Höfner). The Golds are perfectly balanced for short scale. Sadly their long scale sets are not nearly as good, very unbalanced and a completely "dead" E-string. This illustrates the importance of designing a set of strings that works with a specific scale. Most short scale strings don't seem to be designed specifically for short scale. They just feel like long scale strings made shorter and range from poor to utterly useless (with Rotosound's abysmal short scale sets at the bottom of the pile in the latter category).
At least we have the wonderful Pyramid Gold flats.
As for roundwound strings I like GHS Balanced Nickels. Ideally I would want them SLIGHTLY stiffer but that's just a matter of personal taste and I think this is more about the round core than about the actual tension.
I also like TIJRs (yes Jazz ROUNDS). With these strings TI didn't just use the same gauges as the long scale set. The result is a set that feels much tighter than the TIJFs (flats) on a short scale bass, although the TIJRs are even floppier than TIJFs on a long scale bass. The TIJRs are perhaps the only short scale roundwounds where I feel they've actually tweaked them to perfection for short scale. On paper the gauges looks WAY too light but they feel surprisingly "tight" and has an amazing tone. These are made for "short scale with tailpiece" though so the actual winding length is more like most manufacturer's medium scale strings.
So that's three short scale sets I like:
-Pyramid Golds
-GHS Balanced Nickels
-Thomastik Jazz Rounds
Then there are a couple of manufacturers who at least offer short scale gauges with decent gauges/tension, like Ernie Ball and Dunlop. The problem is, they usually end up feeling too stiff/lifeless at gauges that offer enough tension to avoid fret buzz. I suspect they're not really designed for short scale but just long scale strings cut shorter.
With short scale strings there seems to be a VERY narrow window between "too stiff/lifeless/weird overtones in higher frets" and "floppy/fret buzz". The three sets I've listed above are the only three I personally find to be in this Goldilocks zone.
I wish more manufacturers would take short scale strings more seriously. It can be done, as demonstrated by Pyramid, GHS and Thomastik (although all these three manufacturers unfortuntately also offer some rather poor short scale sets...).
