Budget short scale for Motown?

I would think the Squier Jag SS would be worth a try.

 

You need a P with flats to nail the Motown sound and any amp can dial in the sound. There is a Bob Babbit post on nailing the motown sound on his website and that is basically what he says.

The only short scale P's I can think of are budget stuff, I learned on a short scale Regal P. It was some cheap Korean made bass and I have never seen the brand again.

 

Squier Mustang or Musicmaster bass will fit the bill. Load it with TI's and put some foam under the strings. Bonus she can probably find it in a girly color if she's into that.

https://www.fender.com/squier/serie...ustang-bass-maple-fingerboard-3-tone-sunburst

 

Maybe Squier Mustang Bass + flats will do the job...
30" Scale bass with P Pickups.

 

+ 1

These are nice basses for the money.

 

I have plenty of 35"-, 34"-, and 30"-scale basses, but for the last 6 months I've been using my 28"-scale 5-string Ibanez Mikro almost exclusively for gigging. The quality is amazing for the price.
The only quirk with the bass is that it has two Jazz-like pickups and two volume controls, so the volume controls have to be at the same setting to work as humbuckers.
Short-scale flats on a 4-string Mikro should get her going.

 

I'd go for the Squier VM Mustang, I've got one and with the tone rolled off the pickup height finetuned, can get a real deep sound that'd work well enough for Motown.

 

Epi ebo

 

This. Or an Epiphone Allen Woody. Look for used.

 

There is a short scale squire jag with a PJ configuration. I would go with that. It is a P after all.

The other thing I would try to find an Ibanez Artcore bass. They made a solid body version for a while called the ARTB100. It looks kind of like a Les Paul. Is Short scale. And sounds awesome with flats. I had one for a long time and loved using it for that thumpy kind of sound.

 

Currently, no short-scale that I am aware of can provide the correct sonic properties for Motown.

You may be able to wing it with an EB-series.

 

Danelectro w/ LaBella flats. EZ to play, light, cheep and it thumps very nicely. Longhorn, single cut, whatever.

PS- a piece of foam rubber under the strings back by the bridge for a mute will help any of the above sound more like it.

 

I recommend a Squire Jag shortscale. Just roll off the J pup, set the tone pot to half (if desired) and put on some GHS Precision flatwounds (cheap-ish but good).

That should get it close.

$150 or less brand new.

 

Then let me inform you that most short-scale P's are limited to midrange output. Powerful humbuckers are what you seek!

 

I have a Jag SS fitted with Chromes. The Motown sound is completely out of its reach!

 

Cause the Chromes are too zingy(?). Dial off the J pup and put some old flatwounds (not chromes) on there and I think you'll be close.