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Help me make my Short scale sound bigger....

#23
Jazzdogg said:
My short-scale baldwin is strung with TI flats, and it sounds huge with no shortage of deep bass. In general I find that the D and G strings on short-scale basses sound thicker than 34" or 35" scale-length basses.
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TI "shorts" are for 32" scale and are too long for the SS Jag. They work really well on Mustangs, though (30" scale, strung-through body).
 
#24
New Chromes have quite a bit of zing out of the box so make sure you play them alot before casting final judgement. I use GHS precision flats on SS Jag and they work very nicely. Not expensive either. Also, definitely don't use the J pup if you need deeper tone.

My vote for P pup upgrade, if you end up wanting to do that, is the DiMarzio Model P.
 
#26
Start with changing up your strings.

My kick-around short scale is a vintage (snicker) Montgomery Ward something or 'nuther I swiped for a few bucks from a pawn shop awhile back, 30" scale and what I can only assume are the cheapest of the cheap P knockoffs available in the early '80s.

GrimmBass1-2.jpg


I put Thomastik-Infeld's shortscale Jazz roundwounds on it.

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It sounds surprisingly huge in real life, and actually records pretty well (IMO).

Here's a familiar riff to give an example. (Signal chain: My bass > 1973 Peavey F800B > 1970-something Peavey single 15" cab > MXL 990 Condensor mic > Audio Buddy > Laptop.)

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Good luck, you're Jaguar is a killer bass, hope you find the sound in it that you are looking for. :bassist:
 
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#27
Try different strings first. Your call if you feel like investing in better electronics is worth it. Other companies make short scale basses that sound pretty good. See if you can find an incubus concert video on YouTube with their bassist using his short scale Lakland. I'm pretty sure he said in a gear tour video that that bass is completely stock.

If it was me I'd keep the 30 to use as a piccolo or tenor bass and buy a standard scale that "feels" short. A lot of 34" basses feel like they are different scale lengths because of the way the bass natural hangs. For example my warwick thumb felt a lot longer than the bongo5 I had. I literally took the bongo up to my local shop and asked then is it was a short scale bass. I knew it wasn't 30 but it felt smaller than 34
 
#29
dtray187 said:
Thanks everyone! I just ordered a set of flatwound chromes!

If this doesn't get me there , how do you think the Gretsch G2220 fairs with flats? Everyone says its just a bigger sounding guitar..... or replace the pick ups as suggested earlier?

I'm only asking since so stores carry them here and they go off sale in a few days ....
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I have a Gretsch 2202 (the earlier model) with a set of Chromes on it and I think it sounds great. It has a lot of low end due to the humbucker and pickup placement. I use a Bass Big Muff with it for Mudhoney and Nirvana covers and it has a lot of balls to it.

You can buy a Gretsch Junior Jet on eBay for under $200.
 
#30
Well, I am a guitarist, producer. So I dont use an amp actually I just go line in into my daw through my interface and use bass amp models from several plug ins.

I never play live or anything, so my main concern is getting a great studio sound. Right now the Jaguar sounds a little loose and further away than I want. I need it tight and deep but still have a nice top end when I produce rock, vs the pop sound that needs to be deeper and really push and sound close.

Those are my goals.

Thanks for all the help, Im still learning about bass
 

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