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Looking for a new short-scale bass - advice needed!

Bortron

Bortron

Apr 10, 2018
174
436
#1
Hey all. For the first time in a few years, I'm in a band and settled right in, so I'm assessing all of my gear to make sure it's going to fit the bill.

A couple of years ago, I bought a Squier Paranormal '54 Jazz Bass, and I absolutely love it. It's lovely to play, looks gorgeous, but most of all it has such a wide range of tones available, thanks to the split volume/tone knobs for each pick-up, rather than the traditional J controls with two volume knobs but only one tone knob. The possibilities really are endless, and it covers every tone my band needs. We play alternative/indie rock, with songs ranging from slow and melodic to heavy and fast, so I use both pickups in just about every combination of tone and volume at some point.

The only issue I have is that I have small hands. Normally that's fine, but a couple of our songs feature very rapid two-fret hammer-ons and pull-offs, and I'm finding it tough to do with a normal scale length. I took my Hofner 500/1 to a practice the other night, and found those songs so much easier to play. Unfortunately though, the Hofner just doesn't have the tones I need. It's got one great tone (your standard McCartney setting), but it isn't up to the job for this band.

So, I'm considering buying a short-scale bass that has a similar tonal variety to my Paranormal J Bass. I thought the Fender Player Mustang would fit the bill, but I tried one and there were some issues I couldn't get past (white fret markers on the side of the neck that are so hard to see because they're mostly in the maple part? Come on Fender). I'm not a fan of humbuckers at all, so things like the EB-0 and Gretsch Junior Jet aren't gonna be for me, and I'd like two pick-ups. I also tend to lean towards vintage styling, rather than more modern looks. Outside the band, my favourite things to play are Beatles, Smiths, Joy Division, The Jam, that sort of thing. I nearly always play clean, but sometimes use chorus for some Peter Hook-style sounds.

I've narrowed the list down a bit to the following contenders, but unfortunately finding examples of two of them to try out has proven impossible so far:

Ibanez Talman TMB30
Pros: Have been able to try it, had some good tones. Nice satin neck. Very playable. Only around £200.
Cons: Some budget-range finish issues. Single tone control, which was more like an on/off switch than a knob. Not a huge fan of the looks.

Danelectro '58 "Longhorn" or '59 DC Short Scale
Pros: Dual tone and volume controls. Love the retro looks. Supposedly very light. Can get one for under £500. Tones sound nice on demos. Lots of frets, so can get very high up.
Cons: Haven't been able to play one. Have heard they're not the most durable basses. Longhorn bass might make me look like a prat (not difficult, but still). Not sure how adjustable the bridge is so set-up might be tricky?

Hagstrom Viking Bass
Pros: Looks beautiful. Dual tone and volume controls. Split-coil pick-ups means I can choose between neck/neck+bridge/bridge for single coil, and have humbucking options if I ever change my tune on those. Gets good written reviews.
Cons: Cheapest ones go for about £750. Have heard there are QC issues, especially with the neck and the pick-up selector switch. Haven't been able to play one, and English-language demos are hard to find online.

If anyone can offer any advice regarding these three basses, or knows of another option that might suit what I'm looking for without being more expensive than the Hagstrom, then please let me know!
 
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#4
Green Knight said:
Epiphone Embassy?
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The Embassy is a long scale, although some folks say it feels like a shorty. Plus, they have dual humbuckers, IIRC. I just bought a new Epiphone Newport (this is the 30" short scale) and I dig it, although it, too has a mudbucker and a T-Bird-style Humbucker. I've already started modding it. I TOTALLY love the feel of it, though. For me, it's a keeper!
 
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#5
Green Knight said:
Epiphone Embassy?
Click to expand...
I assume you mean the Newport - the Embassy is 34" scale, and I already have one! Not for too long though, selling it is on my to-do list. Nice bass, but again, humbuckers aren't for me.

The Newport is a possibility, and would match my Crestwood Custom nicely, but I'm wary of Epiphone basses even if they're not humbucking pickups. There might've been one in the store I went to today, so I can always try it. Thanks for alerting me to it!
 
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#6
Yup that’s what I meant! Too many basses, too few gigabytes in my brain.

Bortron said:
I assume you mean the Newport - the Embassy is 34" scale, and I already have one! Not for too long though, selling it is on my to-do list. Nice bass, but again, humbuckers aren't for me.

The Newport is a possibility, and would match my Crestwood Custom nicely, but I'm wary of Epiphone basses even if they're not humbucking pickups. There might've been one in the store I went to today, so I can always try it. Thanks for alerting me to it!
Click to expand...
 
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#9
I like the looks and sound of the 59 short-scale shorthorn for sure, but seems like it's still regular bass size, they just moved the bridge further up and moved the frets closer together. So the Longhorn might be the better option of the two, even though it doesn't come in the sparkly black finish.
 
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#10
The Fender Player Mustang's with P/J pickups I've tried have all been very, very good.

If you like the Hagström style I suggest you check out the Swede bass too. Broadly similar to the Viking, but in a more convenient, non-hollow body format.

The Dano's are good, with a nice growly tone with roundwounds. Very far from your Jazz Bass, though. Necks are typically fairly chunky, not wide but deep.
 
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#11
Mustangs are all over the place. If you get a good one or mod a not so good one you can be okay.

I have several shorties and I keep coming back to the site U5. The pickups are on the bright side but the tone knob takes care of that. Worth a try if you can find one. Makes my fender am mustang look silly when the U5 is 1/3 the cost.

I also really like the paranormal rascal bass, but that has huge heavy humbuckers and has its own vibe.

if picking from your list I’d avoid the Ibanez. Had one very uncomfortable to play, but sounded good. Either the dan or the hag would be fun to try.
 
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#12
Bortron said:
I like the looks and sound of the 59 short-scale shorthorn for sure, but seems like it's still regular bass size, they just moved the bridge further up and moved the frets closer together. So the Longhorn might be the better option of the two, even though it doesn't come in the sparkly black finish.
Click to expand...

My 59 short scale is the same size as all my other ss basses. It’s definitely smaller than my 34” scale basses.
 
#14
I've tried many a short scale. In the end I only kept the one and its a Fender American Mustang and I still wouldn't recommend it. I'd take a serious look at the medium scale (fender or squire) - (jazz or precision). I put Lolar pups in my (CIJ) P-bass and that thing is outstanding. The big diff being the size. A short scale can be too short - a medium scale has a lot of the same features but a comprimise (mama bear size). The big points to me are the frets aren't as close together. The balance feels better. I feel cramped up on a SS. But when you see them side by side you can see the difference. L is a 34" CIJ Geddy / Middle is a Medium J / R is my Mustang
IMG_0790.JPG
 
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#15
Maybe a bit out of your budget but you could assemble a short scale J-bass from Warmoth parts, get a 3 hole control plate and wire it for concentric pots. That's probably as close are you can get to your Paranormal J in a short scale format, if that's what you want.

Then there's the Squier CV Jaguar bass. It's 32" medium scale and PJ rather than J but at least it has concentric pots, which you seem to like.
 
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#17
ravelax said:
The Fender Player Mustang's with P/J pickups I've tried have all been very, very good.

If you like the Hagström style I suggest you check out the Swede bass too. Broadly similar to the Viking, but in a more convenient, non-hollow body format.

The Dano's are good, with a nice growly tone with roundwounds. Very far from your Jazz Bass, though. Necks are typically fairly chunky, not wide but deep.
Click to expand...
The Player Mustang I tried was good in terms of sound and feel, but having a toggle switch with no option to blend put me off, as did the side dot markers being really hard to see. If they were white and in the pau ferro, then fine, but they were almost more in the maple backing. In a dark venue I could see that being a real pain for me.

The Swede bass looks good, although again it is pricey! If the Danelectros are pretty far in tone from the Jazz then they might not be for me, I guess.
 
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#19
regarding two basses you've written off: it's easy enough to color position markers on the side of the neck. unless there was something else about the mustang you didn't like, I can totally recommend them. I love the neck on mine. as for the junior jet, those are not humbuckers. well worth a try. easy to play and they sound great.
 
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