I have an 81 tsb400. Amazing instrument. Great quality, phenomenal pups and tone. Great feeling baseball bat neck.
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I have an 81 tsb400. Amazing instrument. Great quality, phenomenal pups and tone. Great feeling baseball bat neck.
I have an '81 Pro II TSB 550 (32" scale, the one pictured) and an '81 Aria Pro II SB-R80 (34" scale). IMHO these Aria/Matsumoku's from the early 80's are absolutely phenomenal instruments. Superb quality craftsmanship and great sound.
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Hi
I'm 73 and have been playing my Warwick short scale rock bass for the pass 10 years.I think it's great.I did replace the pickups with EMG active pickups.I also have flatwounds on It.At my age my left hand only has three usable fingers,Thumb and two fingers,and my reach is poor.I play almost every week with my four piece band.Without the Warwick ,I guess I would have given up.I really don't have a problem playing,as long as I make some adjustments and changes to my playing methods.Most often my bass parts are not exactly what's written but usually I'm the only one that notices.I don't think you could go wrong with the Warwick Short Scale.The pickups could be better,but that can be corrected.The one I have was made in China.It does have quality parts,and workman ship.E-bay has had a few for sale.Don't give it ,there's always a way!
Dave A
I'm 73 and have been playing my Warwick short scale rock bass for the pass 10 years.I think it's great.I did replace the pickups with EMG active pickups.I also have flatwounds on It.At my age my left hand only has three usable fingers,Thumb and two fingers,and my reach is poor.I play almost every week with my four piece band.Without the Warwick ,I guess I would have given up.I really don't have a problem playing,as long as I make some adjustments and changes to my playing methods.Most often my bass parts are not exactly what's written but usually I'm the only one that notices.I don't think you could go wrong with the Warwick Short Scale.The pickups could be better,but that can be corrected.The one I have was made in China.It does have quality parts,and workman ship.E-bay has had a few for sale.Don't give it ,there's always a way!
Dave A
carvin makes the vader as a short 30"scale bass for no extra charge and it being headless makes it nice, light, balanced and compact 
Since no one has mentioned the Gibson SG yet I'll throw it out there. Mine are light, well balanced, super fast short neck basses that put out amazing sounds (not at all like your fathers mudbucker from the '60s). Used and in mint condition they run between $500 and $1000 and they scream rock.
Here's mine...
Here's mine...
Thanks to all for the replies. I'm checking out a Warwick tomorrow, and will see if my local Sam Ash has a Starfire RI around to check out. A builder has offered a good deal on a 32" bass too, so I have a few options.
The sound has to work in my Western Swing/Honkytonk band. I'll post more when I have more info.
The sound has to work in my Western Swing/Honkytonk band. I'll post more when I have more info.
The three lightest and easiest shortscale players in my quiver are an aria cardinal from the 80s (32"), 70s univox hi flyers (30.5"), and my daily driver: modified 2010 faded Gibson sg bass (30.5"). That thing is surprisingly light, great for 3 hour jams, and the neck is a joy. mine sounds fat as heck, too.
An honest to goodness Mosrite would fit the scale length bill very nicely and has uber swag. They really aren't that expensive used.
A Univox or Aria Hi-Flyer would give you most of the look and most of the swag for considerably less.
One of the basses I use is a 32" scale and the thing is a blast to play.
Best-
Kahuna
A Univox or Aria Hi-Flyer would give you most of the look and most of the swag for considerably less.
One of the basses I use is a 32" scale and the thing is a blast to play.
Best-
Kahuna
If you are looking for another semi-hollow but a short scale, I would check these out for sure.
Classic 4 Bass - Honeyburst
I have primarily switched over to medium- and short-scale basses due to damaged nerves in my left arm which limit the movement of the fingers in that hand. Currently I've been spending most of my playing time on an old EB-3, an LTD LB5 Jr, and a Gold Tone solid body Micro Bass. The Micro Bass is absolutely amazing! 23" scale, rubber strings, and a tone somewhat reminiscent of an upright but it gets some nice grit with a SansAmp (enough that I use it live with a heavy alternative band).
If you're an Ibanez fan, the Mikro is kind of cool. I keep meaning to pick one up, but something else usually catches my eye and blows the music budget.
There are a lot of good options out there, you may want to spend some time checking out and playing as many alternatives as possible, you may be pleasantly surprised by the playability and sound of some of the less expensive instruments.
If you're an Ibanez fan, the Mikro is kind of cool. I keep meaning to pick one up, but something else usually catches my eye and blows the music budget.
There are a lot of good options out there, you may want to spend some time checking out and playing as many alternatives as possible, you may be pleasantly surprised by the playability and sound of some of the less expensive instruments.
i have a Rob Allen mouse 30 and cant say enough good things about it. Gets more play time than anything else I own for sure. However I recently bought an Ibanez mikro bass. Great bass for the money and might be a way to test the water without a lot of coin. 27inch scale, paid less than 200.00 for it brand new.
I really liked the Warwick Starbass 32" I tried out, *but* its strap mounting point yielded about the same reach as any 34" bass, maybe even farther (can't remember exactly) and its weight is comparable to most solidbodies. Still, very nice bass!
I wish there was a 32" alternative/version of the cheap and good bass like, say, the Squier VM series.
I have 2-32"scale basses..... Alembic Persuader and a custom Dave Pushic. Both awesome and much more comfortable than any 34"scale bass I've ever played.
carvin makes the vader as a short 30"scale bass for no extra charge and it being headless makes it nice, light, balanced and compact
Problem with the vader is the strap button only comes to about the 15-16th fret, shoving the neck right out again. The problem for these folks with shoulder issues is that they need a shorter reach. If the Vader's strap button was at the 12th fret, it would be the best bass for people with shoulder problems made.
A newish Gibson SG would fit the bill. An old EB-3 or EB-0 weighs a ton. Another bass that might work for you is a Fender Mustang. I have had rotator cuff surgery and feel your pain. I often gig with my Gibby EB-3, Fender Mustang or Fender Musicmaster.
Another vote for the Lakland HOBO 30 here - it is all I play out with now.
One consideration regarding Medium Scale - There are not too many strings made in this scale - check first to see if the strings you like are available in 32". None of mine are. This is why I sold off my Mustang basses - they are string-through and require Medium scale strings. You can sometimes cut down long scale rounds to fit, but the tension is not correct. You can't do that with flats at all.
One consideration regarding Medium Scale - There are not too many strings made in this scale - check first to see if the strings you like are available in 32". None of mine are. This is why I sold off my Mustang basses - they are string-through and require Medium scale strings. You can sometimes cut down long scale rounds to fit, but the tension is not correct. You can't do that with flats at all.
I use Fender 9050 long scale flats cut down on my Aria Pro II TSB-550 32" scale bass, no problem at all.
