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Love my UBass; amplified it dang-near nails upright tone. Which make me want a fretless one.
I've been playing my Gold Tone fretless solidbody uke basses exclusively for the last three years. While they certainly have their idiosyncrasies (particularly with the strings) they are a total blast to play. I am currently having a custom semi hollow being built.
I played the TinyBoy basses at NAMM a couple of years ago and was so impressed I have been trying to buy a couple ever since. I am really happy they are becoming available. They are really the best sub-short-scale I have tried and are absolutely worth the money.
One sticking point was where to find the super-short strings. You can't jsut cut longer strings because the tension will not be correct and I hate rubber bass strings feel and sound. Now that LaBella is making the sub-short-scale strings for Gold Tone in rounds and flats, the string problem is solved.
One sticking point was where to find the super-short strings. You can't jsut cut longer strings because the tension will not be correct and I hate rubber bass strings feel and sound. Now that LaBella is making the sub-short-scale strings for Gold Tone in rounds and flats, the string problem is solved.
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That's who I thought of as well. I have a G5 from him, it's the best bass I've owned by miles. Might order a Miezo or X3M if I ever end up traveling again.
I made a couple of 25,5" basses a few years ago to give away as presents. For strings I used the lower four of a five string set. The only drawback is that the E and A strings have to be unwound to fit into the tuners. To prevent the outer coil unwrapping the string needs to be clamped tightly before unwinding.
Since we are posting pictures i'll jump on the bandwagon.
Since we are posting pictures i'll jump on the bandwagon.
I’ve owned several shorty’s just because I thought they were cool, but I’ve never kept them for long... just customized them and sold them.omg - kohanmike's bass room made me feel like i had gone to short scale heaven - it was amazing!!! and he customizes many of them so they're literally one-of-a-kind basses.
i can't stand and play any bass over 5 pounds due to shoulder injuries, and we have a number of players here with neck and back problems that find these smaller basses are generally under 5 pounds, which allows us to play where we otherwise couldn't. they're also good for those with arthritis or tendonitis in the elbows, wrists or hands because a smaller bass means less stretching of all those areas.
and yes, they make awesome travel and couch basses
i play my 24.75" scale bass in standard tuning with standard strings. you can always up the gauges of the strings if you want them to be less floppy.
So thank you for this explanation, as I was wondering “why” so many folks were into them
and this makes total sense. I’m glad these little guys allow injured players to keep playing, very cool!Agree with you that his collection is insane and really cool, I love the creativity and that every one is different and unique, super cool.
Unwinding strings is a lot easier than most people think. It's tedious, but not difficult.
I unwound the 084 from a D'Addario BassVI set to make it fit a 19.5" scale:
I used tape to make the string easier to hold.
I have since put a heatshrink "silk" on it.
24" sub scale....Goldtone flats...heaven!
My #1 reason for playing a mini bass is to get the tone that is close to an upright bass. The poly / rubber strings, which can’t be used on anything much longer than a 25” scale, were designed for short scale / mini basses and those are the main ingredient for getting the near upright tone. They are also one of the few string types that make it possible to play in a tuning common to 34” or longer scale length basses on a 20” to 25” scale length bass.
I also like the ease of playing a short scale as well as the weight and portability, but tone is #1.
Somebody reply and tell me why I'm stupid. But why not just get a uke or better, a guitar? Anybody?
Why does liking or not liking a thing have to be linked to smart or stupid?
Fair question. I have liked the Falcons probably since before you were born. Is that smart?
Are you asking why not get a uke or better guitar in place of a short scale bass? There’s a couple simple answers to that, *if* that is the question.
Yes. In a nutshell. Is it portability, different tone, easier reach? I'm asking. I don't know.
But I do have a uke and some guitars. Not knocking it, I'm asking what it is.
Because I wanna play bass, with a upright sound (Kelo short scale with condom strings, for yo).
For me it’s tone in an easy to play & transport format. I play in a semi-bluegrass band (bluegrass instrumentation and style, but not a lot of traditional bluegrass songs) & in a classic rock band.
In bluegrass, we don’t play as many gigs, but we have many more jams (festivals). Playing my upright for several hours is physically difficult. I can play my Pahoehoe strung 23” scale GT micro bass for five hours with ease and I get the approximate tone of my upright, which fits a lot better with the acoustic instruments than any of my long scale electrics. When we have a gig and we want to play purely acoustic, I play my 1952 Kay M-1, 41” scale.
A standard ukulele or guitar can’t be tuned as low as the micro bass and neither would sound much like an upright if they could achieve the same pitch.
In the classic rock band, it’s all electric solidbody bass all the time; 34” or 35” scale, and occasionally my electric upright bass, 41” scale, but only on a few select songs.
As for steel string mini basses, 30” scale is as short as I go (Fender Mustang & Epiphone EB0). Any shorter with steel strings sometimes requires different tuning or unusual gauge strings, or a big change in playing style if you want to stay at common 34” scale bass tuning.
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I’m getting a Miezo because i want something to futz with on the couch or on the bus that feels and sounds like a bass (even if it’s an octave up).
I’m known for jamming tunes on the bus or van, and this looks like a great alternative to hiding my main bass in a closet somewhere, taking up room.
The North American distributor's email address is in California. The address appears to be an apartment complex... Considering shooting them a note. Anyone else contacted them?
