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Short scale acoustic bass guitar. First post - please be kind!

C

Cieran

Aug 24, 2009
96
1
UK
#1
Hello beautiful people of the Talk Bass forums.

I am relatively new to the world of bass guitars and am curious about short-scale acoustic models.

I have had no problem finding information regarding short-scale electric models, but have had more difficulty when it comes to acoustic.

Ideally I am after something around the 30" mark. Any information would be greatly appeciated.

Thanks,
Cieran
 
#3
I had an Applause AE-40 (there are both short AND long with that model number) short scale (30"). I enjoyed it immensly, and it sounded pretty good. I sold it cause I never used it (all my other basses are shorties as well), but it may do what you want.
 
#8
I have the Alvarez MSB1 and it's very nice and easy to play. One thing I dislike is the tuners. They are guitar-style tuners not proper bass tuners, so stinging the bass is a challenge. Still, if you can get over that or are willing to replace them, it's very nice. Rondomusic.com used to have a similar short acoustic bass, but I don't know it they still do. It had proper bass tuners as stock.
 
#9
Thanks for all the replies guys. I especially liked the ukulele bass although I think it is probably a tad smaller than what i was after :P

So far I have been most impressed with the Alvarez MSB1 as it is most similar to what I had in mind. Only problem is I am based in the UK and cannot seem to find any for sale over here at all. Seen a couple on US-ebay but one has a repaired crack on it and the other is only for pickup in New Jersey!

Will just have to leep looking for other short-scale alternatives or might be able to track down an Alvarez in the future.

Cheers once again
 
#10
Just bumping this thread up, in case there are updates. I think this might be the only thread on short-scale ABG's.

Does anyone know of any 30" scale ABGs currently on the market?

The Alvarez MSB1 looks really good, but is discontinued. The Fender BG29 looks great too, but is also discontinued. I played a BG31 yesterday and liked it, though I would prefer 30".

Now I wish I hadn't sold my Applause AE-40 about ten years ago. I hated the round back, though.

Many thanks for any input y'all can provide.

Michael Y.
 
#14
>"I've got an Alvarez. It's great for noodling around those times when you have a few minutes."<

That's exactly my purpose here. To have something on a stand, quick to pick up 'n play without fiddling with an amp, cable, etc. Short scale would be more comfortable than long scale when seated at my desk and writing scores.
 
#15
analog_freak said:
>That's exactly my purpose here. To have something on a stand, quick to pick up 'n play without fiddling with an amp, cable, etc. Short scale would be more comfortable than long scale when seated at my desk and writing scores.
Click to expand...

Seems like the uke bass someone else mentioned would fit the bill perfectly. That being said, I use my Tacoma Thunderchief in this fashion. Long neck though.
 
#16
I, too, currently use the Tacoma Thunderchief when I compose, and find it too long, and the body is a bit too big to be comfortable for this purpose. I fear the Uke bass with its proprietary strings would have more of a boomy or muddy sound, and wouldn't be crisp enough for composition. Also, I'm slowly transitioning over to 30" as my standard (Landing, Mouse, Kydd, Mustang) and would like to get ABG in on the act.

I use the bass guitar as my piano for writing scores, strange as that may sound. Almost had a heart attack today when I googled "Fender BG29" and a music store in Wisconsin showed it as "in stock" on their web site. Well, you know the rest. . .

The fact that there's no 30" ABG on the market makes me wonder if those of us interested in such a thing are an oddity?

Cheers,
Michael
 
#17
I too am having a very difficult time finding an acoustic electric short scale bass.
I am average size, not being personal, and I love the speed I can pull off with the 30"
I would love to have an ovation 30" like CC 74 or the AE 40 short, with the cutaway.
Any leads would be appreciated, brothers!!
Robert
 
#18
Update: a luthier friend of mine is doing a "guitar conversion" for me. I bought a Yamaha APX 500 guitar with a cracked neck for $99 at GC. My luthier buddy removed the neck and built a new one (walnut with rosewood fingerboard--unlined fretless) to bring it to 29.75" scale. It's basically done except for the finish on the neck. I strung it with D'Addario EXL220's and it plays like a dream. I'll post a photo soon.
 

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