Short scale bass 30 or 32

[MrClassicMetal]

These are hard to come by, even in Japan -
last time I was there, back in January, I tried to check one out.

A guy working at one of the famous shops told me they haven't been made in a while, are popular, and there's a premium on them, He found me a used one locally on the internet, but I didn't have time for taking it any further.

I'll be back in a few weeks and will be looking for them again.

There's 2 versions;

- The Fender Junior Collection Jazz Bass which is still produced today and sold only in Japan: https://www.talkbass.com/threads/fender-japan-jb62ss-smart-size.1186333/

- The Fender Smart Size Jazz Bass (JB62ss), essentially a 62 reissue J bass. The body is about 85% the size of a full size bass. It was produced till 2014 I think: https://www.talkbass.com/threads/fender-japan-jb62ss-smart-size.1186333/

Edit: On thinking on this, I realize these are different things -

I was looking for MIJ Medium scale basses, not MIJ Short scale basses.

I'm not against considering them in 30', and have been wanting a (US, Mexico) Mustang, and if money were no object, a Guild Starfire II,

but thought to consider a quiver of MIJ 32's if they were easy enough to come by, especially with the current USD-JPY exchange rate.

The medium scale is the JB62M, and it's readily available on eBay:

Jb62m for sale | eBay

Get the best deals for Jb62m at eBay.com. We have a great online selection at the lowest prices with Fast & Free shipping on many items!

www.ebay.com

 

[Btbp]

There's 2 versions;

- The Fender Junior Collection Jazz Bass which is still produced today and sold only in Japan: https://www.talkbass.com/threads/fender-japan-jb62ss-smart-size.1186333/

- The Fender Smart Size Jazz Bass (JB62ss), essentially a 62 reissue J bass. The body is about 85% the size of a full size bass. It was produced till 2014 I think: https://www.talkbass.com/threads/fender-japan-jb62ss-smart-size.1186333/



The medium scale is the JB62M, and it's readily available on eBay:

Jb62m for sale | eBay

Get the best deals for Jb62m at eBay.com. We have a great online selection at the lowest prices with Fast & Free shipping on many items!

www.ebay.com

I'm hoping to find some in a store somewhere while I'm back there in a few weeks.

I just wasn't interested in M scales when lived there.

Funny as when I go to the Dallas guitar shows I always see the same Japanese traders buying up vintage American gear, and here's me trying to do the opposite.

 

[nnnnnn]

???????
I’m not sure I agree with this either. I build basses and every 32” or 30” scale neck is shorter than full scale, and when asssembled the headstock on a 32” or 30” scale bass isn’t as much of a reach as full scale.

I said some short scale basses, not all, and explained why.

Obviously if all else is (approximately) equal a shorter neck will have a shorter reach to the headstock. But there are tons of models where all else is nowhere near equal.

 

[nnnnnn]

If the bridge were in the normal position on the Rascal, it would be a 34" scale.

Unless they made the neck shorter too.

 

[MrClassicMetal]

I'm hoping to find some in a store somewhere while I'm back there in a few weeks.

I just wasn't interested in M scales when lived there.

Funny as when I go to the Dallas guitar shows I always see the same Japanese traders buying up vintage American gear, and here's me trying to do the opposite.

Fender Japan also produced a medium scale P bass in the 80s:

Fender 1984-87 MIJ Precision P-Bass 32 inch Medium Scale 80s Japan White 66264

Description This is a 1984-87 E series Fender Precision Bass, made in Japan in white. The finish is yellowing to a creme color with time. Also, it has many marks and is definitely a natural relic at this point. All original except for some EMG pickups and black knobs. It sounds amazing and plays...

www.stillkickinmusic.com

 

[Btbp]

Fender Japan also produced a medium scale P bass in the 80s:

Fender 1984-87 MIJ Precision P-Bass 32 inch Medium Scale 80s Japan White 66264

Description This is a 1984-87 E series Fender Precision Bass, made in Japan in white. The finish is yellowing to a creme color with time. Also, it has many marks and is definitely a natural relic at this point. All original except for some EMG pickups and black knobs. It sounds amazing and plays...

www.stillkickinmusic.com

I believe that is the same series which may have been re-released in the early 2000s that I started looking for a couple years ago.

I remember seeing them new hanging on the walls there just a few years before that on a some visits. But I don't have a good sense of time for the past, it could have been more than 3-5 years.

To his point "These are VERY hard to find."

 

[MrLenny1]

32" is what I had for a while. It was ok but string tension was
did not cut it for rock gigs.

 

[jd56hawk]

If you were to get a short scale bass, do you prefer the “30 scale or the “32 scale? What’s the difference? I’ve never had one and, they seem to be very popular and they look really cool. What’s the pros and cons?

You might want to consider strings for short vs medium if you plan on replacing the factory ones.