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Short Scale Bass Player

J

jakusx

Nov 11, 2007
145
4
48
Fort Lauderdale
#1
I just started playing with a short scale recently, I've had an Ibanez Mikro for about a month now and love it, even with all the guff I take for playing a shorty out.

Anyways, I was wondering if anyone could name some big songs with short scale bass - aside from Beatles stuff. And some big players.

I know Claypool recorded some stuff with a shortscale, and I've seen the guy from The Postmarks playing a Mustang live.

Who else?
 
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#5
Cream-era Jack Bruce - Fender IV, Gibson EB-(0 or 3), Danelectro Longhorn
Les Claypool - his main bass is 32" scale. Medium scale, but close enough.
Mike Watt's main basses right now are short scale EB-3s - as for "big songs" - most of Watt's better known pre-Stooges stuff was before the switch to the short scale.
 
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#9
I totally blanked on Stanley Clarke - that's the one I was trying to remember.

Actually - I first learned about Spampinato from a previous Short Scale play question thread. Good stuff.
 
#11
jack casady (god) - any jefferson airplane stuff from 1968-1970
JackCasady69.jpg

phil lesh - a lot of the early grateful dead stuff... probably well into the 70s
untitled.gif
 
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#12
Sorefinger said:
Tina Weymouth (Talking Heads) played a Mustang IIRC.
Click to expand...

You're right. I'm not for sure what she recorded with, but all the pictures I've seen have her playing a Mustang.

I don't know individual tracks, but Justin Meldal Johnson uses some vintage semi-hollow basses (I think they are short scale) on alot of the stuff he does.
 
#13
Mark Sandman (2 string slide short)
Peter Hook (Gibson EB-O and a 6 string short)
Aston "Family Man" Barrett (Hofner Beatle-style)
Robbie Shakespeare (Hofner Beatle-style)
Felix Pappalardi (Gibson EB)

The Mikro looks really fun and sophisticated for a mainstream production short scale! What are you playing it through?
 
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#15
honestjohnny said:
The Mikro looks really fun and sophisticated for a mainstream production short scale! What are you playing it through?
Click to expand...

I've got a 30W Crate I noodle with in my room, but in my studio I've got a GK 4X10. In my office I have a Line 6 30W Spider Guitar amp that I keep at super low volumes to just play with to break up the workday.

I played out with the 4X10 and kept the back fairly low and threw the mids way up and kind of dialed off the J-bass pickup to 3/4 and kept that weird EQ boost knob at about 1/4 and it is punchy as hell.

I was worried about high volumes, but even with it kranked all the way, or through a house PA, it sounds nice if you play it right.
 
#18
Hi jakusx,

forgive me for stealing your thread for a second, I'm just curious about short scale basses and may consider buying one in the future. Is there any kind of tonal difference between a standard and short scale bass, or more specifically, is there any low end loss on the shorty's?

Also, can you name a few currently manufactured short scale basses so I can check em out.

Thanks
 
#19
burno70 said:
Hi jakusx,

forgive me for stealing your thread for a second, I'm just curious about short scale basses and may consider buying one in the future. Is there any kind of tonal difference between a standard and short scale bass, or more specifically, is there any low end loss on the shorty's?
Click to expand...

Hi Burno, lots of short scales (like the EB-0's) have a huge humbucking pickup near the neck. This more than compensates for any possible low end loss. My Epiphone EB-0 is thunderous. Unplugged, it is on the bright side, but not through an amp.
 

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