Short Scale Bass WIth The Least Neck-Dive

[Lamphun_Lamyai]

I bought an Ibanez Short Scale bass sight-unseen as I literally could not find a music shop in Chiang Mai Thailand that carried any short scale basses to try out. Unfortunately it has terrible neck-dive and makes playing standing up a real uncomfortable chore. On top of that I can't find a reasonable priced 4 inch strap here in Thailand either.

Considering that I'm playing bass a lot (I played guitar for two years in a half-assed manner, but when I picked up a bass I simply "Switched On") I'm considering an upgrade to a better short-scale bass with little, or preferably, no neck dive as well as a quality build and good sound. I'm eyeing Sterling by Musicman Stingray Short Scale bass but I'm also open for suggestions. Any bass I buy in Thailand will cost me 30% more than the same guitar in the US due to tariffs, so I want to try to keep the cost around $1000 USD. And as well, no music store will stock it so I will also have to buy this sight-unseen. It sucks not being able to "try before I buy" but it is what it is. I gotta rely on suggestions. Thanks!

 

[John Stephen]

I am sorry I don't have any personal experience that will help. But I have seen reviews of the model you're considering -- the Sterling by Musicman Stingray short-scale -- where the reviewers say it doesn't have any neck dive at all, or hardly any. I am curious, which Ibanez short-scale bass did you buy?

 

[evs]

I've got an Ibanez EHB1000S which is headless.
No neck dive.

 

[ghostdog93]

Both of my Squier Mustangs (one older VM and one newer CV) balanced pretty well on a standard width guitar strap. The CV was lighter than the VM by 12 oz, and had a little more neck dive, but it wasn't awful. I've played the Fender P/J Mustang and it felt pretty good, but that was just in the store.

I borrowed a Gretsch Junior Jet II for a while and liked it a lot, it was pretty well balanced.

 

[Lamphun_Lamyai]

I am curious, which Ibanez short-scale bass did you buy?

Opps. Forgot to put the model. It's the Ibanez TMB 30. Given the position of the horn and strap button below the 12th fret, I should have guessed there would be a neck-dive issue.

 

[John Stephen]

Right, I have seen reviews of those that talk about bad neck dive. Good luck in finding one that better suits you.

 

[Killing Floor]

+1 regarding headless. That would essentially eliminate the risk of neck dive.

 

[Prodigus Filius]

Another thing to keep an eye on when choosing a short scale, is that a short scale bass with the bridge mounted a fair distance from the rear of the body, can have a reach a lot longer than the shorter scale might suggest and nullify one of the oft mentioned rationales for a shortie ie ‘Less Reach’.
See post 26 in this thread and pic highlighting this issue with the 30” scale Rascal for example https://www.talkbass.com/threads/rascal-short-scale-plays-like-long-scale.1288701/page-2

 

[Snert]

I've had both Samick and Cort SS PJ basses with 2+2 headstocks and smaller Gotoh style tuners. The smaller headstocks and lighter tuners make a huge difference in balance over the trad Fender style 4IL with the old fashioned huge tuners. Fender also don't proportionally reduce the headstock size on their SS's so they look to me, disproportionate.

Both of the SS's I mentioned were fine basses and in no way inferior in materials, workmanship, FnF, components or tone than the Mustang and Jag Fenders I've tried, just no name cache. Both were very inexpensive S/H.

 

[Prodigus Filius]

A Squier Bronco apparently balances well. The upper horn extends nicely and the bridge is positioned well. The maple necked ones look very spiffy and attractive imho. And quite cheap in the domestic U.S and international market.

Squier Sonic Bronco Bass | BigTone

FEATURES Short 30″ scale length Squier single-coil pickup 4-saddle hardtail bridge Sealed-gear tuning machines Chrome hardware SHORT SCALE LENGTH Ideal for smaller players, a 30″ scale length (the distance from bridge to nut) creates low string tension and reduces the overall size of the...

www.bigtone.in.th

 

[Lamphun_Lamyai]

Another thing to keep an eye on when choosing a short scale, is that a short scale bass with the bridge mounted a fair distance from the rear of the body, can have a reach a lot longer than the shorter scale might suggest and nullify one of the oft mentioned rationales for a shortie ie ‘Less Reach’.
See post 26 in this thread and pic highlighting this issue with the 30” scale Rascal for example https://www.talkbass.com/threads/rascal-short-scale-plays-like-long-scale.1288701/page-2
View attachment 7130300

That was one of the things I was looking at with the Sterling Stingray Short Scale...for comparison. The bridge is mounted close to the base of the guitar body and seems to shorten the reach on the fretboard. A couple of reasons I'm opting for short scale basses is my relative hand size (smallish for a guy) and how far I need to reach to get to the frets closest to the nut. I have minor shoulder issues in my left deltoid which makes hanging out on the first few fret an exercise in discomfort after playing for awhile or anytime playing the 34 inch scale bass. Welcome to old age. But yeah, I did notice that! Another question I should probably be asking seasoned bass player is "what is the downside to this particular bass guitar?" Given the position of the horn and the length of the neck and shape of the head-stock, I'm thinking neck-dive shouldn't be an issue with the Stingray SS.

 

[Phreaky Phriday]

My sbmm shorty had to get a lightweight tuner swap before it balanced

 

[Lamphun_Lamyai]

A Squier Bronco apparently balances well. The upper horn extends nicely and the bridge is positioned well. The maple necked ones look very spiffy and attractive imho. And quite cheap in the domestic U.S and international market.

Squier Sonic Bronco Bass | BigTone

FEATURES Short 30″ scale length Squier single-coil pickup 4-saddle hardtail bridge Sealed-gear tuning machines Chrome hardware SHORT SCALE LENGTH Ideal for smaller players, a 30″ scale length (the distance from bridge to nut) creates low string tension and reduces the overall size of the...

www.bigtone.in.th

I was actually looking at one of those when I bought the Ibanez. Like I said, no music store in my region of Thailand carried any short scale basses, and even ordering them online I had a handful to chose from, so I had to buy without trying it out first. I read reviews that stated the Ibanez TMB30 didn't have neck dive, but that is just not the case. The Bronco? Yeah, it is cheap and I imagine that has to do with sound quality that would come with less expensive models of bass with one set of pickups. I'm looking to upscale, as my next bass will be a "keeper" and my primary bass guitar. So I'm willing to spend some money on my next purchase. But appreciate the suggestion.

 

[Lamphun_Lamyai]

sbmm

Thanks! Good to know.

 

[Bodeeni]

Neither of my Broncos have any neck dive. One has a custom neck the sticks out a little farther, but light tuners. Both are probably around 7lbs I just put together a EBO custom which is relatively OK. But it weighs just over 9 and has light tuners, which saved a 1/2lb on the neck.

 

[RomanS]

My Bronco doesn't have any neck dive, either. It's the only one of my bassed that works with a narrow strap for regular guitar, even my P Bass, which is pretty balanced, feels slightly more neck-heavy.

Also, don't let the low price deter you - the tuners, neck, bridge are all perfectly fine on the Bronco, the only weak spot is the pickup - not because of tone, but because of excessive single coil noise; but with the low price of the Bronco there is plenty of budget left to put a nicer, humbucking pickup in there (and the body is already routed for soapbar pickups, so you only need to enlarge the hole in the pickguard).

 

[Phreaky Phriday]

If you like your bass, it may be cheaper and better to address the neck dive - can you get lightweight tuners and is there a way to extend the upper horn strap button? I extended the button of one of my basses with a wooden dowel in a spacer, using a longer screw

 

[mellowgerman]

There are also some cheaper routes you can explore to try and eliminate the neck-dive of your bass. I used a TMB30 neck for my short-scale thunderbird build and can confirm that those tuning machines are quite heavy. If you try some lightweight tuning machines on the bass, that may solve the issue. You can also add some weight to the opposite end of the body by adding adhesive wheel-weights to the control cavity. Also, moving the rear strap button higher is another trick that helps (smart design choice on most Spector basses and can be seen in photo below)

 

[sudo]

The best short scale bass that avoids the neckdive issue is the headless Ibanez EHB 1000s. Another option with light weight tuners is the EBMM short scale but it's expensive, more than 2K.

 

[2strings2frets]

If you like your bass, it may be cheaper and better to address the neck dive - can you get lightweight tuners and is there a way to extend the upper horn strap button? I extended the button of one of my basses with a wooden dowel in a spacer, using a longer screw

I installed Dunlop strap locks on two of my basses and while neck dive wasn’t an issue, the locks moved the straps a few fractions of an inch out from the guitar body. Every little bit helps.