The Squier vintage modified jaguar I tried at GC is what made me start looking into these basses!
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Short Scale Basses. The best thing since sliced bread?
- Thread starter DChalo
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The Squier vintage modified jaguar I tried at GC is what made me start looking into these basses!
The Geddy Lee Signature I have right now is one of the heaviest basses I have ever played, it is a relief to see a short scale that, although isn't as much of a beast as my GL, can still rock the house
You make a valid point here, but many of the shorties being produced today are miles better than ones from some years back. I picked up a Squier VM Jaguar SS not too long ago and it's become my Number One. I'm not an advanced-level player by any means, but in spite of a less-than-stellar J pup at the bridge, I can get most any sound I'm looking for (with a little push from a Markbass CMD 102P, I would imagine).
As I said, I'm not the most experienced player you'll ever see, but since I strapped on and started playing this Jag - a Gibson SG and SG Supreme, Fender Rascal and an American Fender P-Deluxe sit in their cases and have barely seen the light of day. It boggles my mind that Fender hasn't tried to seriously market a few higher-end SS models, because the SS wave is growing and I doubt very much it's just a fad... and Marketing is a skill in which I am an experienced player.
Love the name!
I made one of those! It works OK, but the E has unpleasant overtones. I doubt it'd matter in a mix, but I haven't tried. I started with larger gauge strings but those sounded worse than standard gauge. I had to unwind overwrap to make use of the guitar tuners. I know that's a no-no, but I only did it 'cause the guitar body was free and I had the pickup sitting around unused since '95 or something. Meet the Splatobasstard:
Nice job.
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@Richie Seven and Primo you are exactly right and that's the point. There's accountability now that you can google a model and find the reviews regardless of where they were posted. I think they have had to improve to all be above a certain level of quality, or else only the first wave of your product would sell and you'd have to offload the rest at a loss. Your jag is a perfect example. If it's good wood, you can swap the pup and get a better bass overall. if it was a truly bad bass we'd all know it by now as many people here talk about the jag. Even the Rondo jag gets love.
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I don't know why you're taking our disagreement personally, man.
Sorry. You caught me before I thought better of it and deleted my post.
Nothing personal. I just can't figure out the appeal of short-scale basses, though I own and play more Telecaster-type geetars than you can shake a stick at.
To me, in the modern world, electric basses need a long scale and a minimum of five strings.
To each his own.
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I failed to mention I ordered a P/J set of EMG Geezers while the Jaguar was being shipped, assuming I'd surely need them. It turns out I'll have the P's in stock for some other mod. 
Turnaround
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Sliced bread... short scale basses... hmmm..
Problem with sliced bread is that it goes stale faster. And all the slices are the same thickness, and so you can't get just the right hunk for the meal at hand. And you can't get the joy of ripping off a piece to have with that nice Pecorino you just bought at the market.
Short scale basses - just about the tame thing.
Problem with sliced bread is that it goes stale faster. And all the slices are the same thickness, and so you can't get just the right hunk for the meal at hand. And you can't get the joy of ripping off a piece to have with that nice Pecorino you just bought at the market.
Short scale basses - just about the tame thing.
That's odd... I can't figure out the appeal of playing any electric "geetar"... loud, screechy, annoying things that they are - in most hands
So are you saying short scales are just as good of an idea as sliced bread, but you do not care for sliced bread? That's how I interpreted it.
This is pretty outstanding. I'd love to have something like this...
That's odd... I can't figure out the appeal of playing any electric "geetar"... loud, screechy, annoying things that they are - in most hands
I was out one night and went into this local club. This place is notorious for a lousy bass sound. To me the sound is always too boomy. As I entered the club the first thing I noticed was how great the bass sounded. I went over a stood right in front of the stage and the bass player was this tiny girl playing a Fender Musicmaster bass through an SVT. Her tone was killin' me. I went to talk to the sound guy and mention how much I liked the bass sound and he said it was all her, that all he did was put a mic in front of the amp. I've been sold on short scale basses ever since.
I too fell for the short scale tales of woe and sadness. til i picked one up and tried it. Now i have a Gibson SG special and a Gretsch 2220 Jr Jet. For anyone wanting to try a decent one that doesnt carry a heavy price, I recommend the Gretsch 2220. you get a lot of bass for the price
Wow.. Plenty of short scale advocates have weighed in here. I won't disparage any instrument as long as it is well crafted, and I certainly would not disrespect anyone based on scale length. Having said that...I started on a 32" medium scale Rick because I was intimidated by a 34" inch scale bass. I got the courage to buy a 34" G&L (4 string) about a year later and have never looked back. And that was in 1981. Best thing I ever did. Especially now that I play 5 string basses almost exclusively. For ME, now, the MINIMUM length of a low B sting is 35." I own a "long-scale" Dingwall with a 37" B string, which sounds and plays even better than a 35". Nothing else I've played even compares. When you are producing low notes on a 5 string, in my experience, longer bass strings win. Look inside a piano sometime. It's a matter of physics.
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I had some problems with tendonitis last year and went to short scales basses. I played them for about 6 months and my hands got better so I went back to long scale for most music - I like the way a long scale ax feels and sounds - nice to stretch out with, and they have bigger, more flexible sound IMO. YMMV.
I'm not all that big and I don't have particularly big hands - average all around - but I play mostly a P bass and a J5 without any trouble - has to do with technique, not hand size. I actually learned that from playing the shorties - they changed my technique.
But for some types of material - especially 50/60's rock n' roll and old school blues - I do like my CIJ Mustang the best. (I have Hagstrom Swede for sale at the moment, which might be the most versatile short scale I've played - just not using it any more.)
I don't think shorties are the best thing since sliced bread, but I do think they are maligned more than they deserve - there are some very good ones out there - and they can certainly be helpful if you have hand/back problems. They also work very well for certain applications but IMO they cannot do everything as well as a long scale instrument.
Jack Casady (Guild Starfire), Paul McCartney (Hofner) and Jack Bruce (EB-3) all became famous bassists using short scale axes, so it's awfully hard to rail on them.
I'm not all that big and I don't have particularly big hands - average all around - but I play mostly a P bass and a J5 without any trouble - has to do with technique, not hand size. I actually learned that from playing the shorties - they changed my technique.
But for some types of material - especially 50/60's rock n' roll and old school blues - I do like my CIJ Mustang the best. (I have Hagstrom Swede for sale at the moment, which might be the most versatile short scale I've played - just not using it any more.)
I don't think shorties are the best thing since sliced bread, but I do think they are maligned more than they deserve - there are some very good ones out there - and they can certainly be helpful if you have hand/back problems. They also work very well for certain applications but IMO they cannot do everything as well as a long scale instrument.
Jack Casady (Guild Starfire), Paul McCartney (Hofner) and Jack Bruce (EB-3) all became famous bassists using short scale axes, so it's awfully hard to rail on them.
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glad you recovered. I didn't know you COULD recover from tendonitis, I thought It was a long time thing like carpel tunnel or arthritis
Thanks. It's an inflammation, not a permanent injury or disease. Granted, I'm not completely "cured" - sometimes it will act up, for example if I play my 5 string hard for a few hours. 10 years ago that was nothing. Now, I'll feel soreness in my left wrist, forearm, elbow and shoulder - but my technique did change so it's not bad anymore.
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I think a lot of problems that players develop are from poor/sloppy technique and body positions that cause undue stress on certain parts of your body. I found that proper posture, keeping your hands relaxed and fluid and playing cleanly without slipping and sliding around keep you in much better shape. Good hydration is also very important - a friend of mine who is an athlete pointed that out to me when we were talking about my tendonitis problem.
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