• TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
    Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
    Join free Log in
    Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.

Short scale Basses

S

shane6969

Guest
Feb 7, 2006
97
2
Bendigo, Australia
#1
I'm thinking about getting a short scale bass. I see there is a Fender Mustang Re-issue, and also see there is a Squier Bronco, and a Squier Bronco "Badtz-Maru". Are these any good and what are there pro's and con's?
Also are there any other short scale basses on the market these days?
I used to own a Fender Musicmaster years ago but sold it.

Cheers,

Shane.
 
#3
If you want a cheap one , SX makes good ones, or of course if you are rolling in cash Alembic makes them, in between there is the Birdsong, Cortobass, and a liitle higher, the Landing basses. There is a Landing for sale here on TB.
 
#4
joegeezer said:
If you want a cheap one , SX makes good ones, or of course if you are rolling in cash Alembic makes them, in between there is the Birdsong, Cortobass, and a liitle higher, the Landing basses. There is a Landing for sale here on TB.
Click to expand...

IMO, Jimmy Wilson at Landing makes some really excellent examples. The vintage white L332 shown on his site is my bass.

It's easily the most comfortable bass I own, and the one I grab the most at home when I'm working on new material. It also sounds great. I've used it in many (dozens) of live performances.

I find it easy to get a variety of useful tones. The key, I think, is the 3 pickup system, which has a 5 way switch.

Best,

Matt
 
#5
If you want a vintage sound from a short scale, try a hollowbody like an old Danelectro, Silvertone, Hofner, etc. Not a modern tone but a lot of great recordings have been made with these types of instruments (Like most of the records by 1960's British Invasion bands).
 
#8
There are a number of Beatle Bass copies that have a 30 in. scale.

The Epiphone Allen Woody Rumblekat is a wonderful bass with a 30.5 in scale.:hyper: :bassist:

The Epiphone EB-0 is a 30 in. scale bass

I don't know about the scale length on all of the Daisyrock basses.

Gretsch makes a cheap 30 in. scale bass.

Alembic has quite a few:D
 
#9
shane6969 said:
I'm thinking about getting a short scale bass. I see there is a Fender Mustang Re-issue, and also see there is a Squier Bronco, and a Squier Bronco "Badtz-Maru". Are these any good and what are there pro's and con's?
Also are there any other short scale basses on the market these days?
I used to own a Fender Musicmaster years ago but sold it.

Cheers,

Shane.
Click to expand...

I have played most short scales in the world. The only one mentioned so far that I would say - stay away from - is the Bronco. It's pretty bad. If you choose to go low end instead of high end, and SX short scale is about 10 times as good as a Squier Bronco.
 
#10
SBassman4x said:
I have played most short scales in the world. The only one mentioned so far that I would say - stay away from - is the Bronco. It's pretty bad. If you choose to go low end instead of high end, and SX short scale is about 10 times as good as a Squier Bronco.
Click to expand...

We once dismantled a Bronco - and sanded it down to see what was underneath. :p

It was Green underneath the paint. Suffice to say, whatever the body was made of, it wasn't something you could stain translucent. :) Once the paint was off, we started getting worried that whatever the Green Stuff was might be a biohazard to touch. :p
 
#11
SBassman4x said:
We once dismantled a Bronco - and sanded it down to see what was underneath. :p

It was Green underneath the paint. Suffice to say, whatever the body was made of, it wasn't something you could stain translucent. :) Once the paint was off, we started getting worried that whatever the Green Stuff was might be a biohazard to touch. :p
Click to expand...

According to Squier, the body of the Bronco is made of Agathis.

Agathis is a "Genus of coniferous trees in the family Araucariaceae, native to the Philippines and Australasia. The trees are grown for their timber...."

Many guitar and bass companies use Agathis in the manufacture of their instruments. Googling for images of Agathis, I came up with pictures of instruments by Yamaha, Ibanez, Cort, ESP, Line 6, Daisy Rock to name a few.
 
#12
BillyB_from_LZ said:
Gretsch makes a cheap 30 in. scale bass.
Click to expand...

If it's the same one I tried at a local GC, that little Gretsch had really great tone! It was only $249! I almost bought the thing but my new bass was due to arrive any day and my wife would have gone off on me if I showed up with an impulse buy bass!:p
 
#13
BillyB_from_LZ said:
According to Squier, the body of the Bronco is made of Agathis.

Agathis is a "Genus of coniferous trees in the family Araucariaceae, native to the Philippines and Australasia. The trees are grown for their timber...."

Many guitar and bass companies use Agathis in the manufacture of their instruments. Googling for images of Agathis, I came up with pictures of instruments by Yamaha, Ibanez, Cort, ESP, Line 6, Daisy Rock to name a few.
Click to expand...

I'm familiar with Agathis. But whatever we hit after we dug through through the finish was either not Agathis, diseased wood, or wood that had just been chopped down. :)
 
#14
dunamis said:
If it's the same one I tried at a local GC, that little Gretsch had really great tone! It was only $249! I almost bought the thing but my new bass was due to arrive any day and my wife would have gone off on me if I showed up with an impulse buy bass!:p
Click to expand...


I had one of the Gretsch short scales, and it sounded good, but it's a set neck, and I couldn't get the action down on it. whoever set the neck must have drunk at the time. Others may be all right, but mine wasn't.
 
#16
joegeezer said:
I had one of the Gretsch short scales, and it sounded good, but it's a set neck, and I couldn't get the action down on it. whoever set the neck must have drunk at the time. Others may be all right, but mine wasn't.
Click to expand...

Just goes to show that not all basses (even of the same make and model) are created equal!! I've picked up examples of inexpensive basses that played and sounded great, only to pick up another example of the same bass and found that either playability or tone suffered (or both).

It pays to try before you buy, if you can...:bassist:
 
#18
SBassman4x said:
I'm familiar with Agathis. But whatever we hit after we dug through through the finish was either not Agathis, diseased wood, or wood that had just been chopped down. :)
Click to expand...

It is fairly common for agathis to take on a green tint. It's fine if you paint it but makes agathis unsutiable if you want a natural finish.

Jim
 
#19
I customized a bronco for my son, and the wood was perfectly normal in mine. I would suggest the rondo basses over the bronco, I had to do a lot of work to it to make it respectable. (new bridge, added a bridge pickup, new neck pickup, metal control plate, ect)

Pictures are available in most threads that the bronco is mentioned, do a search for bronco with my username.
 

Latest posts

Top Bottom
Back