Short Scale Journey Didn't Last Long

[BHaev]

Thorough review which i watched all the way through even though I'm not going to buy one (not available locally anyway).
A constructive criticism would be the bass was a bit low in the mix in the first section. I could still hear it though.
And a question would be, what is the model of the G&L case? I have an Ibanez SRC6 and I'd like to find a correctly sized soft case for it and the G&L looks like it would work well.
Cheers.

It’s the G&L Fallout case. I’m happy with it.

thanks for the feedback!

 

[A9X]

It’s the G&L Fallout case.

Thank you for that, I'll get to ordering one promptly.

 

[Bermuda Ron]

G.A.S. is when I thought I'd get me a T.C. Electronics 2x8 cab (hey looky it's on sale, it's on sale!!) to go with my Bam200 amp when I already have a real nice Trace Eliot Elf 1x10 cab that's doing a quite excellent job of accompanying the Bam.

Haha, that is my mini rig of doom: the TCE 1x8, BAM200, Elf 1x10, and a Zoom B1 four!

 

[Frank Vozak]

As you can see via my Avatar to the left, all my basses are long scale, including the Standard P-Bass not shown; with the Martin EB-28 being the longest scale yet mostly played weekly, with all using chrome flats. At seventy-years old with a bum left shoulder, I sit when I play but still have problems reaching the first few frets, so I play mostly upscale which sometimes undermines the term BASS. As a result, I recently placed an order for a Fender American Performer Mustang Bass because of its short scale, but I will still sit when playing. But as a result of reading some of the posts, I'm at a loss regarding strings and tension of the short scale bass and need some help as to which strings will be the best for my genre which is primarily praise and worship which does not require the brighter sounds from the bridge pickup. I do prefer flats as I slide from note to note frequently. Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.

I think you will really like the Mustang Bass. I had a 67 Mustang Bass I bought new in 1967 and my only beef was the weak split pickups. Now Fender has made Mustangs P/J or else Seymour Duncan original Mustang-style
pick ups w

 

[Frank Vozak]

I'm a novice, but I picked a Fender Mustang as my weapon of choice. I tried a full and medium scale basses but the more compact short scale bass just feels better to me. I "connect" with it more. You seem to have that with a long scale and that's great.

I don't feel cramped, but I'm not very big and my hands aren't either. The sound and string tension are different, but I'm totally fine with that. I'm not a fan of the Gibson and Les Paul style shaped guitars, especially when I play sitting down. The Fender Mustang shape always feels right to me. I think the neck dive with the USA Mustang is more than acceptable. I have no problems with it at all. The head stock of the PJ wants to dive more but I don't find it extremely heavy to hold. Both of these basses are light and comfortable to me anyway.

Maybe I'll try a violin bass some time...

Try one of the new Squier Precision Mini Basses with a 28.6 inch neck a 3/4 body. I find that I connect with it much more than previous Fenders or Gibsons I have owned.

 

[Frank Vozak]

I see you have a Gibson LP Junior Tribute bass.
May I ask you if you can measure the width of the body and the total length of the bass from body bottom to top of headstock.
I am interested in buying one but no local shop has this model where I live and I would have to buy online.
I would like to compare its dimensions with the Mustang PJ and the Bronco I currently have.

If you buy online, take a serious look at Sweetwater. They will in fact show you the exact bass you will be getting and do all the prep

I wonder if it's really only just the regular good slow advancement of BG production that makes today's inexpensive basses so much better than in the past? Or if sometimes there's a freak occurrence, a good accident say, where a new series slips into the mainstream that's a lot better than folks expected?
Reason I say this is I read more than a few posts now where people buy so called 'cheapo' basses mostly just as a platform for mods, then discover they like the bass so much they're not modding it after all! (At least not for a good while anyway...) Some postings here on TB re the newer version Ibanez GSR100 have such comments, and usually from folks who also have other fairly modern basses.
(-Some biased thinking here on my part maybe? *LOL* )
Greywoulf

My parents bought me my first bass in 1967, a 1967 California built Mustang Bass. In 1967 that is what passed for an entry level bass. It was a great bass except that the pickups were a bit weak, now this "vintage " instrument is worth $1600 on the vintage market

 

[Greywoulf]

If you buy online, take a serious look at Sweetwater. They will in fact show you the exact bass you will be getting and do all the prep

My parents bought me my first bass in 1967, a 1967 California built Mustang Bass. In 1967 that is what passed for an entry level bass. It was a great bass except that the pickups were a bit weak, now this "vintage " instrument is worth $1600 on the vintage market

And right now you could also buy a bass for as little as 1/3rd of that amount that would be light years beyond that '67 as regards quality, components, and playability! "Vintage stuff", to me, is for collectors, not players... If you just wanna look at it, admire it, maybe strum it a little once in a while to appreciate what it actually did have, going vintage sounds about right. But if you wanna be thrilled by excellent tone out of a comfortable playing, gig-worthy bass, one should definitely go modern IMO.
Greywoulf

 

[Jeff L.]

Are all Hofner short scale?

Yes they are.

 

[Jeff L.]

Yes, all Hofner are short scale.

 

[ginman]

This post sure brought a lot of shortie fans out of the woodwork. Due to arthritis I've gone from P-Bass and Reverend to a Warmoth build short scale, photo attached. A 3.2 lb swamp ash body showed up in their stock bodies and I jumped on it. The final build weighs 6.3lb and has no neck dive or dead spots. Has the 2+2 tiltback headstock, resolite tuners, Fralin P pickup, Gotoh bridge, and maple neck and fretboard. The tone is just fine, certainly for gigging (if that ever happens again)

. I won't pretend that the tone is quite as good as a long scale, but I can play standing up for several hours with no shoulder pain.

 

[fermata]

Are all Hofner short scale?

Yes they are.

Yes, all Hofner are short scale.

Most are, but not all:

No, there's the Hofner Verythin Long Scale.

 

[Frank Vozak]

This post sure brought a lot of shortie fans out of the woodwork. Due to arthritis I've gone from P-Bass and Reverend to a Warmoth build short scale, photo attached. A 3.2 lb swamp ash body showed up in their stock bodies and I jumped on it. The final build weighs 6.3lb and has no neck dive or dead spots. Has the 2+2 tiltback headstock, resolite tuners, Fralin P pickup, Gotoh bridge, and maple neck and fretboard. The tone is just fine, certainly for gigging (if that ever happens again)View attachment 4024450 . I won't pretend that the tone is quite as good as a long scale, but I can play standing up for several hours with no shoulder pain.

This Warmouth is really beautiful. This is the second beautiful Warmouth short scale that has appeared in TB--enough of these and I might have to turn my eyes away from Fender

 

[Bigal1369]

This post sure brought a lot of shortie fans out of the woodwork. Due to arthritis I've gone from P-Bass and Reverend to a Warmoth build short scale, photo attached. A 3.2 lb swamp ash body showed up in their stock bodies and I jumped on it. The final build weighs 6.3lb and has no neck dive or dead spots. Has the 2+2 tiltback headstock, resolite tuners, Fralin P pickup, Gotoh bridge, and maple neck and fretboard. The tone is just fine, certainly for gigging (if that ever happens again)View attachment 4024450 . I won't pretend that the tone is quite as good as a long scale, but I can play standing up for several hours with no shoulder pain.

Thats a beauty .

 

[nonohmic]

I just created this video on the Ibanez TMB35 5 string short scale bass. It's a pretty thorough review.

I thought this was a great bass for the money. I had bad QC and returned it, but would def try again strung E-C.

 

[SBassman]

Sorry to hear of the bad QC. I have always had stellar specimens from Ibanez, even the low end stuff.

 

[Possum Willy]

Try a Traveler P Bass.
32" scale
6.4.lbs.

Exactly what I was going to say. I picked up and Ibanez Mezzo, weight is great, neck is a dream, sounds really good and not at all expensive, but not cheaply made either.

 

[4stringz_77]

Love my 'root beer' Ibanez GIO and my Squier mini Precision (for small gigs LOL). Did a few mods and gave them a nice setup.

 

[Glennbassmann]

This post sure brought a lot of shortie fans out of the woodwork. Due to arthritis I've gone from P-Bass and Reverend to a Warmoth build short scale, photo attached. A 3.2 lb swamp ash body showed up in their stock bodies and I jumped on it. The final build weighs 6.3lb and has no neck dive or dead spots. Has the 2+2 tiltback headstock, resolite tuners, Fralin P pickup, Gotoh bridge, and maple neck and fretboard. The tone is just fine, certainly for gigging (if that ever happens again)View attachment 4024450 . I won't pretend that the tone is quite as good as a long scale, but I can play standing up for several hours with no shoulder pain.

I think short and medium scale basses have a better tone and thump than long scale basses...lighter and easier to play...and if a nut slot is too low it absolutely will have a effect on a fretted note...

The nut has no effect when fretting a note.

 

[Turnaround]

...and if a nut slot is too low it absolutely will have a effect on a fretted note...

It cannot. The vibrating part of the string is between where you fret it and the bridge. The nut is not part of that geometry.

 

[kevmac]

I've had 2 short-scales that I can remember. I had a nice MIJ Gretsch Broadkaster Bass for awhile. I think it was a 30" scale. The body was big though, so it didn't really look like a short-scale. I sold that one because it just wasn't very comfortable for me.

Within the past year, I bought a Gibson Les Paul double cutaway (DC) bass. 30.5" scale. I liked it much better than the Gretsch from a comfort standpoint, aside from the fact that I prefer contoured edges.

But I'm a pretty big guy. So I feel like I look like a circus bear when I'm playing it!! But it sounds great!

It's been my experience that guys who are primarily guitar players really seem to like short-scales when they play bass.

I love the new Gibson LP basses and would buy one in a second if I wasn't 65 with a bass collection that could fill a store.I love the classic design and the sound I've heard on video is not bad.How is the sound in real life?