How about a long scale made with lighter material? Lighter tuners, lighter bridge, lighter body, etc...
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Short Scale Journey Didn't Last Long
- Thread starter socknroll1
- Start date
I was pretty much the same until I played a Lakland Skyline 30 Hollow body. I own one now and it’s ALL I play !
Got me a G&L Tribute Fallout Bass, love it, so many tones available, comfortable, not real light, but not real heavy. Worth checking out
I have a short scale Squire Bronco Bass that I just love to play. No neck dive and much lighter than my Music Man bass. I did (however) modify it with a new and better bridge, a rails pickup, a preamp, and a modified pickguard. It surprises many of the great sounds when I play it.
I recently bought a Squier Jag short scale to play with flats. I'm not into tension. I wanted to tune in EADG with flats and that was my solution. What a fantastic instrument and amazing value. I played it exclusively for about a week. Then, I got back on my SR506 and kept bumping into frets. I also bought a BTB33NTF. It's a 33 inch scale 5 string tuned EADGC. Also an amazing instrument. The transition is still a little tough. I have to make sure that every time I play it, I go back to the 6 immediately. My bottom line is, I just dont feel right on the Jag and I still have some transition issues in the 33 inch. I love them both, but, regret dropping over $1000 on them.
I gave that a hard look but decided on the Sterling Short Scale as it has the narrower neck. Love the look
Before I joined this group I never once considered the weight of my multiple basses (over the years, I only have three right now) to be an issue. You put it on, you played for 10 minutes or four hours, you took it off. Maybe I am just more sturdy (or just heavier, I weigh 215 lbs) and the weight of the bass never made a difference. It sure is a huge item of consideration among many people on this site.
I use to play 34" scale till I had a bad accident. I've had a few short scale basses. My 1st was a Warwick corvette Short scale never should have i sold it. It depends how much you want to spend. Ibenez mikro 28" no neck dive and under 7lbs about 179.00 new. Squire Jaguars Short scale. Not made any more great bass for the money. Mine had no neck dive. My Mustang did have neck dive. Then I bought some custom bass at public peace 2 elwoods and 1 cazpar no neck dive and awesone bass guitars. Had the wattplower. Awesome bass but neck p bass size. Have 2 EBMM stingray bass guitars IMO one of the best Short scale bass you can buy. Then I got a custom CB bass thats in a class of its own. But there are Short Scale bass that have no neck Dive and sound just as good as a 34" scale.
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I have three short scales and love everyone of them. To me, neck dive has a lot to do with upper strap button location. Most short scales have buttons higher up the neck than the twelfth fret. My squire jag and danelectro long horn have moderate dive easily solved by a good non slip strap, but the viola bass has very pronounced dive that is only compensated by use of a headstock tie. Anyway, there are solutions and to me the playability of the short scale is worth it. Who knows though, if I ever get a long scale I may love it too.
After an almost 40 year layoff... retirement gave me the incentive to play again. Only bass I kept was the 69 EB3. Now have several long scale basses, but picked up the Gibson about a month ago and have not put it down. i don't ever recall worrying about neck dive in 1970 and today my Acoustic Duo sits for the 3-4 hour gigs so no problem. Recently got the "mini" scale several weeks ago and it's fun to play with and has a decent sound out of the Bose Model II. I really enjoy talking about the EB when asked about it and the looks on faces when I say I've had it for half a century!
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I had a couple of Fender Short Scale and quickly moved away from those. I had been eyeballing Birdsong for a few years and finally acquired a C-Bass from Scott Beckwith who is a great guy and builder. Its a rosewood board and poplar body sounds, plays, looks fantastic. The C-bass is a Cortobass but with a P pickup. I also have a second Birdsong Cortobass with a few more amenities. Has a maple board and mahogany body which is also really fantastically good. I slightly prefer the C-bass at 6#. The Cortobass is 7#. Both perfectly balanced Birdsongs perfectly are about the length of a guitar at 31.5" scale. They are 24 fret but after a short time I adapted to the overall size which seems and plays like a 34" scale to me. Scott really nailed it. He now also builds the SD Curlee instruments. I'm lucky enough to be friends with one of the SD Curlee originals Randy Dritz who currently builds RAD amplifiers. Randy's knowledge about many things is something to behold. So if you're interested in Short Scale it would be worth your while to look into a Birdsong but I admit its very hard to find one to test out as it's a small operation. Sometimes you can find one in stock. Note: I'm not playing hardly at all now due to Covid19. I've got more gear than I'll ever end up using again at my age. Band of 21 years pretty much is over now sadly. There is a slight possibility I might sell one of my Birds but I haven't come to that conclusion as yet.
Also to note, I've had many really fine standard 4 string size basses and a couple 5 strings. Laklands, Sadowskys, Fender, MM, etc. I only own and play the two Birdsongs now.
Also to note, I've had many really fine standard 4 string size basses and a couple 5 strings. Laklands, Sadowskys, Fender, MM, etc. I only own and play the two Birdsongs now.
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You never mentioned the Music Man Stingray short scale. Have you not tried one of those yet?
Haha cool! I love my mini Precision "Blackie". It's a great traveler. Even thinking about putting a J pickup in the bridge position
Yes, it's an Ibanez Mezzo. I don't own one yet, but have played in store. Very nice bass bass. Plays and sounds really good.
Here's link.
SRMD205 | SR MEZZO | ELECTRIC BASSES | PRODUCTS | Ibanez guitars
Volker you and I should start a Squier Mini PrecisionClub. I have a red one like you and I love my bass even with stock strings. I have been primarily a short scaler though I did have a Jazz Bass and a Precisionbut for my fat hands short finger and arm short scale works much better--I could not play complicated bass patterns o-n my Precision because frets 1-4 were too long of a reach. I have own ed and enjoyed a 67 Gibson EB-O with nylon tape strings and a 67 Mustang Bass. Loved both of them. Now I play a Fender CB 60 Acoustic Bass, a Squier NMin i Precision and a Squier SS Jaguar. Two short scale basses for you to to try: The Fender CB 60 with Fishman Piezzo Bridge Pickup (32 inch neck, classical guitar body) and a Hoffner violin Paul Mc Cartney bass.
You try the Squier Mini Precission that Volker is wearing in is post (by the way Volker great picture and it makes me feel good that it looks so good on front shot---my only worry was that the Mini would look too small but Volker's picture aleves that worry. My Mini has great sounding Precision pickups and a fast neck. I playmy best on the Mini.
