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Stoner/Doom Bassists Thread, Part 90: Maxed Out

#54,941
Just had one of these pop up on the local CL for $600. 1972 Guild Jet Star 1. I never played with a short scale (30.5") before, has anyone tried playing heavy stuff with something comparable? I can't imagine it being able to handle lower tunings very well!

Regardless I'm tempted to snag it, it's essentially a Gibson EB-0. Supposed to have an almost upright-like tone. I recently been playing some heavy dub/reggae stuff on the side and these are great for that. Probably means no 5 stringer for a while but hey... Coolness factor usually wins me over lol.

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#54,942
I've done D on a short scale and C# on a 32". You can get similar tension as a long scale but you'll need to find heavier gauge strings. That looks badass though.

kleinenenten said:
In good bass news, I had an urge last night to get some more HM-2 goodness back on the board. Put the Throat Locust back on and started tweaking. Ended up with a Lemmy-ish tone after a while. Not a traditional HM-2 tone by any stretch, but I'm loving it. And it stacks shockingly well with both the GK Rails pedal feeding it and it feeding either my Pork Loin or Swollen Pickle.

I also find it amusing that I found "Lemmy's tone" in the lower distortion regions of a box renowned for sonic annihilation. Seems appropriate for Motörhead.
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That's awesome, makes sense in some way. Always liked his tone. It was great in hawkwind too.

Anyone hear any news about the waza HM-2? If it's not limited release I'm tempted. Never used any of the waza series but have heard great things. Hopefully it's legit news.
 
#54,943
GriNn said:
Just had one of these pop up on the local CL for $600. 1972 Guild Jet Star 1. I never played with a short scale (30.5") before, has anyone tried playing heavy stuff with something comparable? I can't imagine it being able to handle lower tunings very well!

Regardless I'm tempted to snag it, it's essentially a Gibson EB-0. Supposed to have an almost upright-like tone. I recently been playing some heavy dub/reggae stuff on the side and these are great for that. Probably means no 5 stringer for a while but hey... Coolness factor usually wins me over lol.

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I've played an epi EB-0 with thick flats in C. If you don't mind some flop, it can be done. I like a lot more tension personally since I beat the stuffing out of the strings.
 
#54,944
My first bass was a short scale. I bought a 5 string set and put the lowest strings on it. I didn't have a tuner or the internet then. Not sure what the tuning actually was. But it sounded like Coal Chamber... Sloppy.
Either way that's a nice looking Guild. I'd buy it.
 
#54,947
I've had my Ibanez Mikro five string tuned to B standard and C standard (even down to A but with the same string as in B it got a bit floppy...still totally playable though), and IMO short scale does not in and of itself preclude lower tunings.
 
#54,949
br1qbat said:
I've played an epi EB-0 with thick flats in C. If you don't mind some flop, it can be done. I like a lot more tension personally since I beat the stuffing out of the strings.
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No kidding huh? How thick did you have to go, like 130? My current band is in Bb standard so I still have doubts it could go that low, even if I wanted to.

dozicusmaximus said:
My first bass was a short scale. I bought a 5 string set and put the lowest strings on it. I didn't have a tuner or the internet then. Not sure what the tuning actually was. But it sounded like Coal Chamber... Sloppy.
Either way that's a nice looking Guild. I'd buy it.
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Hahaha on your first bass no less! Doomer from the get go I see.

cornfarmer said:
I never see these go for that cheap, unless something is wrong with it. You could move the bridge back to get it closer to med or full scale, Gibson did that kind of stuff.

Though I wouldn't do that to this bass.
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I asked the guy why it was priced so low and he told me he sold a Guild JSB-II to a working musician that didn't have the cash to pay for it at the time so he gave him this to cover it partially. Neck is supposedly in good shape, truss rod fully functioning. Could use a setup he says as the action is a bit high around the 12th fret, but if I'm playing some heavy dub then I prefer it a bit high.

And yeah I'd have a hard time modding this that much, I've never had a true vintage instrument. My oldest is a '92 P bass hah!

Probably pick it up this Saturday, hard not to at that price. Thanks for the responses folks!
 
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#54,957
ConfoundedBridg said:
hey guys I think I'm gonna buy my buddy a gift in the form of heavy gauge strings for his les paul so he can have an easier time with lower tunings. Any of y'all have any recommendations for 24.75 scale strings?
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it depends on how low he’s tuning and how he likes to play. i’m playing a set of 10-52 ernie ball strings on a jackson tuned to C standard, but i do a lot of speed picking and lead playing, so i think you would typically go heavier.

i’ve got a 24.75” scale length gibson that has an 11-56 set for B standard, and it desperately needs a setup to make it work, but I can play Carcass and At the Gates well enough on it. I could go with heavier gauges on both guitars,

i would recommend the ernie ball beefy slinky 11-56 strings as your starting point. you’ll want to err on the heavier side for a shorter scale guitar like your friend has, but the nice thing is that guitar strings are CHEAP compared to bass strings.
 
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#54,958
ConfoundedBridg said:
Would a new neck made for long scale also remedy this?

asking hypothetically of course
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Hypothetically yes. :D
ConfoundedBridg said:
Is that different from scale length?
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Very! "Winding length" refers to the silk (or other material) that's wound around the top end of the string (the part of the string that goes in the tuning post).
danbones said:
but the nice thing is that guitar strings are CHEAP compared to bass strings.
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Yes they are! I bought mine, of a well known brand, on sale for €1 per string.
(I don't play guitar, I just want to be able to save the day so they're in my "bring always" stuff.)
 

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