Strings for super short scale

[KingRazor]

Looking at picking up an Ibanez mikro bass to experiment with. Scale length is only 28.6". Anyone have experience with these basses or similar and know what string lengths will work? Am I pretty much stuck with buying sets marketed as short scale?

 

[HaphAsSard]

Am I pretty much stuck with buying sets marketed as short scale?

Short answer: pretty much, yeah.

The Ibanez Mikro is actually better though-out than some competition (looking at you, Squier), in that there's enough room between back of bridge and first tuning post for a "standard" (30" + minimum needed extra, i.e. about 2") short-scale string low E to fit.
Then there are nominally "short-scale" strings that would definitely be too long (Thomastik-Infeld, DR) and have the post cramped, others that wouldn't be too bad (GHS, Rotosound), others still that may (or may not) only have a half-turn on the post at full gauge, max (La Bella, possibly others). Scale being short, if you stick to roundwounds (more flexible than other types) and normal gauges the risk of breakage should be reduced. (It would only concern the E string anyway).

Your options would be:
- sticking to the available shortie options;
- drilling through-body canals in order to use the aforementioned fake shorties by T-I and DR, plus medium-scale strings (not exactly a world-is-your-oyster change, since mid-scale options aren't exactly plentiful either);
- doing the above, plus carving a shallow pool (à la stratocaster "tremolo" spring compartment, but shallower) so that long-scale strings fit, or having the strings turn around the butt edge of the body and reach a stopbar placed at the appropriate distance, for the same purpose;
- patiently unravelling longer-scale strings until they fit (again, it's really only a problem for the low E);
- buying from manufacturers that offer custom-length (and -gauge) services, like Newtone and Pyramid.

 

[KingRazor]

Short answer: pretty much, yeah.

The Ibanez Mikro is actually better though-out than some competition (looking at you, Squier), in that there's enough room between back of bridge and first tuning post for a "standard" (30" + minimum needed extra, i.e. about 2") short-scale string low E to fit.
Then there are nominally "short-scale" strings that would definitely be too long (Thomastik-Infeld, DR) and have the post cramped, others that wouldn't be too bad (GHS, Rotosound), others still that may (or may not) only have a half-turn on the post at full gauge, max (La Bella, possibly others). Scale being short, if you stick to roundwounds (more flexible than other types) and normal gauges the risk of breakage should be reduced. (It would only concern the E string anyway).

Your options would be:
- sticking to the available shortie options;
- drilling through-body canals in order to use the aforementioned fake shorties by T-I and DR, plus medium-scale strings (not exactly a world-is-your-oyster change, since mid-scale options aren't exactly plentiful either);
- doing the above, plus carving a shallow pool (à la stratocaster "tremolo" spring compartment, but shallower) so that long-scale strings fit, or having the strings turn around the butt edge of the body and reach a stopbar placed at the appropriate distance, for the same purpose;
- patiently unravelling longer-scale strings until they fit (again, it's really only a problem for the low E);
- buying from manufacturers that offer custom-length (and -gauge) services, like Newtone and Pyramid.

It's looking like guitar strings might be a good way to go. I can get up to an .080 from D'Addario. I was planning on tuning it higher than a typical bass anyway.

 

[HaphAsSard]

It's looking like guitar strings might be a good way to go. I can get up to an .080 from D'Addario. I was planning on tuning it higher than a typical bass anyway.

Agreed. I can personally attest to strings up to and including 080, flatwounds to boot (typically stiffer than rounds), not breaking even though loaded at full thickness through a thin, guitar-style tuning post. (This on a bass VI -type instrument, with 30" scale, and the string tuned to A, for a resulting tension around 30 lbs.)
Risk of breaking (due to having the full diameter on the post) starts at larger gauges than that.

Speaking of guitar strings. I've been wondering for ages (but have no instrument of suitable scale to make the experiment worthwhile) how the lowest 4 strings of the Ernie Ball 9-string guitar set (2628) fit on Mikros and their ilk. I know the two lowest taper, but nowhere on the 'net is it reported at what distance from the ball end.
If you do get the Mikro and fancy tuning it standard, after all, consider trying those, and if so, letting us know if they work.