The Official Short Scale Bass Club -- Part 4

To bring the recommendations back to something I'll buy... solid body, split single coil or humbucker only. I play mostly punk. Long scale P bass into DarkGlass B7K is home base :bassist:

I'm a big fan of Maruszczyk custom Basses. I love my 30" P from them. Even though some of their custom Basses can run around $2k and well above with the more add on options you add to it, You can get a nicely spec'd out basic model for around $1200 if you go through a US dealer and the wait time is around 12-15 weeks sometimes it is a quicker wait if you don't have any special wood or electronic requests. I just configured this 30" P on their website configurator so you can get an idea. I like that they are handmade in Poland at an old world style luthier shop.
:thumbsup:

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These are my two 30" custom Maruszcsyk/Mensinger builds and my 32" P at the bottom

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32" P
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Just the previous Fender Mustang PJ. I would consider it a "real" bass not intended to be your kid's first bass. I like the look of the Sterling SS4 but can't put my hands on one. Bass walls around here are pretty much the 20 basses they can't sell ;)
I'm quite fond of my Sterling SS4. Plays well, feels short, and not bad balance. Good StingRay tone, but cannot hold a candle to the original Ray.
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I'm quite fond of my Sterling SS4. Plays well, feels short, and not bad balance. Good StingRay tone, but cannot hold a candle to the original Ray.
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The Sterling is on my short list of possible additions.

To me, a proper StingRay is ....
:: evil grin ::
that's the way to get in a lot of trouble round these parts. lol. What's not in dispute is EBMM crafts very high quality instruments today. Stunning!
 
The Sterling is on my short list of possible additions.

To me, a proper StingRay is ....
:: evil grin ::
that's the way to get in a lot of trouble round these parts. lol. What's not in dispute is EBMM crafts very high quality instruments today. Stunning!
Would love to have your StingRay and mine as A/B jam session experience. Not sure I know what a proper Ray sounds like, only that several have said that the short scales (with passive electronics) don't have the same sound.
🤔
 
Yes and no. Stock it had issues but after some easy mods, fret level, setup... the big "problem" was neck dive. Where it sits on your knee means most of the weight is on the neck side compared to the back of the body.
I have played other sires and they punch way above their price. If you want a PJ the U5 hard to beat.

I own and love my 34” v3. Plays great.

And if course others beat me to it…
 
I've got Pyramid Golds on the top of my list as the next new string I'm going to try.

Ordered my set directly from Germany. The final cost, including shipping and duty, came in to about USD 60 IIRC.

That is about a year ago now. They settled in nicely. I get a most satisfactory thump with the neck pickup solo'd, and the .01 ųf tone cap closed.
 
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Flats last forever, if you want 'em to.

Well...since there's no love lost for flats around here I don't want them to last so there's a valid reason to change them out quickly... :roflmao:

In all seriousness, though, I've come across a couple of sets in the past whose supposed longevity failed to impress me. Maybe they were outliers, defective, old...

Pyramids are stellar strings IME. I also have their tapewounds on my '70 Les Paul Bass and absolutely love them.
 
The Starfire II is a lot more expensive ($1200-1600), though I was able to score a new one from A Big Online Music Shop for under $800.
This is my answer. Mustangs are great but the Guild does everything the Mustang does and more. And it feels a whole lot better too.

I've found that neck dive on any bass is easily curable with a Levy's 3" cotton strap.