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THE SHORT SCALE BASS THREAD!

D

de la mocha

Aug 20, 2005
1,488
16
NEW JERSEY
#1
This thread is everything short scale!!! Show your short scale basses, tell us why you like short scale basses, tell us short scale bass stories, tell us about your short scale phobias, tell us when you stubbed your toe on a scale in the bathroom while you were short....wait a second...okay scratch that last one! :p
 
#2
Ok, so this one time I was in the bathroom many years ago when I was much shorter, and the scale was right out in the middle of the floor when.....oh, wait...I just saw you last sentence.
 
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#3
Fender Squire Bronco, G&L MFD humbucker: Bam!
bronco.gif
 
#4
ok well the people here will know about short scales so im gonna put this here. I basically know its a bad idea but need to know why, haha. Ok im thinking of buying an SX P/J and reshaping the body to be mustang/musicmaster-ish. Then I'd refinish it, find a short scale neck and have a mustang with a P/J set up. I might need to move the bridge too. Is this at all possible? What would it take?
 
#5
I mostly play 35" scale basses, but have a couple cool little buggers.

urge01.jpg

This is perhaps one of my favorite Fender designs. Lots of available tones and some really smart designs. Besides, it's hard to resist a Fender with a matching headstock.......:D

koa1-1.jpg

Then there's this beast. Not only is it ligher than a feather, but it has sustain for days, along with deep and articulate tones. Without a doubt, I'll be ordering another one in the future.
 
#9
Okay, spamming this place one more time with pics of my beloved Gretsch Thunderjet:

bodyangle.png


jointangle.png


full.png


It's a true shorty @ 30.3" scale, but the body is chambered mahogany and the carved top is maple, and the neck is mahogany/ebony. With the handwound TV Jones pickups, the sound is bigger than anything I've ever heard.

I sold my previous one-and-only to go with this one. Why did I go short scale? Well, besides the sound and beauty of this particular instrument, it's simply more playable. Yeah, you can "get used" to 34" or 35", and the shoulder/wrist pain bigger basses often bring. And yeah, those long- and extra-long scale lengths have all the benefits of manly bragging rights. So, I think a lot of people turn away from short scales because they're percieved as either "girly", or "cheap"--I know I did for years. But the incredible sound of the Gretsch (and other great short-scales like Alembic, Birdsong, etc.) prove that there doesn't have to be a tradeoff in sound to enjoy a comfortable, playable instrument.

Peace
policy
 
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#11
policyvote said:
Why did I go short scale? Well, besides the sound and beauty of this particular instrument, it's simply more playable. Yeah, you can "get used" to 34" or 35", and the shoulder/wrist pain bigger basses often bring. And yeah, those long- and extra-long scale lengths have all the benefits of manly bragging rights. So, I think a lot of people turn away from short scales because they're percieved as either "girly", or "cheap"--I know I did for years. But the incredible sound of the Gretsch (and other great short-scales like Alembic, Birdsong, etc.) prove that there doesn't have to be a tradeoff in sound to enjoy a comfortable, playable instrument.
Click to expand...
Well said.
Your Gretsch is awesome looking. I'd like to get my hands on one, one of these days to try, but they're very rare down here.
 
#14
Looooove that bass


policyvote said:
Okay, spamming this place one more time with pics of my beloved Gretsch Thunderjet:

bodyangle.png


jointangle.png


full.png


It's a true shorty @ 30.3" scale, but the body is chambered mahogany and the carved top is maple, and the neck is mahogany/ebony. With the handwound TV Jones pickups, the sound is bigger than anything I've ever heard.

I sold my previous one-and-only to go with this one. Why did I go short scale? Well, besides the sound and beauty of this particular instrument, it's simply more playable. Yeah, you can "get used" to 34" or 35", and the shoulder/wrist pain bigger basses often bring. And yeah, those long- and extra-long scale lengths have all the benefits of manly bragging rights. So, I think a lot of people turn away from short scales because they're percieved as either "girly", or "cheap"--I know I did for years. But the incredible sound of the Gretsch (and other great short-scales like Alembic, Birdsong, etc.) prove that there doesn't have to be a tradeoff in sound to enjoy a comfortable, playable instrument.

Peace
policy
Click to expand...
 
#20
iamchipsmith said:
ok well the people here will know about short scales so im gonna put this here. I basically know its a bad idea but need to know why, haha. Ok im thinking of buying an SX P/J and reshaping the body to be mustang/musicmaster-ish. Then I'd refinish it, find a short scale neck and have a mustang with a P/J set up. I might need to move the bridge too. Is this at all possible? What would it take?
Click to expand...

Finding a short scale neck that bolts into a Fender pocket isn't really very easy, especially if you want quality.

The rest of it sounds quite doable, though.
 

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