THE SHORT SCALE BASS THREAD!

[TheApostlePaul]

My short scale Jay Turser P-Bass and my converted (with a capo) short scale Squier Vintage Modified Jazz fretless.

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[blackbassist]

huge pic.
yikes.
my old used emperador

 

[Chunk-O-Funk]

Here's another Mouse!

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[plexibass]

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

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

uh oh.........GAS is back again. i have 6 dan armstrongs and all are shortscale. i play them because rick price plays them. also i have arthritis pretty bad so it helps to have short sclae, and they will rip your head off.

 

[Dave Bassincus]

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?

Why not just get one of their short-scale P's or J's, and do your voodoo to that?
Not to be a spoilsport, but why not just get a Mustang and put in any pickups you want? You're inroducing too many variables with moving the bridge and puting a short-scale neck on a long scale body. I'd be real surprised if it intonated well.
But maybe I'm wrong. Who knows until you take the plunge?

 

[dangnewt]

I bought one of the Fender CIJ RI Mustangs a few years ago. While my short fingers liked the easy reach, those same fingers are on the fat side and the string spacing was a little too tight. I ended up trading it in for a second cab.

I had the pleasure of playing Chunk's Rob Allen Mouse. It sounds as good as it looks.

Policy - I love the look of your Gretsch. Please tell me the string spacing is on the narrow side - otherwise I may be overcome by GAS.

 

[CTbass&birdsong]

Here's another Mouse!

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NICE!!!!!!Gas attack forming !!!!!

 

[spade2you]

NICE!!!!!!Gas attack forming !!!!!

Then don't mind this...................................

 

[SBassman]

My short scale Jay Turser P-Bass and my converted (with a capo) short scale Squier Vintage Modified Jazz fretless.

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How's that JT?

 

[CTbass&birdsong]

Then don't mind this...................................

the MADNESS is striking!!! You all are gaining up on my GAS attacks....I must have visited R allens site at least 6 times today !!!!!

 

[tdogg]

i'm curious about that jay turser bass also. i used to have a jay turser guitar,( les pual studio knock off) played nice but the pickups left alot to desire.

 

[SBassman]

the MADNESS is striking!!! You all are gaining up on my GAS attacks....I must have visited R allens site at least 6 times today !!!!!

RA basses are instant GAS inducers. Fortunately, for me it's not a problem, because the price isn't even in the Neighborhood of something I can afford.

RA's are on my post-Lotto list.

 

[spade2you]

the MADNESS is striking!!! You all are gaining up on my GAS attacks....I must have visited R allens site at least 6 times today !!!!!

You're tellin' me! I just got mine a few weeks ago and I'm already looking at another Mouse 30.

 

[emils]

Another reason to post this. OK!

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[TheApostlePaul]

i'm curious about that jay turser bass also. i used to have a jay turser guitar,( les pual studio knock off) played nice but the pickups left alot to desire.

The bass itself is great. Very well made for the price. However, I must admit I do have a replacement pup on the way.

 

[Showdown]

My 3 short scale basses.

Epiphone Rumblekat, Schecter Hellcat VI and Danelectro U2.

 

[rfclef]

My only bass (til my Dean EVO gets here this week...)

Short scale, of course... Epiphone Viola Bass...

Short scales rule.

 

[DeanT]

Here's my SX SJB-62 Jazz. I also have an SX SPB-57 fretless that's short scale.

 

[policyvote]

Policy - I love the look of your Gretsch. Please tell me the string spacing is on the narrow side - otherwise I may be overcome by GAS.

Thanks man! I love it, too. Unfortunately for your wallet, this bass has the "Space Control" bridge:

Kinda tough to see, but the horizontal rod there is threaded, and the strings actually rest on ferrules that are also threaded. So, you can actually adjust the spacing at the bridge to whatever floats your boat (limited, of course, by the physical width of the neck, and the magnetic fields of the pickups' pole pieces). The action for each side of the bridge is adjustable on-the-fly--the vertical columns that hold that threaded rod are resting on thumbscrews.

Peace
policy

 

[rllefebv]

I have 3 and love 'em all...

'78 Fender Musicmaster
'00 Dano Longhorn
'71 Ovation Typhoon IV

I came within seconds of buying a Mustang RI at Guitar Center, but the deal on the '51 RI was too good to pass up. I was looking at both, but when the guy told me that it was "exactly like the bass Sting plays," well... That just swung the deal!! Wait a minute, isn't that a '54??

-robert