What's driving the shortscale revival?

[Mustang Surly]

Exactly. The marketplace for instruments like these is aging. People want instruments that are lighter to carry and easier to play. Short scales work well on both counts. So the marketers get to sell more instruments to people who already own instruments. Win-win for everyone.

Some wives may take issue with that assertion...

 

[Mildew Jones]

This short scale thing is interesting; probably reading around around here made me go listen to Get Your Ya Ya's Out/Stones, and I marveled at how fat the bass sound was. I started listening to King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard this year; they use Fender Mustang bass mostly (along with microtonal scale stuff), love the fat thick tone. I'm noticing most commercials seem to have that tone on the bass as well...
I will be scoring a Squier Mustang soon to check it out, have a couple gigs I've taken with a Stones tribute thing, the perfect opportunity to procure a SS and get on the wagon (and yeah, I'm old and my hands are hurting more, so checking out that angle as well).
MJ

 

[Steve Fox]

I don’t know about a revival. But for me it’s a couple of things. I lost my left index finger in an accident a few years back, the short scale is just easier to play when your rocking 75% of a left hand.

Add to that Competition Mustangs look rad as f@&k!

 

[SteveC]

I've been on TB 17 years. It's anecdotal I admit, but seems to be more shortscale threads in the Bass forum than ever, and more discussion, and definitely more buying options.

While this is true, TB is a relatively small (even with thousands of members) representation of the overall market. Sub-forums even more so. If TB were representative, every church has a bass player with a $3K+ bass, $1,500+ worth of pedals and tube DI's with custom IEM's.

That said, yes, I think there is more talk about short scale instruments and more quality choices of those instruments - for a variety of reasons.

 

[Oig]

A persistent wrist injury, plus the fact that so many giggable, affordable instruments are now readily available. It needs to be said that these days most short scales sound anything but tubby, IME anyway. I'm looking forward to trying out a 32’ scale Alembic this weekend, even though my wrist is so bad at the moment I can barely play (even my 30' scales) .

 

[droo46]

It's good to see that I was on the right track when I made this video last year:

 

[JIO]

Many of us of a certain age grew up in the '60s when Japan flooded the market with very affordable short-scale basses, specifically targeted at young starting-out bass-players. Most new players then didn't know anything about "set-up" etc so many of these basses felt unplayable or at least challenging out-of-the-box and got a bad rep for being cheap & nasty. That stigma continues to this day, unless you dig a little deeper. As long as the neck isn't warped or bowed, once set-up correctly they are very playable instruments for the most part. Bonus for those buying them today - as many were starter instruments, their 'banjo' frets usually are still in VGC as they were set aside early when a better bass replaced it. And you can buy a 50+yr old MIJ short-scale for a lot less than a same year Fender bass!

'65 Teisco Del Rey

Having said that, savvy builders today are creating very nice short-scale basses that are set-up well and sound and play nice, some referencing short scales of the past in a nostalgic nod to the '60s. As many players here have pointed out - they are easy/fun to play, are smaller/lighter and sound every but as good as any other bass regardless of scale.

 

[Aussie Player]

I bought a Guild Starfire II last week, then came across a mint '71 Fender Musicmaster and am flipping the Guild. I think I'm in love.

For me, the interest in shortscale was several things. Age and the thought of something lighter and easier to play through a 4-hr gig was probably primary. Peculiar interest was another factor with a seeming uptick in shortscale threads here on TB. Also, mainstream guitar and bass companies targeting resources in the shortscale area: think EBMM with their Sterling Stingray Shortscale bass. Finally, as many of you probably have done, I started paying attention to shortscale information and read many of the shortscale threads here, learning a lot and piquing my interest. I think the biggest misconception I had was that shortscale could never sound close to regular scale basses. Wrong. At least to my ears.

Novelty, and exploration of the thicker tone which is a surprise to the uninitiated.

 

[2cooltoolz]

Again quoting myself:

I've been playing 5 strings only for several years. The lightest of my rotation of 3 is right at 10 lbs. My back has been steadily deteriorating for several years, to the point surgery (Lumbar Fusion) was necessary. Additionally, I am developing Arthritis in my hands; particularly my left thumb.
---yada yada ---
So, smaller, lighter, lower string tension. Voila!!

I have two great shorties...
However… I’ve recently found that I miss some of the advantages of the 5, and also appreciate the extra room after the 12th fret when soloing. It’s really cramped on a 30” scale up there. Picked up the 5’s again, and have enjoyed playing them again in a band setting.

I'm missing the 5s also, and they are not (yet) on the market. I also have a great 34" 8lb 2oz PJ that is getting equal use at home with the Shortie. But I haven't been gigging since my surgery, and when I get back on that wagon (actively looking) it's nice to know the Mustang is available.

 

[Aussie Player]

It's good to see that I was on the right track when I made this video last year:

Good video and, Gibson basses sound darker still, or can if you dial them in which means volume on full and tones about 2-3 which is where I like them as they cut any mix better. Some rooms like the bass pick up dropped to around 7-8 as well to clear up the definition on the E string and bump the volume a touch on the amp. (Valve amp of course)

 

[Florinda4]

Age and the thought of something lighter and easier to play through a 4-hr gig was probably primary.

This - for me, anyway.

 

[El8ed]

My 3 reasons … ;-)

 

[Stock]

I've always played 34" scale (40 years). But during Covid I acquired a Fender Kingman acoustic/electric (30") to develop my duo configuration. I love that thing, it's currently my go to bass for 2, 3 and 4 piece gigs. Amps are so sophisticated these days I can model the tone there. I look at my J Bass case and feel guilty no

I bought a Guild Starfire II last week, then came across a mint '71 Fender Musicmaster and am flipping the Guild. I think I'm in love.

For me, the interest in shortscale was several things. Age and the thought of something lighter and easier to play through a 4-hr gig was probably primary. Peculiar interest was another factor with a seeming uptick in shortscale threads here on TB. Also, mainstream guitar and bass companies targeting resources in the shortscale area: think EBMM with their Sterling Stingray Shortscale bass. Finally, as many of you probably have done, I started paying attention to shortscale information and read many of the shortscale threads here, learning a lot and piquing my interest. I think the biggest misconception I had was that shortscale could never sound close to regular scale basses. Wrong. At least to my ears.

I've always played 34" scale until this past year I acquired a 30" scale acoustic/electric. I like it so much it has become my go-to gigging instrument.

 

[SteveC]

My 3 reasons … ;-)View attachment 4539680

Well, when your short scale bass is an Alembic...

 

[john_g]

I think the short scale sound melds with certain instruments of the day better like synths. While some have physical/cost reasons, must not lose sight of the fact that the music is king or at least it should be.

Music is all in the ear/brain and these days for whatever reason musos are hearing certain sounds and frequencies where a short scale just locks things in. These are music tools, not ornaments to be constrained to generations and age-groups of humanity.

As has been pointed out things go in cycles. When the Beatles came along they were driven by let's call them PTB, to offset a bad time in history. Figure what had occurred in America right before the Fab Four hit Ed Sullivan. The "mania" lifted the spirits of the youth after a certain day in Dallas. We're going through a similar dark time and music will help see us through or at least provide some solace.

Let's see if millennials and Gen Z can bring the spark...

View attachment 4539148
Politics played a big part in Sullivan's move to guest the Beatles. Even the FF we're surprised why things were happening for them when they mostly did Buddy Holly and Little Richard covers.

View attachment 4539149

They already have! Ever hear of a one Justin Bieber?? Hmmm?

 

[Killing Floor]

It might be from too few windings on strings?

 

[RLK]

Nowadays there are so many accessible indie/home-based studios. They have reduced release/distribution costs and have less dogmatic attachments to entrenched standards.
There also seems to be more and more multi-instrumentalist impresarios who are more comfortable on short scale when swapping between guitar and bass.

 

[KJMO]

I'm not a boomer, I have big hands, etc, and I prefer short-scale. When I was more manly, I used to play a 100 inch scale bass, and I had to walk three steps to move 3 frets. Disco lines were Schwarzenegger level manly!
I propose being a bass player has more to do with what notes you play, and how you play them, than how manly you are as measured by how far you stretch from note to note on a bass guitar. If you want to compare how manly you are, I would suggest other things are better suited to do that (and who the Frick cares).

Part of the popularity, no doubt, has to do with aging bass players, but I think with all the nice short-scales available, people are finding there are serious benefits to playing short-scale, and that some of the conventional wisdom is wrong (e.g. short-scale sounds boomy).

My main problem is string choice, especially with my new to me 5-string short scale. As far as I know there is only one set available for it.

 

[Slapndbayass]

They already have! Ever hear of a one Justin Bieber?? Hmmm?

Hehehe, well considering short scale made its mark since the Fab Four (AFIK) but then went underground for a while when Larry Graham turned things upside down... Point is it, short scale, didn't go away. Like things did for Jamerson. Got to the point the man couldn't get a gig for his great style.

Beiber overlooking his fandom, is a real muso. He produced along with The Messengers, his first street hit album.

Today he's hanging in there with Holy.

Then there's the synth-bass era like Madonna's Express Yourself with Lately Bass preset off a Yamaha synth like the TX-81z, no string bass on those hits. Some producers used TWO TX units to get their bass tracks.

Anyway we're here in 2022 and short scale has taken on another life or it seems to as evidenced by this thread. I know I'm resurrecting my Hofner and that's how I found this thread.

Music today is more of being politically correct.

And no producer ever moves forward without an homage to that which came before.

Before I forget the Fender VI was part of the Fab Four's studio instruments, a baritone guitar at 27" scale. Today the VI is 30".

 

[KJMO]

I’d like one

but I can’t find a inexpensive 5 string jazz short scale

Maybe someone has already mentioned it, but there is the
Ibanez GSRM25 miKro. And some BTBs are medium scale and pretty cheap.