Which Short Scale Bass?

[B-Mac]

Using the mobile site was not easy. But I put up some photos. A short scale became available for a decent price and so I snapped it up. Made in China, super light. Decent sound. E string a little floppy. Really have to get used to it. Practiced some songs with my 34" scale Swing bass and switched over to the short scale. Some songs were easier. Still got a learning curve I think.

Pix?

 

[Joe Nerve]

I currently own and play:

A Hofner Ignition Club
A Talman with Geezer Pickups
A Fender Mustang P/J
A Fender American Performer P/J
A Supro Huntington 3

If you're looking for the lightest, least expensive, best sounding (and looking, IMO) bass you'll ever find, it's the Hofner. When I ordered mine and it arrived, it came a day early and I honestly thought they sent a gig-bag by mistake. The box was a featherweight. I'm pretty sure the bass weighs only a little over 4 lbs. And it sounds awesome. Thick, rich and even versatile once you figure the electronics out. The only thing that takes a tiny bit of getting used to is that it feels a bit toy like. I LOVE mine, and would use it all the time if I could put a D-tuner on it. I can't, so it rarely ever gets out. My band repertoire requires a D-tuner. This is what it looks like:

View attachment 3325256

The Mustangs come in at around 8 lbs. but feel lighter because of the size. Since purchasing my Mustang P/J a little over a year ago, its come to about 95% of my gigs. The ones it didn't come to, I regretted not bringing it. With both pickups on, it sits perfectly in any mix. It cuts without too much oomph or sizzle, and it's as brainless as a P bass. The P soloed puts out a ton of oomph, and the bridge soloed is a bit thin, but EQed properly could work and get Jazz Bass like tones. I only ever use the other 2 settings. I love my P/J.

The American Performer Mustang is still brand new to me. It feels the same as the P/J, the pickups however can be blended, and both sound awesome soloed. You can definitely coax a lot of J bass sounds out of it. The soloed P pickup sounds absolutely awesome to me. Doesn't have the oomph of the other Mustang, but its perfectly tamed IMO. Its too new for me to say much more. I've only played one set with it live since getting it.

The Huntington 3 I have mixed feelings on. I'm not a fanboy like others, but I get it. It feels awesome, and well built. The neck is a bit thicker than the others, but it feels super sweet. It has TONS of rich gooey bottom, and lots of sizzle can be added with the piezo. I think I've grown real accustomed to the Fender sound though, and I love my upper mids. I haven't used the Supro much and could probably dial them in by tweaking my amp, but I feel its a tad lacking for my tastes. It sounds a lot more rich and substantial than any of the other basses - but I dunno. I think I was expecting a little more versatility with the 3 pickups. It is hands down the most beautiful of the bunch:

View attachment 3325258

And finally... the Talman. I use it in the house. Took it to one gig. With the stock pickups, IMO it wouldn't have stood a chance. The Geezers give it a little personality and oomph, but its a bit underwhelming. I get a lot more out of the Fenders. The Talman feels a pound or 2 lighter, though.

That's my roundup.

 

[Skillet]

Hey @Joe Nerve, I think, that for the good of the TB community, you should get your hands on the Supro H1, and H2 so you can compare. I'm stunned by the amount of sounds I can get out of my H1 with piezo, (though many of them are come to strangely, ie cutting the volume all the way and using the tone pot to blend). I'd love to hear a direct comparison between the versions.
If you have the time and if money is no object. Please take care of that.
THANKS

 

[Joe Nerve]

Hey @Joe Nerve, I think, that for the good of the TB community, you should get your hands on the Supro H1, and H2 so you can compare. I'm stunned by the amount of sounds I can get out of my H1 with piezo, (though many of them are come to strangely, ie cutting the volume all the way and using the tone pot to blend). I'd love to hear a direct comparison between the versions.
If you have the time and if money is no object. Please take care of that.
THANKS

I'd love to, but I have to work really hard at taming this habit of mine.

With a short scale Stingray coming out soon...

Not likely that I'm gonna get another Huntington. I'd be happy to consider trading if anyone wants to though. I'm not in love.

 

[bearfoot]

I have been dealing with neck and shoulder problems for about 1 1/2 years from an auto accident. My bass is currently a mid 90's Ibanez SR-400. I am very happy with this bass and really don't want to change.

Because of my neck and shoulders, is is sometimes quite uncomfortable having my bass hanging on my shoulders. I have tried many different straps for this, including the different slinger straps and the duostrap. The duostrap works the best, but I am thinking of looking at getting a short-scale bass to see if it would be a little lighter.

The short scale bass I have found are the Ibanez Talman, Ibanez Mikro, Fender Mustang PJ, and the Squier Jaguar. I am hoping to find one of these close enough to where I can try them, but I live in a rural area and there are not that many options close to me.

Are there any other short scale basses I should look at. I want a PJ configuration and I am partial to jazz style necks.

I would also appreciate any comparisons of these basses if you have experience with one or more of these basses.

Thanks

Hey I'm sorry to hear about your physical difficulties, I wanted to offer another idea perhaps no one else has said: since the SR 400 is a bolt-on design, it is possible to make a short-scale neck for it. The existing neck will be very useful as a guide.
If not as a DIY, I would bet that some luthiers here on TB would be happy to pick up such a project, probably for not much more $ than you'd spend on a budget shortscale bass.
Then you would have the world's only custom shortscale SR 400.

other option to consider is Rondo, they still have not recovered stock from the rosewood shift, but do have a few short scale P/J's, and a lined short scale fretless P.

 

[walking Bass]

I started with short scale (Gibson EB-2) and eventually got other basses - 5 String Ken Smith (34) and Rob Allen MB-2 (34) and later an SG and recently the American Performer Mustang. As I've gotten older the longer scales put more stress on hands and shoulders, etc. When in the worst shape, I just practice with a Taylor GS Mini, but it's not for performance use.

Both scale length and weight play a role for me. The less than 7 pound weight of the Rob Allen makes up a lot for the scale length and the superb ergonomics and neck make it pretty easy to play.

The SG is much easier than the heavier EB-2, though they have the same necks.

I test drove several basses before recently getting the Mustang - they included the MIJ Mustang, Ibanez Mikro, Gretch Jr. Jet, Epi EB-0, a Lyle Hollowbody from '70 and the Lakland HB-30. Other basses I wanted to try, but were not available included the Supro, Birdsong and Reverend (Wattplower and Dub King).

For my taste only the Lakland felt and sounded really good among the lot. It was mostly a toss-up on playability, but the Mustang just felt right. I also liked the fact that it was from Corona, California, looked beautiful in burst with lovely wood grain and cost about the same as the Lakland. The other Fenders I have are American Models and have held up perfectly for over 30 years and held their value too.

 

[Mustang Surly]

 

[jdarctic]

Pix?

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[Bobo]

You're not going to find a short scale bass that sounds exactly like a full scale Jazz or Precision so I wouldn't get too attached to the PJ pickup configuration if I were you, unless that's just your preference for looks.

If your reason for wanting a short scale is a medical one, I would look to the Hofner and Hofner style violin basses first. The bigger questions are, What is your budget and what type of music do you play? Also, do you care about looks at all?

Check out the Hofner Club bass.