Which shortscale?

[eccles77]

Normally I know exactly what I want to buy but I need some advice. I play in a rock covers band using a P bass but sometimes I am stuck in a small corner up against a speaker stand or near a wall, a situation most of us know well.

I have decided to get a shortscale for such occasions to prevent damage to my bass, the gear or other people . But what to get? I have listed some below and would like some opinions. Budget is a max of £500 or $600. First here are some that I won`t look at.

SBMM Stingray: too expensive
Gretch Electromatic: don`t like the looks
Squier Mustang: had one, too expensive for what you get
Epiphone EB 0: eh just no
Squier Mini P: looks too much of a toy

So I have narrowed it down to these.

G&L Fallout Trib: I like the idea of a mini L1000 but it`s almost the same size of a 34" bass apparently. If someone could measure the overall length, that would be great. Price £500 or $600

Sire MM U5: These look really good and seem to get a lot of love but does the headstock look massive on these? It`s the only thing I`m not sure of. £390 or $470

Harley Benton MV 4: The cheapest of the 3. I could get a new wiring loom for around £40 so I can have separate vol and tone for each pickup.£200 or $240

I cannot try any of these out in the flesh as they are not available locally and trying to return to Thomann for the second 2 is a bit of a pain. So if you own any of these 3 I would be interested to hear your thoughts. Ta

 

[Killing Floor]

Fallout.

 

[Johnny Alien]

If the point is to get a shorter overall length because of space restraints then you should take the Fallout off the list as its a large short scale. Otherwise it would be at the top of my suggestions.

 

[totalnoob]

Harley Benton MV 4

With that you get a lot of bass for little money - roasted maple neck, Gotoh tuners, solid stringset, brass saddles, and HB's by now quite excellent QC.

Thomann gives you a 30-day money back warranty, so if you don't like it, you can return it.

 

[Roger W]

The L1000 is a standard scale (34 inches) bass, not short scale.

 

[Sharko]

The L1000 is a standard scale (34 inches) bass, not short scale.

Probably why it’s not one his options

 

[Sharko]

Based on your stated goal of fitting in tight spaces I think you should reconsider the SBMM stingray. It’s not more expensive than others on your list and the bridge placement and 3x1 headstock make it really compact even compared to other short scales. Plus they sound really good.

 

[Roger W]

Probably why it’s not one his options

Yeah I mis-read it.

But, to the point, I'd suggest either of the Reverend short scales: the Sentinel and Wattplower mkII

 

[eccles77]

Based on your stated goal of fitting in tight spaces I think you should reconsider the SBMM stingray. It’s not more expensive than others on your list and the bridge placement and 3x1 headstock make it really compact even compared to other short scales. Plus they sound really good.

The best price on a SBMM Stingray in the UK is £700 and up which is £200 more expensive than the Fallout which is the reason I wouldn`t go for one. But ta anyway

 

[Bunk McNulty]

This is the last time I'm gonna plug this thing. Fender's gonna have to pay me. But until then:
Squier Affinity Jaguar Bass HH:
TB review.
quote: "The level of fretwork is astounding for a $250 instrument. It's better than the frets I get back from my tech, after I drop off much more expensive instruments to have the mediocre fretwork improved. And not a flaw worth noting, anywhere on the instrument, that I can find"

I have one of these, I bought it almost as a joke--a 32" scale for use in tight spots. And it turned out to be this really nicely built instrument. Light weight. Big fat ceramic humbucker. Compact body (which means a degree of neck dive is inevitable, but hardly a barrier to playing). I've gigged with it a couple times, and it's a keeper.

 

[eccles77]

Yeah I mis-read it.

But, to the point, I'd suggest either of the Reverend short scales: the Sentinel and Wattplower mkII

Thanks for the suggestions but those are well over budget.

 

[Johnny Alien]

Yeah I mis-read it.

But, to the point, I'd suggest either of the Reverend short scales: the Sentinel and Wattplower mkII

A Wattplower is much higher than the discussed budget. Seems like the OP already has it narrowed down and is just curious what we would pick out of the listted options based on their situation.

 

[totalnoob]

Based on your stated goal of fitting in tight spaces I think you should reconsider the SBMM stingray. It’s not more expensive than others on your list and the bridge placement and 3x1 headstock make it really compact even compared to other short scales. Plus they sound really good.

It's about 4 times the price of the HB MV 4. For an instrument that will only be occasionally played, it seems like splurging for no good reason.

 

[Johnny Alien]

This is the last time I'm gonna plug this thing. Fender's gonna have to pay me. But until then:
Squier Affinity Jaguar Bass HH:
TB review.
quote: "The level of fretwork is astounding for a $250 instrument. It's better than the frets I get back from my tech, after I drop off much more expensive instruments to have the mediocre fretwork improved. And not a flaw worth noting, anywhere on the instrument, that I can find"

That bass is a 32" scale right? I would assume with the jazz shaped body and 32" scale that it would not be any smaller than a 34" Precision.

 

[Bunk McNulty]

That bass is a 32" scale right? I would assume with the jazz shaped body and 32" scale that it would not be any smaller than a 34" Precision.

Um...it's not a jazz shaped body. Someone described it as "petite."

 

[etoncrow]

Epiphone Allen Woody Rumblekat $550 at Sweetwater

Epiphone Allen Woody Rumblekat Artist Series Bass Guitar - Wine Red$549.00Sweetwater

 

[Johnny Alien]

Um...it's not a jazz shaped body. Someone described it as "petite."

With an offset body (which is what I mean by jazz style) and 32" scale I still stand by the fact that there would be minimum or no reduction in overall length. It sounds like you own one do you know the overall length?

 

[Spupilup]

I own both the Sterling Stingray and the Fallout Tribute model and while the overall length of the Fallout is longer than the Stingray, it is a better bass in so many ways. Keep in mind, there are two reasons why the Fallout is so much larger. First, the body is pretty much full sized where as the Sterling is about 70% as big as a full sized Stingray. Plus, the bridge is further in on the body of the Fallout whereas the Sterling is at the very end of the bass. I have owned the Sterling for over two years and got tired of it after awhile. I purchased the Fallout about six months ago and was immediately impressed with it. I'd like to sell off the Sterling.

The Fallout "feels" like a real instrument. The Sterling is just too small in my hands. I'm not even that enamored with the narrow neck. The Fallout, feels right. The Sterling gets you in the vicinity of the sound of its big brother Stingrays but it's not the real deal. Meanwhile, the Fallout, with round wounds, played aggressively (with a pick or slap) can get close in its own way, to the Stingray. The Fallout pickup is incredible (I own an L1K and an L2K) especially if you back it off the strings a bit. It becomes much easier to control. The Sterling pickup, again, is not in the same league as the Music Man and can only get you a budget facsimile of the active Stingray tone.

Oh, and I just cancelled my order for the U5. After waiting almost 6 months, I gave up. I don't know how Sire stays in business when they can't seem to deliver anything to the stores for them to sell. Frankly, it's just as well. I am not a huge fan of 1 1/2" Jazz style necks. On top of that, I'm concerned that they've been behind in production for so long, I fear what might wind up getting shipped out to customers.

Meanwhile, if I want one, I can get a PRS DGT SE (everyone's been falling all over themselves lately about this being the greatest guitar in the market for under $1K) before the end of the month. And I'm sure there are a lot more people buying them than the U5. If PRS can get quality production our of Indonesia, why is Sire having such difficulty out of China? What a mess.

 

[covermego]

That bass is a 32" scale right? I would assume with the jazz shaped body and 32" scale that it would not be any smaller than a 34" Precision.

Um...it's not a jazz shaped body. Someone described it as "petite."
View attachment 4996743

@Bunk McNulty is right: The body itself is the same dimensions as the no-longer-produced Squier Jaguar SS Bass, which is 30". I have owned both and even though the Affinity's neck is 32" scale, it's only approx 1-1/2" longer than the SS Jag. See the pic of both, "neck-and-neck". That makes it approx. 44" long. ALSO, please note - The Squier "Classic Vibe" Jaguar bass utilized a full-size body, as opposed to the Affinity model. Affinity for the win.

 

[Johnny Alien]

@Bunk McNulty is right: The body itself is the same dimensions as the no-longer-produced Squier Jaguar SS Bass, which is 30". I have owned both and even though the Affinity's neck is 32" scale, it's only approx 1-1/2" longer than the SS Jag. See the pic of both, "neck-and-neck". That makes it approx. 45-1/2" long. ALSO, please note - The Squier "Classic Vibe" Jaguar bass utilized a full-size body, as opposed to the Affinity model. Affinity for the win.View attachment 4996772

If it's 45.5" long then it's only about a half inch or less than the overall length of a Precision bass.