Which shortscale?

[Bar Band Bassman]

Lobster's review is damning. Cheap/poor hardware, PVC nut, poor QC, terrible setup, pickups wired out of phase. TBH, I am not sure where all that money went. Seems almost as if Glarry made them.

There have been a number of comments on both sides of the fence about the Newport. Like the Charvel San Dimas, it has its fans and detractors. I'm waiting until the sample size of reviews increases. Also, I'll want to play and inspect one first. Epiphone surely follows the consumer (us) feedback and I expect will tighten up their QC.

 

[LJ51]

Here are a couple of ideas about smaller basses. I have played, on and off, a Squirer Jaguar 3/4 scale bass. It's small and compact, but feels like a small Jazz bass. I did put Fender American pickups on it. Another thing I have been doing lately is converting guitars into six string basses. It doesnt take a lot to do this. I replaced the strings on a Squier Bullet Strat with ultra light bass strings. I wouldnt put heavy bass strings on a guitar. The low e I used was .85. The only changes I made to the guitar were filing the string slots on the nut due to the larger string size, and I had to drill out the string holes slightly on the low e and a tuners. Without changing the pickups the guitar sounds and plays great! I havent been able to put it down. Also, it is a very compact bass.It reminds me of a Fender VI, but it plays better than the VI. It's a fun project if you have a guitar you wouldnt mind using for this.

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

 

[totalnoob]

There have been a number of comments on both sides of the fence about the Newport. Like the Charvel San Dimas, it has its fans and detractors. I'm waiting until the sample size of reviews increases. Also, I'll want to play and inspect one first. Epiphone surely follows the consumer (us) feedback and I expect will tighten up their QC.

Some things they may fix, like the terrible setup, the out-of-phase pickups and the QC, but I doubt they'll replace the poor quality bridge, nut and tuners. But if they do the former, that's good enough, I guess?

 

[stringthrough]

Sire U5, but the G&L is also a good choice.

If you got a few extra $$$, Fender MIM Mustang Bass. Mine is fantastic and it's fast becoming my main gigging bass despite me having an MIA Fender Jazz, Precision and G&L Kiloton.

 

[totalnoob]

The cast pot metal stuff is porous and bubbly inside the chrome plating and has mystery meat metal that starts corroding very early in it’s life.

This is true. Pot metal, AKA zinc, is not a good material for most things experiencing mechanical stress. Generally, it's just not very reliable. Which is why I am a bit befuddled that people would pay so much money for <famous brand name> zinc bridges. Casting stuff from zinc is probably the cheapest fabrication process available today, but it produces objects of suspicious durability. Go with steel or brass, folks.

not that OP is considering it, and appears to be very wise with his money.

Yes, that's the impression I am having as well.

In general, I think I agree with the gist of your post - which is why I don't buy new basses from any other company but Harley Benton. All my other basses have been 2nd hand buys.

Rondo music has a couple SX.

OP is not buying a bass from Rondo Music. Geography. I do like the SX basses, though - seems like their quality has improved in recent years, and they are good value.

 

[totalnoob]

MIM

I'm hearing ever more often horror stories about QC problems with MIM Fenders. One such account is even in this thread. I know it didn't use to be like this, but nowadays you have to check your MIM fender personally and carefully, before buying it.

 

[mellowgerman]

What about a used Chowny SWB? I would think they should be even easier to track down in Europe than in the States. I have yet to play one personally, but they are compact, even for a short scale and I think they look great. So far I have yet to hear any bad reviews.

 

[totalnoob]

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

This just came to my mind: how about the Höfner Shorty? Höfner HCT-SHB-BK-0 Black - €176 - Muziker
This is the most compact shortscale (30") bass mentioned in this thread, cheaper even than the HB, and of very solid quality. We have one in our home - my son plays it, sometimes I play it as well. Very nice, very compact bass, but it has one drawback: the body shape makes it awkward to play sitting. You need a strap for it - which thankfully is the actual use-case for you.
Though I still recommend the HB MV-4, as it is the msot feature-rich of the shortscales you mentioned.

 

[thisheregiraffe]

Can't say I've tried either of them, but I'd be choosing between either the Sire U5 or the Harley Benton MV-4MSB Gotoh. I've been pretty impressed by reviews of both of them. Particularly the Harley Benton. Odd choice of controls on that one though, only master volume and master tone...

 

[DoctorZee]

I am also in a rock cover band and am in the process of transitioning from P to shortscale for many of the same reasons you mentioned. I ended up with a CIJ Mustang that came up for sale for a good price. I’d recommend considering that, or reconsidering the Squier Mustang with a few small upgrades. It will be very familiar to you as a P Bass player. Another option you didn’t mention is the Gibson Les Paul DC shortscale. I tried one out; that particular one had major neck issues, but overall I think they’re pretty good basses.

 

[sonojono]

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

You could do that or get the best of 5 worlds

 

[stringthrough]

I'm hearing ever more often horror stories about QC problems with MIM Fenders. One such account is even in this thread. I know it didn't use to be like this, but nowadays you have to check your MIM fender personally and carefully, before buying it.

I can only speak from personal experience. Mine is from '22 and the neck is arrow straight, action very low w/o buzzing (I've yet to adjust the truss rod despite trying different strings on it), good sounding, very good tuners, comfy weight (8.0lbs). Except for it having neck dive (common with SS basses) I'd not change a thing about it.

 

[neil|lien]

Can't say I've tried either of them, but I'd be choosing between either the Sire U5 or the Harley Benton MV-4MSB Gotoh. I've been pretty impressed by reviews of both of them. Particularly the Harley Benton. Odd choice of controls on that one though, only master volume and master tone...

Another vote for the Harley Benton MV-4MSB !
Here is mine, completely stock, in action:
ղҽìӀ|Ӏìҽղ on Instagram: "Dear Fellaz & Fellazettes, Homies & Homelettes, . It's been a while, hasn't it? Life got in the way, i lost a few feathers in the process... but here i am. . And this "Elizabeth" Live Session by @lizlokre is just a succession of gems that i would recommend listening to on her YT channel... They didn't have a bassist, so i improvised a little smthg, solo & all... full disclaimer: this is my third or fourth take & i need some sleep... . needed if U want to hear the bass. #Song #bass #bassplayer #bassist #singing #SingerSongwriter #LiveMusic #Performing #Musician #music #DIYmusician #Homemade #musicians #release #singersongwriter #alternative #alternativemusic #tattoos #ink #inked #tattooart #tattooedmusician #inkedmusician #Mustang #improv"

Don't be tol harsh on the playing, it's improv & i have no formal training or knowledge of how to improv or anything.. looks like i am just hitting a bunch of notes trying to get to "the one" that sounds good. It was recorded through a Roland Go Mixer into my phone, no effects but i believe the Roland thingy does colour the sound somehow..

Anyway : how about a Kramer D-1 bass? They have them on sale here: Kramer Guitars D-1 Bass Pearl White

They are 34" in scale, but with a small body and a bridge that's anchored close to the very end of the body. If U are into that kind of aesthetics... i was considering getting one also as backup bass / alternative to the P/J configuration of the HB, which is the only bass i have left. @Sid the Kid was kind enough to answer my questions about the one he owns and even showed me a pic of the Kramer and his Mikro together.. the difference is super small indeed...

As for second hand Chowny SWB:
Chowny SWB-1

Or

Chowny SWB-1 - £325

 

[totalnoob]

You could do that or get the best of 5 worlds

That's a briliant mod!
The one I would have done is just disconnect the J-pickup and have a nice P-bass. I'm not a fan of J-pcikups

 

[steimlem]

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

mine is about 2" shorter than my precision. it's a pretty small bass. short scale size body with medium scale neck.

 

[Johnny Alien]

mine is over 1.5" shorter than my precision. it's a pretty small bass. short scale size body with medium scale neck.

Yes the other poster corrected the measurement they originally posted and the new number was right around 1.5" difference (which you just confirmed). Based on the Fallout measurements provided that is actually 2" smaller than a precision. I don't know how much of a difference is needed for the OP.

 

[sonojono]

That's a briliant mod!
The one I would have done is just disconnect the J-pickup and have a nice P-bass. I'm not a fan of J-pcikups

Yeah that's pretty common about J-Pickups in PJ Basses

 

[steimlem]

Yes the other poster corrected the measurement they originally posted and the new number was right around 1.5" difference (which you just confirmed). Based on the Fallout measurements provided that is actually 2" smaller than a precision. I don't know how much of a difference is needed for the OP.

ah gotcha. the jag h is about 2" shorter than the precision give or take but all i have is a stiff tape measurer and don't want lay down the basses or risk scratching rn. i had a mezzo which is also quite small and comparable to a short scale as well but active with a thin pencil neck. i would consider both.

 

[BazzaBass]

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

Same answer as last month’s question:

Reverend Wattplower Mk11

 

[MrUsefulAlien]

I have the Fallout, it's a real bass. Have played a bunch of gigs with it and it just sounds and feels incredible.
One of my friends has the Sire U5, he says it's a great bass but feels a bit like a toy.
I had a the Epiphone Rumblekat and it sounded good, but was quite heavy.

I also have the aforementioned Squier 32", the neck is really nice, I used it on a 32" scale P bass project, it is nowhere near the quality of instrument of the Fallout, it's also much cheaper.