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Which shortscale?
- Thread starter eccles77
- Start date
ibanez EHB1000s for maximum space optimization.
It’s not more expensive than the fallout though, which is on his list. And it meets his goal better. I’d call it splurging for a good reason.
Get a Steinberger Spirit or better yet an older Hohner B2 and spend 20 mins and $10 to add a strap pin extender. I played an XL2 on a lot of very tight stages for many years and no SS has come as close to being as compact, especially the FSO types with the ginormous 4IL headstocks.
I have an old Cort 30" PJ with a tiny 2+2 headstock but it doesn't have a model number on it. I paid like $30 for it S/H so there are some out there, and fir that sort of initial buy in it would make a great mod platform, not that there's anything wrong with the hardware on it stock.
Whoah, I stand corrected, didn’t know they were so expensive there. There’s used ones here for 450 all the timeThe 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
How about a headless? Any of the dozen or so Steinberger paddle bass clones, for example. Tend to be much smaller than even a shortscale with headstock. If you can find a Westone headless.. Those were 32 inch scale, so more compact still
Don't give up on the Squier Mini P. I think it does just as good a job as a regular size P.
Very comfortable little basses, and incredibly compact. Basically travel bass-sized, and perfect for his application...
But MILES outside of the OP's budget.
Given that this is going to be your "bad stage" instrument, I would apply the usual dive bar requirements when choosing- get the cheapest thing that meets your playability and tone requirements, and doesn't make you look like a dork....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.
...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
You could save another couple of inches by looking at 2x2 headstocks, headless or travel bass options. The first that comes to mind is the Hofner Shorty or Shorty Violin. Still, that is definitely going to trigger your concerns about the dorky, toylike thing.
Going back to your shortlist, I would go with the Harley Benton. It's half the price of the U5, and immediately available. Balance-wise, it has lightweight sealed tuners, unlike the U5, and a number of the other options that other people have mentioned. Full-size open gear tuners on a short-horn 30" bass are a recipe for neck dive.
Since this isn't going to be your #1, I would try to grab a B-stock example. If the new is already worn off, then you don't have to fear that first scratch!
My reasoning:
- If you love the HB as-is, you're done for half the price of the cheapest U5 version.
- If you hate it, and don't think that a wiring harness is going to fix the problem, return it and trade up to the U5.
- If you like the way the HB plays but find it a bit lacking tone-wise, it should be easy to mod.
- Since it's your backup, you can also afford to wait for good deals on used parts if you decide to go mod-crazy.
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Shorties are not so short and mostly the bridge is moved forward making for a different right hand position. If your concern is small spaces... maybe consider something headless.
I too love my MIM Mustang. I owned a MIA Precision, Player Jazz, and others, and liked the Mustang better than all of them. It is the only bass I perform with and the only bass I own at the moment. If I didn't feel the need to have a back up at performances, I wouldn't get another bass.
I realize it is beyond your budget, but it might be worth it if you can swing it...
This is the ultimate correct answer. Headless basses have the advantage of having the bridge as close to the edge of the body as possible, which is the #1 thing to decrease the reach of the first fret. Losing a bunch of mass from the headstock also eases some of the muscle groups that support the weight of the headstock when playing. I am sure this has lead many a player to the short scale “compromise”.
The only sacrifice to headless that I’ve found is that bent notes must be bent further to to achieve the same pitch as a bent note on a bass with a headstock. It’s called speaking length if you want to look it up, it is real and repeatable. Other than that the ergonomics of headless tend to approximate the first fret reach of a standard short scale. I like short scales just fine but I’m a 5 string guy and they just don’t cut the mustard.
The headless Ibanez short scale may be the smallest bass I’ve ever played. It was actually uncomfortably small, and I own a Mikro! It would be better without the wings on the headpiece, but Ibanez never consulted me so here we are!
I miss you guys sometimes! There’s always some thought provoking discussions happening here about minutiae and I love it.
Of these basses, I'd go with the Fallout on the basis that I think it's the best bass on the list.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
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
But... to be honest, I'd look a the problem from a different angle. On paper, choosing a short scale instead of a long scale is going to net you four inches of space (not taking into account the difference between scale length and total length-- that difference is pretty variable).
This is two inches on either side of you... if you're playing in conditions where that extra two inches is meaningful, then you have some serious problems to sort out with either the stage logistics of your band or your choice of venues. I would not be choosing instruments based on that factor and instead be trying my absolute best to solve that factor. That way you can choose the instrument you want instead of the one that keeps you the most out of the way for your bandmates...
How big is your band (both number of people and instruments played) and how big are your usual stages?
The Jackson Minion is about the size of a regular guitar but it packs a big punch. It is what I would use in close quarter combat.
For anyone who's comfortable with 4-string basses, going from a long-scale conventional bass to a short-scale headless is a good way to deal with the speaking length issue.
When I had the Ibanez EHB1005SMS, the lower string tension of the short-scale fan (32" to 30" compared to 37" - 34" on my Dingwall) made string bends and vibrato feel pretty normal, despite the lack of extra string length at the headstock. The B string kind of sucked on the Ibanez, but the four-string version would have been a pretty great stage instrument with some electronics upgrades.
Once again, we're not really helping the OP very much with these thread derails.
He's got budget constraints that aren't going to get him into a Strandberg Boden, or even a used Ibanez EHB.
Also, he's expressed a preference for instruments that feel fairly conventional, and not "toylike".
I suspect that a headless with the nut several inches closer to his body would be a bridge too far...
There’s a review video out there spreading this but it’s wrong. I just double checked and my Fallout is about 4” shorter than my SB-1.
Definitely go for the Fallout it has a wide variety of tones and is the most comfortable bass I’ve ever played especially sitting down.
Posted just for fun
Left to right . . .
Squier Affinity Jazz 34" scale
Squier Affinity Jag H 32" scale
Squier 60s CV Mustang 30" scale
Ibanez Mikro 28" (and some change)
