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Which shortscale?

#84
I love my SBMM SS Stingray, but you don't want to spend the money, that's your deal.
I do think the mini P feels like a toy, but I upgraded the bridge and pickup on my son's and it sounds like a player P now.
I was not impressed by my MIA Mustang and sold it so no vote there.
Aren't there a lot more options in the EU?
 
#85
eccles77 said:
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 :D. 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
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Personally, get a Squire jag h.

These thing's rock. And, the pickup is a standard size.
Screenshot_20230312_221529_Samsung Internet.jpg


250 bucks in America

But, really fun bass. I jam on one everytime I hit guitar center. I'll buy one myself eventually
 
#90
StaggaLee said:
Maybe it's a newbie option but I have a Talman short scale, there's definetely some neck dive but it's super fun to play, you get a lot for the buck plus it looks really cool to me. :D
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We have that one, too. It's one of the nicest basses in the roster (with La Bella flats). Sadly, it's rather huge for a shortscale. The big Talman-style headstock and the placement of the bridge are not ideal. But yeah, it's a nice bass, very nice.
 
#92
totalnoob said:
We have that one, too. It's one of the nicest basses in the roster (with La Bella flats). Sadly, it's rather huge for a shortscale. The big Talman-style headstock and the placement of the bridge are not ideal. But yeah, it's a nice bass, very nice.
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Thankyou. I’m sure the sky won’t fall just because I recommended an expensive bass
totalnoob said:
A $2k bass is way over the specified budget. Look, nothing wrong in admitting you have not been paying attention, or even attempted at reading his post. I would have respected you for it.
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Are you the Price Police? Sure it’s well over budget, but it’s good to be appraised of what is out there. Many of the short scales are toys. But thank you for your passion.
 
#94
Lowendchamp said:
I love my SBMM SS Stingray, but you don't want to spend the money, that's your deal.
I do think the mini P feels like a toy, but I upgraded the bridge and pickup on my son's and it sounds like a player P now.
I was not impressed by my MIA Mustang and sold it so no vote there.
Aren't there a lot more options in the EU?
Click to expand...
The mini P does feel like a toy. I play short scales exclusively, but the mini P is just too diminutive.

SX makes some very good short scale basses that are very affordable, and comparable to Squire in quality. This is the model I bought in the Netherlands:

upload_2023-3-13_11-59-14.png



And here's mine, with some light modding:

20230310_220804-jpg.4994653


The Official Short Scale Bass Club -- Part 4


You can buy that brand at Rondo Music in the US:

SX Ursa 2 JR RN ALDER 3TS Short Scale Bass

https://www.rondomusic.com/SX_Ursa2_JR_MN_ALD_LPB.html
 
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#95
@eccles77 I dont think you have a bad set of choices. The HB will take some tinkering but if that's good with you then that's fine. Some people like to tinker, others do not.

I've not tried the Fallout, but I have tried the SBMM shorty. Great bass. The U5 is pretty rare as they always sell out, and their owners love them. Seems like pretty good indicators to me.

I haven't played this one, but check out Bootlegger Guitars Short scale Ace bass. It's quite a bit more compact and headless. It is a bit different though. Lowendlobster has a review on the full scale Ace. You mentioned Thomann and had some prices listed in £. If you're in England, check out Chowney. Bit pricey compared to competition for Americans, but you wont have to deal with import tax, etc. So it may be worth checking out.

@Morrighan Do you know of any other British short scales for eccles77?
 
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#96
mrperkolator said:
@eccles77 I dont think you have a bad set of choices. The HB will take some tinkering but if that's good with you then that's fine. Some people like to tinker, others do not.

I've not tried the Fallout, but I have tried the SBMM shorty. Great bass. The U5 is pretty rare as they always sell out, and their owners love them. Seems like pretty good indicators to me.

I haven't played this one, but check out Bootlegger Guitars Short scale Ace bass. It's quite a bit more compact and headless. It is a bit different though. Lowendlobster has a review on the full scale Ace. You mentioned Thomann and had some prices listed in £. If you're in England, check out Chowney. Bit pricey compared to competition for Americans, but you wont have to deal with import tax, etc. So it may be worth checking out.

@Morrighan Do you know of any other British short scales for eccles77?
Click to expand...

@chowny just posted this video Chow Down! Chowny & Retrovibe Bass Club!
... so it would appear more new Chowny basses are on their way

​
 
#98
Not sure if this is helpful - I own a U5 and a nordstrand Acinonyx for short scales. The nordstrand is out of your price range at $1k but it's head and shoulders better than the U5 in terms of sound, but not so much in terms of build quality imo. The build quality of the Acinonyx is just fine but not as solid but it's also lighter, so there's that. Personally I like the looks of the seafoam U5 (and headstock) just fine.

I've played both extensively but have only recorded with the Nordstrand. The U5 sounds good in a live band mix and it feels like a good quality instrument to me (my long scales are Sadowsky, Spector, Fender Am Std). I'm also playing rock covers most of the time. However the Acinonyx is next level in both live and recorded mixes. I'm not trying to contribute to budget busting GAS.
 
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