What Short Scale Basses Can You Recommend?

Re: What Short Scale Basses Can You Recommend?

The Pixies' tone is decidedly roundwound to my ear, rolled off at the top end to minimize string noise.

One of the bassists whose work I respect is Tina Weymouth. A little wiki told me she used a Mustang early on for the Talking Heads, and also a Jazz for the live Tom Tom Club shows.
One of these may be a way to go for the young lady.
 
Re: What Short Scale Basses Can You Recommend?

BlueTalon said:
It's just like a 12 string for guitar. Except there are two octave strings to accompany each main string.
Click to expand...
I play 12 strings and of course most of the play is rhythm/chords. With bass is almost always notes....how do two harmonic additions to each note sound? I see there are still only 4 tuners. Thanks for clarifying! I've never heard one of these.....appreciate any further info you could share.
 
Re: What Short Scale Basses Can You Recommend?

erm... not so much...

im_12er_headstock_onwhite.jpg
 
Re: What Short Scale Basses Can You Recommend?

I never tried a short scale that I liked. I did love an old Peavey Foundation that I had years ago, the width at the nut felt like a Strat.
 
Re: What Short Scale Basses Can You Recommend?

ive played a 12 string bass. completely nails the jeremy sound no matter what bass it is.

I'm thinking mustang (or bronco) bass is the way to go.

what scale are hofners?
 
Re: What Short Scale Basses Can You Recommend?

ginormous said:
Tina Weymouth ... used a Mustang early on for the Talking Heads, and also a Jazz for the live Tom Tom Club shows. One of these may be a way to go for the young lady.
Click to expand...

Tina Weymouth used a whole bunch of different basses at one time or another. The plunky, "no sustain" tone on the first two TH albums is short scale/plectrum style. Photographs exist of her with both Mustang and Musicmaster Bass guitars. Later phases included vintage Höfner, Steinberger, Pedulla and, as Reggie well knows, the Gibson Triumph Bass. (See Reggie's avatar!)
 
Re: What Short Scale Basses Can You Recommend?

Diminished Triad said:
I play 12 strings and of course most of the play is rhythm/chords. With bass is almost always notes....how do two harmonic additions to each note sound? I see there are still only 4 tuners. Thanks for clarifying! I've never heard one of these.....appreciate any further info you could share.
Click to expand...
Look at my post again. I posted a pic of the four string version, with the headstock visible.
The pic of the 12 string bass does not show the headstock. jtougas posted a great pic of a 12 string bass headstock.

You may not have heard of a 12 string bass, but you probably have heard one. As mentioned, Pearl Jam's bassist used one on some songs. Doug Pinick of King's X used one on some songs.
And everyone has heard Cheap Trick. Their bassist plays them.
 
Re: What Short Scale Basses Can You Recommend?

a hofner would be interesting, I've wanted that sound for a while and she might be into it, it's a more "petite" (sp?) bass than say.. a P bass.
 
Re: What Short Scale Basses Can You Recommend?

I assume that you refer to the "violin" bass associated with Paul McCartney. Some of the Club and Verithin models are actually a bit of a handful.
 
Re: What Short Scale Basses Can You Recommend?

$300 you are limited to only a few new basses, but maybe a used model. Fender Musicmasters are usually more then $300, so maybe a Squire, Epiphone, DiPinto? Good luck!
Try Guitar Centers Used gear you should get some hits
 
Re: What Short Scale Basses Can You Recommend?

astrozombie said:
I'm thinking mustang (or bronco) bass is the way to go.
Click to expand...
Only current Broncos are Squiers. Not the same series as the VM Mustangs so the material is worse. A lot worse. I couldn't compare both side by side but I think the wood on the Bronco is even thinner.

Just get the VM Mustang or the Mikey Way version, I think they are less than a 100$ more than the Bronco but worth it.
 
Re: What Short Scale Basses Can You Recommend?

I refer to the "violin" model hofner.

Small size, nice tone.

I'm still on the hunt though... I've seen her play my P-bass and by the looks of it a shorter neck would be good.

I don't want basses that are black or really "rock" looking, it's a woman and she's not playingin Megadeth.
 
Re: What Short Scale Basses Can You Recommend?

I'm kind of a short scale bass nut. I try to test out any models that come out, whenever I can find them locally. As far as recent/current Squier short scale basses, I have owned the Bronco and the Jaguar Short Scale. In my eyes, the Bronco is hands down the best bang for a buck in any new bass, not just short scale basses. It needs no modifications at all to be gigged. The tuners are the weakest link, and even they work fine in the end. They sound great, look great, play great, and are reliable. The Jaguar is cool too, but mine really sounded like garbage, and had some very rough finish work. The tuners and bridge are really bad quality parts. It required extensive mods to make it into what I'd consider a gig-worthy/reliable bass.
 
Re: What Short Scale Basses Can You Recommend?

Any time i've ever played a short-scale bass or guitar, they always sound out-of-tune somewhere on the fretboard, even when properly (or at least as good as can be achieved) intonated.

However, once again i'm probably in a tiny minority as it doesn't seem to be mentioned much by anyone else. But such have been my experiences.
 
Re: What Short Scale Basses Can You Recommend?

That out of tuneness is part of the short scale sound.

One of my favourite out of tune bass sounds is, in fact, a long scale instrument - the double bass on the Van Morrison album, Astral Weeks.
 
Re: What Short Scale Basses Can You Recommend?

It's a shame the Epiphone EB-3 is long scale only. I've long had a hankering after a short-scale EB-3 as used in the early 70s by the likes of Andy Fraser and Pete Agnew. (I was going to add Dennis Dunaway but I think his was an EB-0 with an added Fender pickup). The Epi EB-0 is short scale but I'd like two pickups. I'll just have to hunt down an old Gibson when I win the lottery.
 
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