Paul S

Slimmest necks I have owned include a Peavey Fury (the narrowest), CIJ Fender Jaguar, Fender Precision Lyte. A Squier VM Mustang came close. These were not only narrow but also shallow. I believe my current Gibson T-Bird has a particularly narrow neck, too. I've not owned one but the Fender Geddy Lee sig Jazz also has a super slim neck.

Well, for absolute certainty, if I wanted the Precision bass sound for minimal cash outlay I would consider buying the Harley Benton Shorty Precision. A staggeringly low £80+/- new. It sounds exactly like a Precision, it is short scale, lightweight with a slim neck. Because the body is scaled down it doesn't quite look like a Precision, more like a Strat with fat strings. It is a decent bass at any price point up to £500 IMO, the fact that it costs £80 I still find unbelievable. One of the very nicest Precision basses I have owned is my JV Squier, which I would value at £800. Is the HB as good as the JV? No. Is the JV 10 x better than the HB? Absolutely not. This weekend is my first gig since buying the HB and I am going to use it. I would guarantee in the band context no-one at all will notice the difference between the HB and the JV. If you tried and didn't like you could move it on for, say, £60! The depreciation for such a cheap bass is practically nothing.

As it happens, I have the Harley Benton Shorty and it actually does sound exactly like a Precision.

At the top end of the year I moved from amp + cab to FRFR + pedal and I am delighted to report it has removed a whole layer of GAS from my life. Added another, of course - but changing pedals is (can be?) cheaper than constantly changing amps. But, now I have it, I am fairly sure that the Spectrodrive does everything I want. Doesn't stop me looking at amps and cabs, mind. There is room in my life for a BF One10, for example.... 😁

Doesn't that hurt your head after a bit? I quite like it when the pointy end gets worn - I'll often use one corner of the fat end for its softer attack.

What he said. Sounds amazing. Nicely played, too.

As a young man, thick and stiff was the order of the day - used vigorously - but, as I've got older, I tend to use a thin floppy one more often. Sorry. Thought I'd join in. Another Dunlop 1mm tortex fan. But it is a bit like finding the most comfortable underpants, all very subjective and personal.

My strings of choice are TI flats and the ones they sell as 'short scale' actually have 32" of winding so, inevitably, you end up having some winding on the post. I have them on 3 SS basses at the moment and have had them on numerous others over the years and never had an issue with it. So, moving down a couple of inches, if you had a string with 30" of winding on a 'less than' 30" scale bass I think it would be ok. To my mind the problems would start if you cut the string at the winding rather than just bend it.

hah! I've got all your passwords now!

That's annoying. It's on facebook. I think sometimes there are problems with seeing these remotely? Not sure why, mind you.

My blues band playing a cover of Tobacco Road. First time we'd tried it! We were doing some video for a promotional thing and decided to give this a blast when the guy filming was off doing something else. Recorded on an iPad.

Ideal travel bass! Er, except you need and amp and cab to hear it. Oh, and an octaver so it plays in bass register. Not exactly travelling light.

What a soap opera!

Long of horn, short of scale. I've had a couple and love them. As a single neck they are eye-catching enough but a double neck will certain command attention. They have a certain sound that is so cool IMO. They are made from a material called Masonite which is basically hardboard. That and the hollow body made them so light but not especially robust. I currently have a Dano '56 single cut - another shorty that sounds and plays exactly the same as the Longhorn but with a different body shape.

I went for the middle ground and had a bass made by Adrian Maruszczyk via his custom shop configurator. Choices are not infinite but more than enough to get a bass that suited me - a lightweight 5 string Precision with a narrow neck. Fender didn't make one so this was perfect. At every stage you get plenty of options for material and finish for body, neck, fingerboard, neck markers, binding, headstock, frets, hardware, electrics, bridge. So not exactly an actual custom made bass as it is made within certain parameters, but you end up with a bass that is pretty exactly as you specify for a good deal less than an actual custom shop job. Mine arrived on my doorstep after a 3 month wait and cost a whisker under £1500 including delivery, a SKB hard case and leather strap. I couldn't be happier with it, I must say. But then I quite like my basses to be traditional shapes. If I wanted one of those cartoon whale single cuts or something that looks like a piece from a jig-saw puzzle this route wouldn't suit.

Some of the old Trace Elliot heads had compressors. Hi and Low, as I recall.

I have these on all my basses. Absolutely love them - the feel of them, the tension, the tone.

I own and use short scale basses at the moment and like them a lot. Totally sold on them, in fact. So it isn't the merits or otherwise of a short scale length that concern me. The particular bass I am musing over, according to the measurement I have been given, is a 26" scale and, as such, I was wondering about strings. Specifically the physical side of getting them to actually fit without cutting longer scale length strings with the associated issues of the tapes unravelling..

I have half an eye on a very short scale bass but, unusually for me, have started to think about the practical issues. Not the least of which are strings. What are the options for instruments with 26-27" scale length? I am thinking pretty limited. How do folks with those extra short scale basses get on? Especially flatwound strings? Muchas gracias