danny-79 Posted January 26, 2019 Share Posted January 26, 2019 There seems to be a lot of short scale basses about at the present. It’s no something I know anything about (apart from my acoustic that’s 32). What sort of genre are they suited to and why the surge in popularity all of a sudden. ? educate me to there uses and advantages please and thank you Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Newfoundfreedom Posted January 26, 2019 Share Posted January 26, 2019 I absolutely love my Gretsch Junior Jet II. I recently got back into playing bass after many years absence and initially thought it would be an easier choice. Although a few months in and I've found I've kind of automatically transitioned back to full scale. So sadly, as much as I love it I find I don't really use it much now. Although to be honest the thing sounds great and doesn't really have a disadvantage against full scale basses in that regard. I think they're a great choice for anyone transitioning from guitar, anyone just starting out, or someone with a short reach or any kind of problems playing full scale. Having said that, I don't really think there are any real disadvantages to playing one. So if someone is more comfortable playing a short scale I would say go for it. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hooky_lowdown Posted January 27, 2019 Share Posted January 27, 2019 17 hours ago, danny-79 said: There seems to be a lot of short scale basses about at the present. It’s no something I know anything about (apart from my acoustic that’s 32). What sort of genre are they suited to and why the surge in popularity all of a sudden. ? educate me to there uses and advantages please and thank you Short scales are easier and to some more comfortable to play. Genre wise I would say rock, blues - that sort of stuff. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CyberBass Posted January 29, 2019 Share Posted January 29, 2019 Rock, blues, garage, surf, punk in fact most genres. I have a fender jmj mustang bass and I’ve gone from using precision’s to the mustang being my main bass. Absolutely love mine 2 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
burno70 Posted January 29, 2019 Share Posted January 29, 2019 You can play any style on it - same as a regular bass. 2 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bassbiscuits Posted January 29, 2019 Share Posted January 29, 2019 I've got a MIJ Mustang, after a lifetime of P bass use, and it's very good. It doesn't exactly do anything the P bass doesn't - in many ways its like a smaller version of it. The shorter scale does seem to focus the tone more in the midrange, so small fills and runs on higher notes that sometimes get lost on the P seem to be more prominent in the Mustang. It's still got plenty of low end too - i was worried it would lack oomph, but having recorded it A/B'd against my precision, they sound very similar and very much the same ball park tonally. I gigged it with a fulll loud band and it cut thru very nicely, and is stil small and comfortable enough for playing at home/rehearsing. Its obviously a fair bit lighter than a long scale, and the smaller/shorted neck is easier to play. Its very good for quite busy bass parts as moving around it easier. The string tension is less stiff than a long scale, which can take a bit of getting used to, but again doesn't cause any issues. Mine is strung with flatwounds, but even with rounds i don't think i'd choose it for slap or funk. Its more for rock, garage, pop and retro sounds. Short scales look cool and are a lot easier to wear for a whole gig. A lot of them are pretty retro styled (Gretsch, Mustangs, Ibanez Talmans etc) which look great if that's your thing. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grandad Posted January 29, 2019 Share Posted January 29, 2019 (edited) As all above. My regular bass has been my Squire Mustang with La Bella 760F-MUS flats for a couple of years now. Simple, small, light, easy to play, P- ish tone. I am old and lazy though! Worth a try if you've never done so. Edited January 29, 2019 by grandad 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul S Posted January 29, 2019 Share Posted January 29, 2019 I went through a short scale phase and really enjoyed playing them. I had a Fender Musicmaster, Squier VM Mustang, Squier Vista Series Musicmaster, Epiphone EB0, Danelectro Longhorn. If I were to choose which I would re-buy it would actually be the Squier VM Mustang, which to me sounded and felt like the one MIJ Mustang I once tried. It sounded and played like a bass far above its price point. The one I wouldn't bother with again would be the EB0, didn't enjoy that for many reasons. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
naxos10 Posted January 30, 2019 Share Posted January 30, 2019 Play my shortscales in a band that covers 60's to 2000's and have not found a style they can't cope with. They are lighter and easier to play than standard 34" scale length. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hooky_lowdown Posted February 1, 2019 Share Posted February 1, 2019 On 30/01/2019 at 17:03, naxos10 said: Play my shortscales in a band that covers 60's to 2000's and have not found a style they can't cope with. They are lighter and easier to play than standard 34" scale length. Heavy metal? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
martthebass Posted February 1, 2019 Share Posted February 1, 2019 (edited) 1 hour ago, hooky_lowdown said: Heavy metal? Not exactly HM but Alan Lancaster didn't do too bad with his. Edited February 1, 2019 by martthebass Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
naxos10 Posted February 1, 2019 Share Posted February 1, 2019 The birth of heavy metal - You really got me by the Kinks. A bit of Free, Whitesnake, and some punk. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bazzbass Posted February 12, 2019 Share Posted February 12, 2019 I thought my new Hofner Beatle bass would only suit Beatles songs, but it sounds good on anything I play, Led Zep, Tull's Living in the Past, and much easier on the hand stretching. Sounds closer to an acoustic bass than my $550 Takamine acoustic bass lol rotfl, really Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Open E Posted March 2, 2019 Share Posted March 2, 2019 I’ve got a Warwick Corvette Rockbass (short scale) which is just fantastic. It’s got the same hardware as the very expensive German models and can be picked up for £300 - £350 secondhand (£700 ish new). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
therealting Posted March 2, 2019 Share Posted March 2, 2019 On 26/01/2019 at 16:14, danny-79 said: There seems to be a lot of short scale basses about at the present. It’s no something I know anything about (apart from my acoustic that’s 32). Which acoustic 32” do you have? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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