The Short Scale Bass Appreciation Society!

[dmc79]

6 hours ago, ezbass said:

I see that price of new Sterling SS ‘Rays has gone up, they’re plainly popular and I understand why, I’ve fallen even more in love with mine recently.

I wonder if the QC has improved recently, I mean I’ve seen numerous negative comments about short rays 

 

[scrumpymike]

13 hours ago, dmc79 said:

I wonder if the QC has improved recently, I mean I’ve seen numerous negative comments about short rays 

 

Maybe I've just missed it but I haven't seen much negative stuff, just lots of positives. The one I had was unbelievably good and punched way above its (then) £600 RRP.

[BabyBlueSound]

45 minutes ago, scrumpymike said:

Maybe I've just missed it but I haven't seen much negative stuff, just lots of positives. The one I had was unbelievably good and punched way above its (then) £600 RRP.

 

I had ordered a brand new one a few weeks ago and made a post about how absolutely terrible it was before sending it back (it's somewhere in my post history). Whatever can go wrong on a cheapo bass went wrong there, it was not just slightly damaged and bad quality in general, but it had some major issues like a bridge where you can't get low action at all.

 

Basically my £150 Ibanez was running circles around the £630 Sterling in build quality. And my Ibanez was far from perfect.

 

Now I have a second hand one that I bought here, and that's completely fine! Although the fretwork is still sub-par compared to the Ibanez. I have some sharp edges, and with semi-low action there is some serious buzz around the highest frets, which does not happen on the Ibanez where the action is even lower.

[Obrienp]

1 hour ago, scrumpymike said:

Maybe I've just missed it but I haven't seen much negative stuff, just lots of positives. The one I had was unbelievably good and punched way above its (then) £600 RRP.

There have been some adverse comments around the forums.
 

I have the Vox Starstream H1 (passive) and it does the ‘Ray thing pretty well for less than a Sterling SS and everybody notices it at a gig (if you like that). Mine is very nicely made. Only real issue with it is not being able to fit the usual culprits in strap locks: you have to use those rubber washer things. Otherwise it is extremely light, ergonomic and balances OK on a strap.

 

I love the look of those genuine EB Ray short scales but the money they charge for them is just gouging the punters in my view. Even the Sterling’s are over-priced compared to their 34” offerings.

[BabyBlueSound]

17 minutes ago, Obrienp said:

There have been some adverse comments around the forums.
 

I have the Vox Starstream H1 (passive) and it does the ‘Ray thing pretty well for less than a Sterling SS and everybody notices it at a gig (if you like that). Mine is very nicely made. Only real issue with it is not being able to fit the usual culprits in strap locks: you have to use those rubber washer things. Otherwise it is extremely light, ergonomic and balances OK on a strap.

 

I was seriously considering the H1 for a while, I find it beautiful, but in the end my longing for a Musicman won.  

[Waddycall]

Just joined the short scale club by picking up a Vintera mustang that was for sale locally. Here it is next to my Ray for scale. It had the flubbiest sounding flats on it but I had a set of medium scale pro steels which I’ve put on through body and they’ve reallly brought it to life, sounds ace.

v

[Clarky]

Thom Yorke of The Smile (and Radiohead of course) this evening at All Points East Festival, rocking a trio of vintage shorties: an old Mustang, a modded Gibson EBO and a Guild Starfire. 

 

[Waddycall]

I was a bit surprised by the complete lack of shielding in my mustang. You’d think they could put a lick of shielding paint on there for the price these go for. It was very noisy near electrical eqpt. I have some copper foil here so did a bit of a shielding job and it’s much better now. Did a bit of research and found that it’s common that mustangs aren’t shielded. Anyone know why?

v

[Obrienp]

5 hours ago, Waddycall said:

I was a bit surprised by the complete lack of shielding in my mustang. You’d think they could put a lick of shielding paint on there for the price these go for. It was very noisy near electrical eqpt. I have some copper foil here so did a bit of a shielding job and it’s much better now. Did a bit of research and found that it’s common that mustangs aren’t shielded. Anyone know why?

v

I should imagine that it is because the split pickup, like the P bass pickup, is effectively a humbucker and therefore expected to be quiet. I agree there is no excuse for not shielding the control cavity. I always shield the pickup cavity anyway: belt and braces. That Mustang looks like a good candidate for copper tape shielding, which works better than graphite paint IMO.

 

You might also want to check the grounding if it is very noisy. I join up the shielded cavities with ground wires and then take that to the ground on the output jack. Make sure the bridge ground wire is working properly too. 

Edited August 29, 2022 by Obrienp

[ezbass]

3 hours ago, Waddycall said:

I was a bit surprised by the complete lack of shielding in my mustang. You’d think they could put a lick of shielding paint on there for the price these go for. It was very noisy near electrical eqpt. I have some copper foil here so did a bit of a shielding job and it’s much better now. Did a bit of research and found that it’s common that mustangs aren’t shielded. Anyone know why?

v

 

1 hour ago, Obrienp said:

I should imagine that it is because the split pickup, like the P bass pickup, is effectively a humbucker and therefore expected to be quiet. I agree there is no excuse for not shielding the control cavity. I always shield the pickup cavity anyway: belt and braces. That Mustang looks like a good candidate for copper tape shielding, which works better than graphite paint IMO.

 

You might also want to check the grounding if it is very noisy. I join up the shielded cavities with ground wires and then take that too the ground on the output jack. Make sure the bridge ground wire is working properly too. 

Copper taped my JMJ, worked a treat, just make sure that some tape makes contact with the control plate (I didn’t first time 🤦🏻).

[Waddycall]

Thanks, it’s all good now as I had some copper foil/tape to use left over from a project. 30 mins or so and it was sorted. Dead quiet now. I think the fact it was close to my valve pre made it particular bad.

Ive ordered a black pickguard. I was going to force my self to live with the pearloid but after less than 36 hours of ownership I can’t handle it anymore 🤮🤣vj

[barrycreed]

A 5 string talman in this Caribou set

 

 

[Obrienp]

1 hour ago, Waddycall said:

Thanks, it’s all good now as I had some copper foil/tape to use left over from a project. 30 mins or so and it was sorted. Dead quiet now. I think the fact it was close to my valve pre made it particular bad.

Ive ordered a black pickguard. I was going to force my self to live with the pearloid but after less than 36 hours of ownership I can’t handle it anymore 🤮🤣vj

Cracking job! I wish my work looked as neat when I do it! 

Edited August 29, 2022 by Obrienp

[ezbass]

1 hour ago, Waddycall said:

Thanks, it’s all good now as I had some copper foil/tape to use left over from a project. 30 mins or so and it was sorted. Dead quiet now. I think the fact it was close to my valve pre made it particular bad.

Ive ordered a black pickguard. I was going to force my self to live with the pearloid but after less than 36 hours of ownership I can’t handle it anymore 🤮🤣vj

Don’t forget to post a pic with the black p/g.

[meterman]

I just missed a Mikey Way signature Mustang, it was only €130 😮 The ad came up on a local site just as I was coming over to the UK. Would have been a train ride away for me but for that price I’d have done it. So they are still out there at bargain prices occasionally. Love my CV Mustang but I’d have had this as well though.

 

[martthebass]

11 minutes ago, meterman said:

I just missed a Mikey Way signature Mustang, it was only €130 😮 The ad came up on a local site just as I was coming over to the UK. Would have been a train ride away for me but for that price I’d have done it. So they are still out there at bargain prices occasionally. Love my CV Mustang but I’d have had this as well though.

 

 

Cheapest I've seen them in the UK in recent times is £400-450ish.  Somebody got a good deal there.

[dmc79]

Well I hadn’t foreseen this. Just went to restring my newly acquired Mustang and the E, A & D strings all taper before the nut. I hadn’t thought it would be an issue, but I guess it’s due to the string thru bridge. That’s never an issue when stringing a long scale bass though. Strings are D’Addario 50-105 EXL160S nickel rounds. How would anyone possibly know when ordering that they aren’t exactly suitable if you have a short scale string thru bass?! 
 

I’m guessing / hoping it won’t be an issue when playing, it just looks really odd. What nickel rounds fit a string thru shorty well from peoples’ experience, or would going to medium scale strings help? Thanks

 

 

 

 

Edited August 30, 2022 by dmc79

[Adee]

3 minutes ago, dmc79 said:

Well I hadn’t foreseen this. Just went to restring my newly acquired Mustang and the E, A & D strings all taper before the nut. I hadn’t thought it would be an issue, but I guess it’s due to the string thru bridge. That’s never an issue when stringing a long scale bass though. Strings are D’Addario 50-105 EXL160S nickel rounds. How would anyone possibly know when ordering that they aren’t exactly suitable if you have a short scale string thru bass?! 
 

I’m guessing / hoping it won’t be an issue when playing, it just looks really odd. What nickel rounds fit a string thru shorty well from peoples’ experience, or would going to medium scale strings help? Thanks

 

 

 

 

 

Did you use Short Scale strings? You'll need Medium Scale for a Mustang with thru body stringing, that will sort it out

[dmc79]

Just now, Adee said:

Did you use Short Scale strings? You'll need Medium Scale for a Mustang with thru body stringing, that will sort it out

Yes I did. Thanks for the info. I still don’t get it though. You can use a long scale string on a long scale bass with string thru bridge without issue, but you can’t use a short scale string on a short scale bass with string thru bridge?!

 

[ezbass]

44 minutes ago, dmc79 said:

Well I hadn’t foreseen this. Just went to restring my newly acquired Mustang and the E, A & D strings all taper before the nut. I hadn’t thought it would be an issue, but I guess it’s due to the string thru bridge. That’s never an issue when stringing a long scale bass though. Strings are D’Addario 50-105 EXL160S nickel rounds. How would anyone possibly know when ordering that they aren’t exactly suitable if you have a short scale string thru bass?! 
 

I’m guessing / hoping it won’t be an issue when playing, it just looks really odd. What nickel rounds fit a string thru shorty well from peoples’ experience, or would going to medium scale strings help? Thanks

 

 

 

 

I reckon they put short scale strings in a medium scale packet. I’d send them back or at least com0lain to the retailer and D’Addario.

[dmc79]

4 minutes ago, ezbass said:

I reckon they put short scale strings in a medium scale packet. I’d send them back or at least com0lain to the retailer and D’Addario.

It wasn’t a medium scale packet so it’s not that a mistake was made. I ordered short scale but was just surprised that they aren’t right if you have a string thru bridge.

 

I could mention it to the eBay seller, perhaps they’d send me a medium scale pack of EXL160M as a goodwill gesture, I can return these but obviously they’ve been cut now!

 

Edited August 30, 2022 by dmc79

[ezbass]

2 minutes ago, dmc79 said:

It wasn’t a medium scale packet so it’s not that a mistake was made. I ordered short scale but was just surprised that they aren’t right if you have a string thru bridge.

 

I could mention it to the eBay seller, perhaps they’d send me a medium scale pack of EXL160M as a goodwill gesture, I can return these but obviously they’ve been cut now!

 

Ah! I saw the end of the word medium, but didn’t clock the word gauge and assumed they were medium scale. Off on my high horse a bit prematurely there; apologies. 🤦🏻 

[Woodinblack]

53 minutes ago, dmc79 said:

How would anyone possibly know when ordering that they aren’t exactly suitable if you have a short scale string thru bass?!

 

They would read the Short Scale Bass Appreciation thread on basschat

 

Actually the fender website gets the scale of the strings wrong too (I have long scale fender flats on mine).

The only place that seems to make sense is the strings direct website, where it tells you that you need strings that measure at least 33"

 

https://www.stringsdirect.co.uk/blog/fender-mustang-bass-strings/

 

[Osiris]

FWIW I use 34" scale strings on all 3 of my short scales and have never had any issues stringing them that way over the past few years. That's both on my string through body Mustang as well as through bridge stringed basses. Yes, you in variably have an extra winding or 2 around the post on the machine head of the E sting but I've never had any intonation issues or had a string snap when I've taken them off to clean the fretboard. There's no other reason for doing this than I've got a stockpile of D'Addario 34" strings from when they were on offer a few years back! No doubt someone will be along shortly to tell us why loads of fluffy kittens and polar bears will die because of me doing this but it works for me and has done for several years 

[BabyBlueSound]

50 minutes ago, Osiris said:

FWIW I use 34" scale strings on all 3 of my short scales and have never had any issues stringing them that way over the past few years. That's both on my string through body Mustang as well as through bridge stringed basses. Yes, you in variably have an extra winding or 2 around the post on the machine head of the E sting but I've never had any intonation issues or had a string snap when I've taken them off to clean the fretboard. There's no other reason for doing this than I've got a stockpile of D'Addario 34" strings from when they were on offer a few years back! No doubt someone will be along shortly to tell us why loads of fluffy kittens and polar bears will die because of me doing this but it works for me and has done for several years 

 

While I prefer to use shortscale strings when available, they simply do not exist for a lot of brands. Elixir comes to mind, and my latest favs, the Ernie Ball cobalt flats. I only had issues when I tried to follow that weird Ernie Ball wrapping guide instead of just putting them on like I always do. They ended up looking really weird but they actually keep the tuning well, so lucky me, they're expensive. For my other bass I just used the regular method, no doublewrapping, and no issues there.