The Short Scale Bass Appreciation Society!

[ezbass]

2 minutes ago, fretmeister said:

According to the Fender website the JMJ has a 41.3mm nut width and the Kerr is 38.1mm

Mine is around that number.

[Baloney Balderdash]

4 hours ago, JohnDaBass said:

Other than that the specs are the same IMHO.

Yeah, well, specs doesn't happen to be a matter of opinion.

 

Edited August 20, 2023 by Baloney Balderdash

[JohnDaBass]

1 hour ago, Baloney Balderdash said:

Yeah, well, specs doesn't happen to be a matter of opinion.

 

Oops 🤫

I'll dig out my sack shirt and once the coals have cooled I'll roll around in the ashes as penance for my unholy mistake.  At 70 yrs old I am normally forgiven for the odd senior momentary lapse. But perhaps its different in Denmark. 

[vates]

11 hours ago, JohnDaBass said:

I am quite familiar with the JMJ Mustang neck having tried a number of them at different retailers and I was really impressed with the modern slim "C" shaped neck and how consistent the necks were having different production batches. Reinforcing the improvement in QC and consistency of the CNC and finishing. 

It appears to me that neck on the Mike Kerr has the same feel and specs. 

" 30ins scale,  38mm nut width,  modern slim C shape neck profile, 9.5ins radius fingerboard,  medium jumbo frets, and slab rosewood fretboard."

The main differences are fret markers and the truss rod adjustment on the JMJ is at the heel of the neck and the truss rod adjustment on the Mike Kerr is at the nut. Other than that the specs are the same IMHO.

@vates

 

 

Yeah, as mentioned above, the nut width is different. The shape is also technically different: 'C' shape vs 'Modern C' (the latter is a tad slimmer).

Also the finish is different: nitro vs urethane.

 

So, for you they may feel the same but, given my previous experience, I'd probably perceive them as two rather different animals (nut width being the most important difference for me).

 

Thanks for clarifying! 

[JohnDaBass]

2 hours ago, vates said:

 

 

Yeah, as mentioned above, the nut width is different. The shape is also technically different: 'C' shape vs 'Modern C' (the latter is a tad slimmer).

Also the finish is different: nitro vs urethane.

 

So, for you they may feel the same but, given my previous experience, I'd probably perceive them as two rather different animals (nut width being the most important difference for me).

 

Thanks for clarifying! 

3.2mm ??

[Baloney Balderdash]

7 hours ago, JohnDaBass said:

3.2mm ??

Yes, 3.2mm makes quite a difference in feel !!

 

Just think about what a 3.2mm difference would mean in terms of string action for instance.

 

Or, to give an example that is closer to a 1:1 case, the difference in feel between the 42mm nut width of a regular P Bass and then the standard 45mm nut width of a regular 5 string bass.

 

Quite a lot I'd say.

 

Edited August 21, 2023 by Baloney Balderdash

[fretmeister]

13 hours ago, JohnDaBass said:

3.2mm ??

 

That's a massive difference for me.

It's not just about the width but also how the curve of the back of the neck fills the hand.

 

It's enough to make me not buy a bass.

[ped]

Any short scale-ists out there looking for a case, I just tried and bought this one for my Mustang

 

[dAs]

On 11/08/2023 at 08:21, JohnDaBass said:

So could the new Rapier Saffire bass be an alternative to the Squier Rascal?

It looks great I wonder how it sounds?

 

https://bassmusicianmagazine.com/2023/08/new-gear-rapier-saffire-bass-2/

I just received the Saffire bass ( in the States ) the other day and they are totally and tonally different basses, which is a good thing as it means more basses!  I made the mistake of not purchasing the FENDER Rascal bass when it originally came out and ended up buying one used about half a year ago at an inflated cost as there weren't many produced. I also bought the Squire Rascal when it came out for fear of supply and demand - is this a trend? The quality is amazing considering the price. Regarding the Saffire it arrived a little damaged. The strap button near the bridge was pushed in about 2 -3 mm into the body with a hole 10mm wide.  Apparently someone dropped the box too hard on its end and foam in the box isn't dense enough to protect it. I would suggest JHS improve that as there may be more arriving like that. The body wood must be really soft for this to happen as many a basses have slipped thought the hands and hit the ground hard. Also someone must have used a cleaver to cut the nut for the E string.  I've attached a few photos.   Cheers.

[rwillett]

It’s always good to check out as many basses as you can. It’s a sign of an organised and inquisitive mind. Even though you might have a small number of basses (perhaps less than 25), one more might just provide that extra oomph or subtle tone that you’ve been looking for. At least that’s my rationale and I only have four. 

 

I have to say the Mustang might be good enough for anything I might ever do, but that doesn’t stop me looking and testing and checking the credit card “just-in-case”. 

 

I’m lucky that I live an hour each way from my local music shops Promenade Music in Morecombe. If I still lived in London, I’d probably be bankrupt. I can’t even play that well but you know how it is….

 

Rob

[scrumpymike]

12 hours ago, dAs said:

I just received the Saffire bass ( in the States ) the other day and they are totally and tonally different basses, which is a good thing as it means more basses!

 

I already have the Fender Rascal (albeit now re-bodied a-la P Lyte) so your comparison pic helps me relate to the Saffire.

 

Can you explain the tonal differences between the three basses?

[msb]

I remember looking at the original Rascal , it didn’t feel like a short scale with the bridge set so far into the body. I was fine with the Bass VI so I regret not picking it up now. I was always a Dano fan. The lipsticks were a bonus.

They’ve become quite sought after because of the limited run they had. 

[dAs]

7 hours ago, msb said:

I remember looking at the original Rascal , it didn’t feel like a short scale with the bridge set so far into the body. I was fine with the Bass VI so I regret not picking it up now. I was always a Dano fan. The lipsticks were a bonus.

They’ve become quite sought after because of the limited run they had. 

What's funny is that with all the pickup combinations.  Neck, Neck+Middle, Middle, Middle+Bridge, Bridge, Neck+Bridge, Neck+Middle+Bridge  I like just the Middle.  

[Stub Mandrel]

16 hours ago, rwillett said:

Even though you might have a small number of basses (perhaps less than 25),

 

I shall share that with my partner 😁

[scrumpymike]

22 hours ago, dAs said:

What's funny is that with all the pickup combinations.  Neck, Neck+Middle, Middle, Middle+Bridge, Bridge, Neck+Bridge, Neck+Middle+Bridge  I like just the Middle.  

I like that middle pickup setting too but the only one of the 7 settings I don't use in our classic rock covers set is bridge only. The switching versatility is what I love most about the Fender Rascal. This is how my re-bodied Rascal looks now.

 

[JohnDaBass]

1 hour ago, scrumpymike said:

I like that middle pickup setting too but the only one of the 7 settings I don't use in our classic rock covers set is bridge only. The switching versatility is what I love most about the Fender Rascal. This is how my re-bodied Rascal looks now.

 

That's wonderful remodel which is not only unique but beautiful to behold. Is the middle Pup 10 inches from the 12th fret by any chance?

It just seems to me that 10ins appears to be the sweet spot on short scale (30ins) basses.

[scrumpymike]

2 hours ago, JohnDaBass said:

Is the middle Pup 10 inches from the 12th fret by any chance?

It just seems to me that 10ins appears to be the sweet spot on short scale (30ins) basses.

 

That's exactly right! And it's 10ins to the pickup split line on the old Encore s-s P I use for noodling around on at home.

[NHM]

That's interesting, the distance of the pup from the 12th fret. I've just measured my Gibson Les Paul Tribute which is also 10". My Musicmaster is 9.5", although I'd say that's as sweet a spot as you could imagine, just a tad darker in sound than the Gibson...

[Baloney Balderdash]

Indeed interesting.

 

Just measured the reverse split P pickup on my Ibanez Mikro Bass.

 

But since the Mikro Bass is just 28.6" scale length, and since 10" would be 1/3 of a 30" scale length bass, the equivalent measurement for the Mikro Bass, 1/3 X 28.6", would be ~9.5".

 

And the middle of bass side of the reverse split P pickup pole pieces turns out to be at just about 9.6" measured form the 12th fret, while the treble side is at just about 8.3".

 

So really close as well.

 

 

Edited October 2, 2023 by Baloney Balderdash

[JohnDaBass]

2 hours ago, NHM said:

That's interesting, the distance of the pup from the 12th fret. I've just measured my Gibson Les Paul Tribute which is also 10". My Musicmaster is 9.5", although I'd say that's as sweet a spot as you could imagine, just a tad darker in sound than the Gibson...

Well it's been said before and it will probably said again, " You can't beat 10 inches Vicar" 🤣🤣🤣

But seriously , 10 ins does seem to be the norm on a number of 30 ins scale basses, like you my Gibson Les Paul Tribute, new Fender Mike Kerr Tiggar/Barbie bass, G&L Fallout Tribute, one Pup on my Epiphone Rumblecat, and now also on my modded Guild/DeArmond Jet Star bass.

Edited August 31, 2023 by JohnDaBass

[Dazed]

First time I’ve noticed this model, looks good, sounds good on the videos too. Bit pricey though @£1499

 

Sandberg Florence

 

 

 

[scrumpymike]

On 29/08/2023 at 00:07, dAs said:

I just received the Saffire bass

 

What's the neck width at the nut? The spec says 43mm but not sure I believe that.

[Baloney Balderdash]

30 minutes ago, Dazed said:

First time I’ve noticed this model, looks good, sounds good on the videos too. Bit pricey though @£1499

 

Sandberg Florence

 

 

 

And extraordinarily poor upper frets access.

[JohnDaBass]

38 minutes ago, Dazed said:

First time I’ve noticed this model, looks good, sounds good on the videos too. Bit pricey though @£1499

 

Sandberg Florence

 

 

 

Agreed, there are some really positive reviews and videos. It sounds great and if my quest for a worn Cherry Gibson Les Paul Tribute fails then the mahogany will be on my radar.

[Dazed]

30 minutes ago, Baloney Balderdash said:

And extraordinarily poor upper frets access.

Far from the worst offender of this, and to some folk it won’t matter a jot but I agree it could be better.