The Short Scale Bass Appreciation Society!

[2pods]

I always knew it would come down to an Ibby at that price 

 

Quote

Short scale fretless Harley Benton Beatbass is a thing, I already posted it a few times here, and sounds amazing too, this video starts out with it straight DI'ed and nothing else done to the signal:

 

Thanks, but I couldn't have a Hofner Violin copy, having once had the real thing.

It would just remind me of my stupidity in selling it 

 

Not that bothered about the fretless conclusion, but would like to know what people think of Ibanez's short

five string ?

 

 

Edited November 19, 2023 by 2pods

[Obrienp]

1 hour ago, 2pods said:

I always knew it would come down to an Ibby at that price 

 

 

Thanks, but I couldn't have a Hofner Violin copy, having once had the real thing.

It would just remind me of my stupidity in selling it 

 

Not that bothered about the fretless conclusion, but would like to know what people think of Ibanez's short

five string ?

 

 

The TMB-35? I think it is a pretty nice bass for the money.
 

There are a few things to consider but perhaps forgivable given the price. Mine was pretty noisy when the Jazz pickup was engaged but on inspection, it turned out they had shielded the P pickup cavity (strictly speaking not really necessary) and not the Jazz pickup up cavity: weird! I did my usual copper tape shielding exercise and it was fine. Talking of pickups, the P pickup was OK but the Jazz wasn’t that great and I seem to recall it had smaller dimensions than a standard Jazz 5 string bridge pickup, so would require a little woodwork to replace with something better. The Strat style jack socket arrangement was a bit weird and not friendly for my Boss wireless system. I found the neck a bit chunky compared to other Ibbys, which is why I sold it but not everybody has arthritis in their left hand/its personal taste. Mine was a bit weighty for an SS as well but I have heard they tend to vary quite a bit. Perhaps mine was made from a denser body blank than others. I can’t remember if it neck dived. 
 

A lot of the above is fixable, if you are prepared to do a bit of work. It is also quite easy to mod (except for that J pickup). I put a Fender high mass bridge on mine for not much: not strictly necessary as the OEM was adequate. The machine heads were adequate as well but looked easily upgradable, if you want. I also rewired it with a series/parallel push/pull for the pickups, which made it sound huge.

[msb]

The neck is substantial on a Talman. I saw some mods someone had done and decided it would be a fun project. I still plan to change the tuners and the pots. It has some weight , and the neck is somewhat chunky , but it’s enjoyable to play.

I liked the body shape , it reminded me of the Combo guitars Paul Barth designed for Rickenbacker in the late 50’s.

Edited November 19, 2023 by msb

[BabyBlueSound]

The Talman is so cheap, you don't think twice before modding the crap out of it. I love mine dearly to this day.

[SamIAm]

5 hours ago, 2pods said:

Not that bothered about the fretless conclusion, but would like to know what people think of Ibanez's short

five string ?

 

 

Yes, Ibby FTW with 5str shorts.

 

I tried the TMB-35. I found the neck dive drove me mad!  An option would be to replace the tuning mechanisms with lighter ones, but not sure how much difference it would make.  It went back to GAK.

 

I landed on the GSRM25, it is a sub-short scale at 28.6 inches and the low B does need a gentle touch, but I really like it ... very light and great balance.

https://www.thomann.de/gb/ibanez_gsrm25_bk.htm

 

S'manth x

[Pea Turgh]

4 hours ago, msb said:

 

Ooh, dats nice!  Pop another Thunderbird pickup in place of the split P and that would look tasty.

[Pseudonym]

15 hours ago, Osiris said:

 

Not the 30" scale Thumb, (does such a model exist?) but I have previously owned a short scale Warwick Corvette, which I seem to think is something like 30.6". Ergonomically speaking it was very comfortable, light weight, balanced perfectly and had that more modern neck profile, i.e. slim front to back and tall~ish top to bottom, if that makes sense? No issues on that front IME other than the phallic top horn which I was somewhat ambivalent about depending on ones state of arousal. Tonally, it sounded like a Warwick with its stock MEC pickups, plenty of loss and highs but perhaps a little low mid-shy for my tastes, but a big pleasing punchy sound from the passive MEC's. There's also an active version with a 2 band EQ which will give you more options should you require them but I never felt anything was lacking from the passive version. 

 

I only moved in on as it was just slightly longer scale than my other basses, both 30", and muscle memory kept tripping me up whenever I picked it up, although that's a failing on my part and not an issue with the bass itself. 

 

Extrapolating the above to a short scale Thumb, I can't imagine there'd be anything to be concerned about. 

 

Many thanks for this very useful précis. I'm looking at a 2013 Custom Shop short-scale bolt-on Thumb that is currently for sale. I suspect it has a 30.75" scale. The Custom Shop currently makes a 32" scale Thumb, and a single-cut shorty; prices on request and undoubtedly extremely affordable.

 

My sole bass at the moment is a bolt-on Thumb that is currently in storage thousands of miles away. I'm thinking of getting something different from that, such as a 1980s neck-through, but the short-scale Thumb intrigues me. (I have room in the apartment for precisely one bass, so the usual Basschat advice, i.e. "get both", does not apply in this instance.)

[Osiris]

8 hours ago, Pseudonym said:

 

Many thanks for this very useful précis. I'm looking at a 2013 Custom Shop short-scale bolt-on Thumb that is currently for sale. I suspect it has a 30.75" scale. The Custom Shop currently makes a 32" scale Thumb, and a single-cut shorty; prices on request and undoubtedly extremely affordable.

 

My sole bass at the moment is a bolt-on Thumb that is currently in storage thousands of miles away. I'm thinking of getting something different from that, such as a 1980s neck-through, but the short-scale Thumb intrigues me. (I have room in the apartment for precisely one bass, so the usual Basschat advice, i.e. "get both", does not apply in this instance.)

 

The Warwick I had was one of their dubiously named 'Rock Bass' models which is their relatively affordable series, not that there was anything about it that made it feel, sound or play like a cheap and nasty instrument. So if you're looking at a custom shop model then I would expect it to be flawless in every regard. And as you already own the full sized version I'd expect the short scale to virtually identical, just a little more compact. Do you know if it's a standard sized body with a shorter neck? Or has the body size been proportionally reduced in relation to scale length? If it's the former it may initially look and feel a little different to what you're used to but a couple of hours playing should be help you adjust to it. 

[Pseudonym]

6 hours ago, Osiris said:

 

The Warwick I had was one of their dubiously named 'Rock Bass' models which is their relatively affordable series, not that there was anything about it that made it feel, sound or play like a cheap and nasty instrument. So if you're looking at a custom shop model then I would expect it to be flawless in every regard. And as you already own the full sized version I'd expect the short scale to virtually identical, just a little more compact. Do you know if it's a standard sized body with a shorter neck? Or has the body size been proportionally reduced in relation to scale length? If it's the former it may initially look and feel a little different to what you're used to but a couple of hours playing should be help you adjust to it. 

 

It looks like a regular Thumb body with a shorter neck bolted on. At one time, I think Warwick offered several scale options for their bolt-on Thumbs at an additional cost. I have only ever seen one for sale, however, and have never heard one. This makes buying an unreturnable and quite expensive instrument more speculative than usual.

[scrumpymike]

48 minutes ago, Pseudonym said:

 

It looks like a regular Thumb body with a shorter neck bolted on. At one time, I think Warwick offered several scale options for their bolt-on Thumbs at an additional cost. I have only ever seen one for sale, however, and have never heard one. This makes buying an unreturnable and quite expensive instrument more speculative than usual.

If you buy and it doesn't suit you, PM me IMMEDIATELY!!! 🤞

[LeftyJ]

15 hours ago, Pseudonym said:

 

Many thanks for this very useful précis. I'm looking at a 2013 Custom Shop short-scale bolt-on Thumb that is currently for sale. I suspect it has a 30.75" scale. The Custom Shop currently makes a 32" scale Thumb, and a single-cut shorty; prices on request and undoubtedly extremely affordable.

 

My sole bass at the moment is a bolt-on Thumb that is currently in storage thousands of miles away. I'm thinking of getting something different from that, such as a 1980s neck-through, but the short-scale Thumb intrigues me. (I have room in the apartment for precisely one bass, so the usual Basschat advice, i.e. "get both", does not apply in this instance.)

 

A short-scale Thumb would be incredible! I do wonder if they just fit a shorter neck to a regular body with the pickups in the same positions as the long scale version, or if they move the pickups proportional to the scale length? 

[3below]

On 18/11/2023 at 16:15, MoonBassAlpha said:

It's a long thread and I  may have missed it  but how do people like fretless on a 30" scale? I've been using my Mustang for a good couple of years now and recorded some fretless the other day on my 34" and kinda struggled on the intonation. Thoughts please?

I rate my fretless Chowny swb-1, TI flats very highly. Tend to use it rather than my fretless Corvette. Took a long time to find a used Chowny fretless.

[Pseudonym]

2 hours ago, scrumpymike said:

If you buy and it doesn't suit you, PM me IMMEDIATELY!!! 🤞

 

I would certainly do that. (I am in the US, which might cool your ardour a little!)

 

 

2 hours ago, LeftyJ said:

A short-scale Thumb would be incredible! I do wonder if they just fit a shorter neck to a regular body with the pickups in the same positions as the long scale version, or if they move the pickups proportional to the scale length? 

 

Good question. I suspect the former, although I don't know whether the difference would be noticeable without measuring the pickup locations.

[ezbass]

If the pickups stay in their original position, that would affect the tone. If this is the case then it won’t sound like a Thumb.

[scrumpymike]

6 hours ago, 3below said:

I rate my fretless Chowny swb-1...

 

I can confirm this as fretless SWB-1 ex-owner.

[vates]

Has anyone (who owns and plays both) compared a Serek and a Wilcock? Pickups configurations aside, how’s the feel and overall build quality different ? Cheers!

[bassist_lewis]

11 hours ago, vates said:

Has anyone (who owns and plays both) compared a Serek and a Wilcock? Pickups configurations aside, how’s the feel and overall build quality different ? Cheers!

Had my Serek MW2 5-string for about a year and a half and its become my main bass. I'll have my Wilcock Mullarkey by March, so ask me then 😂

[vates]

Just now, bassist_lewis said:

Had my Serek MW2 5-string for about a year and a half and its become my main bass. I'll have my Wilcock Mullarkey by March, so ask me then 😂

 

Looking forward to your findings then!

[No lust in Jazz]

On 03/12/2023 at 08:22, vates said:

Has anyone (who owns and plays both) compared a Serek and a Wilcock? Pickups configurations aside, how’s the feel and overall build quality different ? Cheers!

Yes, I own three Serek Midwestern 2's and a Wilcock Mullarkey.

 

The fit, finish and feel of Serek is flawless. 

 

My Mullarkey (custom build): Hmm. Where I felt, Willcock let themselves down was the neck, there were 'keen' / sharp edges on the neck and this was a disappointment  So disappointed that I nearly sold it on - I didn't and spent some time having the neck worked on. The electrics were noisy too, but as part of a cure, when I shielded it, I  changed the pick-up wiring from three way switch to VVT.

 

In my experience the buying experience of the Willcock  was weird. Typically clipped one line email replies, that didn't leave me excited to place another order. One defence of Wilcock here is they are a busy shop etc. However, when I dealt with Jake Serek, at the time he was a 'one man band' over two of his custom builds. I was treated like an old friend, aside from import taxes, I wouldn't hesitate to buy from him again.

 

12 months on, living with and flipping between Serek and Wilcock basses. I've got over myself the buying experience now forgotten - (your post triggered me). I play both; now they're just basses from different builders and I like both a lot.

 

Hope this helps.

 

 

[ezbass]

4 minutes ago, No lust in Jazz said:

Yes, I own three Serek Midwestern 2's and a Wilcock Mullarkey.

 

The fit, finish and feel of Serek is flawless. 

 

My Mullarkey (custom build): Hmm. Where I felt, Willcock let themselves down was the neck, there were 'keen' / sharp edges on the neck and this was a disappointment  So disappointed that I nearly sold it on - I didn't and spent some time having the neck worked on. The electrics were noisy too, but as part of a cure, when I shielded it, I  changed the pick-up wiring from three way switch to VVT.

 

In my experience the buying experience of the Willcock  was weird. Typically clipped one line email replies, that didn't leave me excited to place another order. One defence of Wilcock here is they are a busy shop etc. However, when I dealt with Jake Serek, at the time he was a 'one man band' over two of his custom builds. I was treated like an old friend, aside from import taxes, I wouldn't hesitate to buy from him again.

 

12 months on, living with and flipping between Serek and Wilcock basses. I've got over myself the buying experience now forgotten - (your post triggered me). I play both; now they're just basses from different builders and I like both a lot.

 

Hope this helps.

 

 

That is not what I was expecting to read. Hopefully, things will improve at Viv’s end.

 

EDIT: Oh yeah, 3 Sereks? Greedy bugger!  

Edited December 4, 2023 by ezbass

[vates]

1 hour ago, No lust in Jazz said:

Yes, I own three Serek Midwestern 2's and a Wilcock Mullarkey.

 

The fit, finish and feel of Serek is flawless. 

 

My Mullarkey (custom build): Hmm. Where I felt, Willcock let themselves down was the neck, there were 'keen' / sharp edges on the neck and this was a disappointment  So disappointed that I nearly sold it on - I didn't and spent some time having the neck worked on. The electrics were noisy too, but as part of a cure, when I shielded it, I  changed the pick-up wiring from three way switch to VVT.

 

In my experience the buying experience of the Willcock  was weird. Typically clipped one line email replies, that didn't leave me excited to place another order. One defence of Wilcock here is they are a busy shop etc. However, when I dealt with Jake Serek, at the time he was a 'one man band' over two of his custom builds. I was treated like an old friend, aside from import taxes, I wouldn't hesitate to buy from him again.

 

12 months on, living with and flipping between Serek and Wilcock basses. I've got over myself the buying experience now forgotten - (your post triggered me). I play both; now they're just basses from different builders and I like both a lot.

 

Hope this helps.

 

 

 

Thanks for sharing!

[fretmeister]

I am currently playing my dirt cheap (well - before my mods!) Jim Deacon P bass. I'm really liking the narrow string spacing at the bridge.

The other shorties I have use normal 19mm to 20mm spacing at the bridge so the neck splays from the nut quicker than it would on a long scale.

 

I quite fancy looking for other shorties with narrower spacing at the nut. I think the Deacon is about 16.5 mm.

 

Does anyone know if they did a Jazz version? I'd like to have that option if I can find one somewhere.

[scrumpymike]

2 hours ago, No lust in Jazz said:

Yes, I own three Serek Midwestern 2's and a Wilcock Mullarkey.

 

The fit, finish and feel of Serek is flawless. 

 

My Mullarkey (custom build): Hmm. Where I felt, Willcock let themselves down was the neck, there were 'keen' / sharp edges on the neck and this was a disappointment  So disappointed that I nearly sold it on - I didn't and spent some time having the neck worked on. The electrics were noisy too, but as part of a cure, when I shielded it, I  changed the pick-up wiring from three way switch to VVT.

 

In my experience the buying experience of the Willcock  was weird. Typically clipped one line email replies, that didn't leave me excited to place another order. One defence of Wilcock here is they are a busy shop etc. However, when I dealt with Jake Serek, at the time he was a 'one man band' over two of his custom builds. I was treated like an old friend, aside from import taxes, I wouldn't hesitate to buy from him again.

 

12 months on, living with and flipping between Serek and Wilcock basses. I've got over myself the buying experience now forgotten - (your post triggered me). I play both; now they're just basses from different builders and I like both a lot.

 

Hope this helps.

 

 

Thanks for that! I too am a potential owner of either a Wilcock or a Serek, although probably second-hand (if I live long enough for one or other to come up FS!!)

 

Not impressed by your comments on the Wilcock though - IMHO completely unacceptable for what they cost. By chance, I played one the other day and liked it a lot, albeit a single pick-up version and I'd need two. Didn't notice any sharp edges anywhere. I assume we talking fretboard or headstock edges here. Playability-wise, I'd put it up there with the excellent s-s Sandberg Lionel I owned for a while and should have kept.

[No lust in Jazz]

3 minutes ago, scrumpymike said:

Not impressed by your comments on the Wilcock though - I  assume we talking fretboard or headstock edges here. 

Edges of the fretboard, The O/P asked about the comparison between the builders and well, I posted my experience.

 

But moving on from that, yes, I would agree that the Willcock bass is 'up there' - mine just took a little time getting there.

[three]

I can’t comment on Serek (other than to say I find them very attractive) but have played and owned a number of Wilcocks. I found some surprising (to me) variation between the Wilcocks. None with serious flaws or issues but different in terms of feel and playability. Of the two I’ve owned, despite looking very similar, one is amongst the most comfortable basses I’ve played (very light, super-low buzz-free action) and the other was just a very good shortie. Not as spectacular as the first. I’ve found fit and finish to be about as good as anything you’d find on a UK custom bass in this price-range.

Edited December 6, 2023 by three