The Short Scale Bass Appreciation Society!

[bogleshake]

I see a lot folk giving a lot of love to Harley Benton gear on here and it looks like they are adding another new short scale to their range. 
 

Crazy cheap!

 

https://harleybenton.com/product/pb-shorty-sbk/?fbclid=IwAR2DJAR0DEq4jfuCaKvei8qxoPckSjGozlYwzpQAPWVjd_JIkC8XLV414rE_aem_AQR8RXgSqgXzrgvJf1Giy5oD3FihT0st7yJuptMC6EXB6oR6y8qkabINrhjDMtv8YGs

[LeftyJ]

Aside from the satin black finish, the painted neck, the tort pickguard and black hardware it doesn't seem to differ from the regular PB Shorty. Same woods, same electronics.  It's a fun bass, I like mine, but you get what you pay for. Mine has sharp fret ends, a truss rod nut made of chewing gum and tuners that can barely keep up with the string tension of the stock string set, despite being only a 0.040-0.095 set. 

[Baloney Balderdash]

52 minutes ago, bogleshake said:

I see a lot folk giving a lot of love to Harley Benton gear on here and it looks like they are adding another new short scale to their range. 
 

Crazy cheap!

 

https://harleybenton.com/product/pb-shorty-sbk/?fbclid=IwAR2DJAR0DEq4jfuCaKvei8qxoPckSjGozlYwzpQAPWVjd_JIkC8XLV414rE_aem_AQR8RXgSqgXzrgvJf1Giy5oD3FihT0st7yJuptMC6EXB6oR6y8qkabINrhjDMtv8YGs

Definitely will be getting this!

 

Looks beautiful!

 

 

Edited January 24, 2024 by Baloney Balderdash

[rwillett]

I can't say I like the pickguard, it looks like that had a load of material left over and just used it up.

 

However the rest of the package looks the sort of guitar that Disaster Area would play. All it needs is a little black button saying "Do not press" on it, oh anda large black spaceship.

 

 

Rob

[Obrienp]

1 hour ago, LeftyJ said:

Aside from the satin black finish, the painted neck, the tort pickguard and black hardware it doesn't seem to differ from the regular PB Shorty. Same woods, same electronics.  It's a fun bass, I like mine, but you get what you pay for. Mine has sharp fret ends, a truss rod nut made of chewing gum and tuners that can barely keep up with the string tension of the stock string set, despite being only a 0.040-0.095 set. 

I guess most people on here would rip off all the hardware and electronics to replace them with better after market items. However, you can’t cure a dodgy truss rod that way. It might still be worth it if you get a good one. I can’t think of another shorty P-Bass like object that comes anywhere near this price bracket.

[scrumpymike]

9 hours ago, MJJS said:

There are currently two Atelier ZPOs available at Bass Japan Direct.
 

https://reverb.com/uk/item/76277268-atelier-z-zpo4-2016-transparent-blue

 

I had a nice 4-string Baby Z for a while. Really nice but pick-ups a bit too hot for me.

[scrumpymike]

4 minutes ago, Obrienp said:

I guess most people on here would rip off all the hardware and electronics to replace them with better after market items. However, you can’t cure a dodgy truss rod that way. It might still be worth it if you get a good one. I can’t think of another shorty P-Bass like object that comes anywhere near this price bracket.

 

Or buy the Harley Benton MV-4MSB Gotoh BM with the higher spec. I love mine.

 

 

[Paul S]

2 hours ago, LeftyJ said:

Aside from the satin black finish, the painted neck, the tort pickguard and black hardware it doesn't seem to differ from the regular PB Shorty. Same woods, same electronics.  It's a fun bass, I like mine, but you get what you pay for. Mine has sharp fret ends, a truss rod nut made of chewing gum and tuners that can barely keep up with the string tension of the stock string set, despite being only a 0.040-0.095 set. 

 

Funny how they vary - I bought a PB Shorty soon after they came out and straight out of the box gigged it.  No sharp ends apart from the nut, tuners aren't perfect but hold tune, no truss rod issues at all.  I changed the pickguard to black 'cos I don't like white ones.  Then a while later I changed the pickup to a Tonerider 'cos I wanted a bit more bite and beef but, tbf to the stock one, it was a fine vintage tone.  I'd buy one of these new ones except that my existing one has it all sorted.  It is a mystery how they do this.  Actually, no, it is a miracle.

[ezbass]

55 minutes ago, scrumpymike said:

 

Or buy the Harley Benton MV-4MSB Gotoh BM with the higher spec. I love mine.

 

 

Can’t find the ‘Stang-alike on the HB or Thomann sites anymore 

[Baloney Balderdash]

14 hours ago, ezbass said:

Can’t find the ‘Stang-alike on the HB or Thomann sites anymore 

I looked for them too without luck.

 

But my best guess is that they are working on a new version 2 with a pickup switch or a blend, instead of the P and J pickup both always full on, with no options for switching or blending, like this first version worked.

 

I do however really love how that new shorty P Bass looks, and I actually also think the stock pickup sounds awesome.

 

So will for certain soon get one of those.

 

Edited January 25, 2024 by Baloney Balderdash

[LeftyJ]

47 minutes ago, Paul S said:

 

Funny how they vary - I bought a PB Shorty soon after they came out and straight out of the box gigged it.  No sharp ends apart from the nut, tuners aren't perfect but hold tune, no truss rod issues at all.  I changed the pickguard to black 'cos I don't like white ones.  Then a while later I changed the pickup to a Tonerider 'cos I wanted a bit more bite and beef but, tbf to the stock one, it was a fine vintage tone.  I'd buy one of these new ones except that my existing one has it all sorted.  It is a mystery how they do this.  Actually, no, it is a miracle.

The pickup is mighty fine indeed! And even the stock pots are decent, with a good treble rolloff for all those classic P tones. For the price (I got mine lightly used for €50) it's brilliant. 

[scrumpymike]

17 hours ago, bogleshake said:

I see a lot folk giving a lot of love to Harley Benton gear on here and it looks like they are adding another new short scale to their range. 
 

Crazy cheap!

 

https://harleybenton.com/product/pb-shorty-sbk/?fbclid=IwAR2DJAR0DEq4jfuCaKvei8qxoPckSjGozlYwzpQAPWVjd_JIkC8XLV414rE_aem_AQR8RXgSqgXzrgvJf1Giy5oD3FihT0st7yJuptMC6EXB6oR6y8qkabINrhjDMtv8YGs

Just checked out the Thomann price. £103. Incredible!!!

[scrumpymike]

14 hours ago, Baloney Balderdash said:

I looked for them too without luck.

 

But my best guess is that they are working on a version 2 with a pickup switch or a blend, instead of P and J pickup both always full on, with no options for switching or blending, like this first version worked.

 

Didn't realise they'd disappeared from the product range. As you say, they're probably working on a replacement with pickup switch or blend pot.

[MichaelDean]

2 minutes ago, scrumpymike said:

Didn't realise they'd disappeared from the product range. As you say, they're probably working on a replacement with pickup switch or blend pot.

They said in a comment on their Instagram page that there were more coming later this year.

[MichaelDean]

I half wonder if they just ended up buying out Gotoh's stock of parts so they literally couldn't make more of the Gotoh ranges? You don't see Gotoh tuners on many basses in that price range, and certainly not at the volume that Thomann probably sell.

[Obrienp]

1 hour ago, scrumpymike said:

Just checked out the Thomann price. £103. Incredible!!!

Yep but the Standard is even cheaper: £85! I was trying to work out what justified the extra £18 and noticed that the SBK body is poplar and the Standard basswood. I suppose the black chrome hardware might add a bit of cost too.

 

I would like these even more if they had a jazz style neck. The Standard has a typical P-bass 42mm nut width and the SBK stats don’t say, so I assume it is the same.

[Baloney Balderdash]

7 minutes ago, Obrienp said:

Yep but the Standard is even cheaper: £85! I was trying to work out what justified the extra £18 and noticed that the SBK body is poplar and the Standard basswood. I suppose the black chrome hardware might add a bit of cost too.

 

I would like these even more if they had a jazz style neck. The Standard has a typical P-bass 42mm nut width and the SBK stats don’t say, so I assume it is the same.

Finish on neck and headstock would no doubt add to the price as well.

[LeftyJ]

Atelier Z is bringing back the Baby Z in a passive version with regular, uncovered Jazz pickups and an old school 2-saddle bridge. They're issueing it under a new "Atelier Z design" brand (the old one was already more affordable than the regular Atelier Z models, and was built at Fujigen - like all their other models with the KTS titanium rods in the neck). 

 

Looks really nice, but I don't dig the pickguard shape. The old ones had a Mustang pickguard, but this new one has the pointy bit next to the fingerboard that would also be there on a Jazz or Precision and it just looks out of place to me on a Mustang design. 

 

 

 

 

Source: Atelier Z's Facebook page with NAMM updates. 

[2pods]

I think it would look better with no scratchplate

[LeftyJ]

The old ones had the best of both worlds: a plexi guard. Here's mine:

 

[Obrienp]

1 hour ago, LeftyJ said:

Atelier Z is bringing back the Baby Z in a passive version with regular, uncovered Jazz pickups and an old school 2-saddle bridge. They're issueing it under a new "Atelier Z design" brand (the old one was already more affordable than the regular Atelier Z models, and was built at Fujigen - like all their other models with the KTS titanium rods in the neck). 

 

Looks really nice, but I don't dig the pickguard shape. The old ones had a Mustang pickguard, but this new one has the pointy bit next to the fingerboard that would also be there on a Jazz or Precision and it just looks out of place to me on a Mustang design. 

 

 

 

 

Source: Atelier Z's Facebook page with NAMM updates. 

I agree with you about the pickguard but why would they put a two saddle bridge on it? Especially as it is likely to be sold at a premium price! Intonation is a bit dodgy on short scale basses anyway; why make it even worse? The first thing I would want to do as an owner, is put a decent four saddle bridge on it and it would just annoy me that I have to do that on a premium instrument.

[MoonBassAlpha]

On 27/01/2024 at 15:44, LeftyJ said:

The old ones had the best of both worlds: a plexi guard. Here's mine:

 

And a decent Hipshot Bridge 

[msb]

I haven’t seen too much that’s interesting from the various NAMM reports , but the ruby Dano Longhorn with the f hole and binding looks good. I’ll be watching for availability and price.

[Obrienp]

51 minutes ago, MoonBassAlpha said:

And a decent Hipshot Bridge 

With through body stringing 👍.

[msb]

I love these little things!