Geek99 Posted June 5 Share Posted June 5 Lady who runs our local OM would like a bass, she wants to play The Chain. She’s a good pianist, talented singer and passable acoustic guitard she has fairly small hands and didn’t realise that shorter scale basses were available. Can anyone, particularly female members, suggest a non bank breaking choice ? I thought of mustangs and 32” fender style basses Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Woodinblack Posted June 5 Share Posted June 5 Ignoring the fact that I am currently selling one - the mustang is perfect as it is not only short scale, its quite a small neck in general, and also pretty cheap (there is also the bronco, even cheaper). But I am not female so don't match that part of the criteria. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Geek99 Posted June 6 Author Share Posted June 6 Don’t have to be female, just thought the female members might have an insight Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
casapete Posted June 6 Share Posted June 6 Harley Benton do some short scale basses that are often praised on here - have a look at them on Thomann website. From my experience of SS basses, 32 inch scale doesn’t feel much different to 34 inch. Dropping down to 30 inch scale models does, so that would include Mustangs - you don’t mention a budget but they start at around £350 for the Squier CV60. A friend of mine wanted a shorty bass for his teenage daughter, and I found him an Ibanez TMB30 Talman which was an ace thing - she’s just done her first gig with it. As usual, secondhand is always worth considering to get more bang for your buck. Also if weight / body style is a consideration as well as scale length then best to see if your friend can try a few out to find something that feels right for her. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
itu Posted June 6 Share Posted June 6 There's a small and lightweight Axstar for sale in the classifieds... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boodang Posted June 6 Share Posted June 6 (edited) Short scale, light and in a nice red.... tempted to get one myself actually. PS just listened to the sound samples on the Thomann site.... has a really good tone. Even more tempted now! Edited June 6 by Boodang 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul S Posted June 6 Share Posted June 6 For a first short scale I would go for a Harley Benton PB Shorty all day long. I believe they were £65 when I got mine, currently £85. When they first came out I bought one as a modding platform but, when it arrived, found I didn't need to and gigged it straight out of the box. Stock pickup was a great vintage P bass tone. I have since put a Tonerider pickup in it because I wanted a bit more oomph and bite; I also changed the pickguard to a black one 'cos I don't like black basses with white pickguards. These were both a matter of personal choice rather than any fault. If I were being uber-picky I'd say the tuners are a little scratchy but they work just fine - replacing them would cost more than the bass! The fret ends could do with a file but I have had worse on basses costing 6x as much. The biggest disadvantage about these I would say is the credibility issues around how cheap they are - it is almost impossible to believe you get a decent bass for such a small amount of cash. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
casapete Posted June 6 Share Posted June 6 1 hour ago, Boodang said: Short scale, light and in a nice red.... tempted to get one myself actually. PS just listened to the sound samples on the Thomann site.... has a really good tone. Even more tempted now! A Dano Longhorn was going to be my first recommendation, although price and their somewhat ‘Marmite’ appeal made me reconsider. That red one looks ace though! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ezbass Posted June 6 Share Posted June 6 (edited) The recently released, improved Harley Benton Mustang-alike would be a solid buy https://www.thomann.de/gb/harley_benton_mv_4msb_burgundy_mist.htm Edited June 6 by ezbass 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
miles'tone Posted June 6 Share Posted June 6 For a casual OM turn on a bass, HB Shorty P all the way. I've had mine for over a decade and I've done nothing to it. At all. It's still got the strings on it came with. Didn't even need to touch the trussrod or intonation. Still going strong and sounds Brill. This coming from a serial bass fettler/buyer/seller is high praise indeed! Cheapest new bass I've ever bought too (apart from a HB deko) which really does make me question my otherwise very expensive habit 😂 It's short but sounds like a grown up P 👍 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crusoe Posted June 6 Share Posted June 6 Hofner violin bass? Gretsch G2220 Junior Jet bass? 30" and 30.3" scales respectively. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
uk_lefty Posted June 6 Share Posted June 6 Epiphone shorties come in attractive colours and sound very good. Not sure if they're 30 or 32 but they're definitely shorter than the usual. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lozz196 Posted June 6 Share Posted June 6 10 hours ago, Woodinblack said: Ignoring the fact that I am currently selling one - the mustang is perfect as it is not only short scale, its quite a small neck in general, and also pretty cheap (there is also the bronco, even cheaper). But I am not female so don't match that part of the criteria. I have 2 of these Squiers and they are excellent basses, def get my recommendations. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rich Posted June 6 Share Posted June 6 I've heard lots of good things about the Ibanez GSRM20 Mikro basses. 29" scale and very light. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lemmywinks Posted June 6 Share Posted June 6 First port of call would be those Harley Benton Mustang clones I would think. I just like the colours really. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
miles'tone Posted June 6 Share Posted June 6 (edited) 2 hours ago, lemmywinks said: First port of call would be those Harley Benton Mustang clones I would think. I just like the colours really. Yes they do look fab 👍 Another option is the Luna Tattoo Shorty. They were originally designed by a lady with diminutive ladies in mind too. I've not played one but they're good by all accounts. I like the phases of the moon inlays especially... https://www.thomann.de/gb/luna_guitars_tattoo_short_scale_bass.htm Edited June 6 by miles'tone 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
verb Posted June 6 Share Posted June 6 1 hour ago, Rich said: I've heard lots of good things about the Ibanez GSRM20 Mikro basses. 29" scale and very light. My daughter has a Micro bass and I would totally recommend it for someone needing a small bass. I bought a HB Shorty for £40 recently and after a clean and set up it is great. The neck on the HB is much chunkier than the Ibanez which may be a consideration. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lemmywinks Posted June 6 Share Posted June 6 1 hour ago, miles'tone said: Yes they do look fab 👍 Another option is the Luna Tattoo Shorty. They were originally designed by a lady with diminutive ladies in mind too. I've not played one but they're good too by all acounts. I like the phases of the moon inlays especially... https://www.thomann.de/gb/luna_guitars_tattoo_short_scale_bass.htm I keep looking at the 5 string jazz they do in the same colour, if it had a rear access panel and a battery box I'd be in danger. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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