Kick ass short scale bass?
Moderator: Ghost Hip
- neonblack
- IAMILFFAMOUS

- Posts: 8090
- Joined: Fri Feb 28, 2014 12:00 am
- Location: Wilmington, NC
Kick ass short scale bass?
So lately I've been having some wrist and hand issues from playing bass, so I went and bought myself a cheap little Squier jag ss and I'm loving how good it feels in my hands.
It does have some issues though, that keep it from being the one and only. The neck dives like a motherfucker and the pickups leave a lot to be desired. The P pickup is so hot that it sometimes turns my pedals into a squishy mess, and the J pickup is weak and thin. Also, it just has a feeling of general cheapness about it.
So, my experiment in short scale was a sort of success. I like how they feel, but I need something for the long haul.
Anyone know of any decent short scale basses in a reasonable price range? maybe some not-so-well known ones? I imagine the Fender jag would be an upgrade, but the only 2 i can find are the pawn shop reverse bass which imho looks dumb as fuck, and the mastodon dudes signature model, which im not so sure about.
The aerodyne interests me, even though its not ss, and the grabber has :ahem: grabbed my attention as well.
Oh, and that Gretsch junior jet looks fun. but where are the boutique short scales? I'm tired of my gas only extending to pedals. I need an instrument to lust after.
It does have some issues though, that keep it from being the one and only. The neck dives like a motherfucker and the pickups leave a lot to be desired. The P pickup is so hot that it sometimes turns my pedals into a squishy mess, and the J pickup is weak and thin. Also, it just has a feeling of general cheapness about it.
So, my experiment in short scale was a sort of success. I like how they feel, but I need something for the long haul.
Anyone know of any decent short scale basses in a reasonable price range? maybe some not-so-well known ones? I imagine the Fender jag would be an upgrade, but the only 2 i can find are the pawn shop reverse bass which imho looks dumb as fuck, and the mastodon dudes signature model, which im not so sure about.
The aerodyne interests me, even though its not ss, and the grabber has :ahem: grabbed my attention as well.
Oh, and that Gretsch junior jet looks fun. but where are the boutique short scales? I'm tired of my gas only extending to pedals. I need an instrument to lust after.
- Mudfuzz
- HERO

- Posts: 16705
- Joined: Sat Jul 07, 2007 7:06 pm
- Location: The gloomy lands of the northwest
Re: Kick ass short scale bass?
My favorite short scale bass is a Burny, they are one of the "lawsuit" Japanese builders that never stopped making gibson copies better then Gibson can and be of reasonable cost. down side… They aren't imported so you have to pay that "wonderful" shipping price from Japan but really they make the New Gibson SS basses and the Gretsch korean made basses seem like toys.
Also MIJ Fender Mustangs are actually VERY well made basses, it's just the pickup that turns people off, but that is a really easy fix.
Also MIJ Fender Mustangs are actually VERY well made basses, it's just the pickup that turns people off, but that is a really easy fix.
- greyscales
- IAMILF

- Posts: 2101
- Joined: Thu May 24, 2012 7:07 pm
- Location: Tampa
- Contact:
- neonblack
- IAMILFFAMOUS

- Posts: 8090
- Joined: Fri Feb 28, 2014 12:00 am
- Location: Wilmington, NC
Re: Kick ass short scale bass?
Im gonna check out a Burny fo sho.Mudfuzz wrote:My favorite short scale bass is a Burny, they are one of the "lawsuit" Japanese builders that never stopped making gibson copies better then Gibson can and be of reasonable cost. down side… They aren't imported so you have to pay that "wonderful" shipping price from Japan but really they make the New Gibson SS basses and the Gretsch korean made basses seem like toys.
Also MIJ Fender Mustangs are actually VERY well made basses, it's just the pickup that turns people off, but that is a really easy fix.
whats wrong with the mustang pickup?
- Mudfuzz
- HERO

- Posts: 16705
- Joined: Sat Jul 07, 2007 7:06 pm
- Location: The gloomy lands of the northwest
Re: Kick ass short scale bass?
Nothing really, they are just a bit low output and a little on the thin side. It really depends on the sound you want, if you want a huge sound you need more bigger amps. but then keep in mind I think every 7 out of 10 Jbasses sound thin tooneonblack wrote:Im gonna check out a Burny fo sho.Mudfuzz wrote:My favorite short scale bass is a Burny, they are one of the "lawsuit" Japanese builders that never stopped making gibson copies better then Gibson can and be of reasonable cost. down side… They aren't imported so you have to pay that "wonderful" shipping price from Japan but really they make the New Gibson SS basses and the Gretsch korean made basses seem like toys.
Also MIJ Fender Mustangs are actually VERY well made basses, it's just the pickup that turns people off, but that is a really easy fix.
whats wrong with the mustang pickup?
- Mike
- committed

- Posts: 467
- Joined: Wed Jun 30, 2010 6:43 pm
- Location: Savannah, GA
- Contact:
Re: Kick ass short scale bass?
Have you ever seen the MIJ Jazz Bass "SmartSize"? 29.4" scale. Around $1,000 to the US, maybe less.

http://www.fenderjapan.co.jp/jb62ss.html
Another oddball shortscale Fender is the MIM P Bass Jr. Strat sized body (maybe even smaller). 28.6" scale. Hard to find, but fun. My wife has 4 basses to choose from, and the P Bass Jr. is always her #1. It is a quality instrument, far from a toy.
Mike

http://www.fenderjapan.co.jp/jb62ss.html
Another oddball shortscale Fender is the MIM P Bass Jr. Strat sized body (maybe even smaller). 28.6" scale. Hard to find, but fun. My wife has 4 basses to choose from, and the P Bass Jr. is always her #1. It is a quality instrument, far from a toy.
Mike
My diy pedal blog: Just one more build...
- Mudfuzz
- HERO

- Posts: 16705
- Joined: Sat Jul 07, 2007 7:06 pm
- Location: The gloomy lands of the northwest
- neonblack
- IAMILFFAMOUS

- Posts: 8090
- Joined: Fri Feb 28, 2014 12:00 am
- Location: Wilmington, NC
Re: Kick ass short scale bass?
I used to be a jazz guy, but it was mostly because of the neck. After playing with a P pickup, I can't go back the jazz. In fact, since I got my jag, I haven't played the jazz for more than about 10 minutes total.
How are humbuckers on bass? Never played with em. How do they handle dirt?
I'm playing a lot of noise rock/punk where I have to compete with some pretty crazy guitars, so I need the punch.
How are humbuckers on bass? Never played with em. How do they handle dirt?
I'm playing a lot of noise rock/punk where I have to compete with some pretty crazy guitars, so I need the punch.
- Mudfuzz
- HERO

- Posts: 16705
- Joined: Sat Jul 07, 2007 7:06 pm
- Location: The gloomy lands of the northwest
Re: Kick ass short scale bass?
Buckers are like P pickups, which is a bucker anyway, thick sounding.neonblack wrote:I used to be a jazz guy, but it was mostly because of the neck. After playing with a P pickup, I can't go back the jazz. In fact, since I got my jag, I haven't played the jazz for more than about 10 minutes total.
How are humbuckers on bass? Never played with em. How do they handle dirt?
I'm playing a lot of noise rock/punk where I have to compete with some pretty crazy guitars, so I need the punch.
and there is the Watt factor
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jktPvj6kFPc[/youtube]
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LxUYAHUg-i8[/youtube]
With dirt… what doesn't sound good with dirt?
Last edited by Mudfuzz on Wed Apr 16, 2014 1:43 am, edited 2 times in total.
- neonblack
- IAMILFFAMOUS

- Posts: 8090
- Joined: Fri Feb 28, 2014 12:00 am
- Location: Wilmington, NC
Re: Kick ass short scale bass?
Oh, perfect! I always ask myself, WWWD? What would Watt do?
- Mudfuzz
- HERO

- Posts: 16705
- Joined: Sat Jul 07, 2007 7:06 pm
- Location: The gloomy lands of the northwest
Re: Kick ass short scale bass?
neonblack wrote:Oh, perfect! I always ask myself, WWWD? What would Watt do?
- neonblack
- IAMILFFAMOUS

- Posts: 8090
- Joined: Fri Feb 28, 2014 12:00 am
- Location: Wilmington, NC
Re: Kick ass short scale bass?
I wonder if I can put a ss neck on an aerodyne.
Or get EGC to make me one. But I don't wanna spend 2 grand and wait 3 years haha
Or get EGC to make me one. But I don't wanna spend 2 grand and wait 3 years haha
- backwardsvoyager
- IAMILFFAMOUS

- Posts: 4216
- Joined: Wed Nov 21, 2012 4:52 am
Re: Kick ass short scale bass?
I have a MIJ Mustang Bass and whilst there is a tiiiiiny bit of neck dive i would still totally recommend it. Weighs nothing, super comfortable to play, i think the pickup is good, works well with pedals, and it won't sound thin if you boost the fuck out of it with a Rusty Box or something anyway.
- Gone Fission
- IAMILFFAMOUS

- Posts: 4940
- Joined: Sat Dec 04, 2010 1:50 pm
- Location: The ungovernable tribal regions southwest of D.C.
- Contact:
Re: Kick ass short scale bass?
The Pawnshop Mustang bass has a Fender mudbucker in place of the split coil pickup. The sparkly Mikey Way sig Mustang has a more modern bass humbucker, as another option. Different options.
D.o.S. wrote:Broadly speaking, if we at ILF are dropping 300 bucks on a pedal it probably sounds like an SNES holocaust.
friendship wrote:death to false bleep-blop
UglyCasanova wrote:brb gonna slap my dick on my stomp boxes
-
Tristan
- Supporter

- Posts: 3051
- Joined: Wed Feb 27, 2013 8:23 pm
- Location: Harlem, The Netherlands
Re: Kick ass short scale bass?
Yeah, Mustang bass is awesome, especially an old one, also, SG bass.
good deals with: the_brow, phantasmagorovich, alexsga, DarkAxel, goroth, The Wood Wizard, Tendollarcat, vbps, monkeydancer, intothegroove, Brobee