# Short Scale Bass



## TempoGuy (Jun 11, 2021)

Hello again folks,

So I am looking into getting a bass, I haven't played in a long time and I wasn't any good when I did.

But I want to learn now. I do have some trouble with my hands and am wondering if I would be better off with a short scale base. If so, does anyone have any suggestions on which short scale is good for beginners? Oh, and I'm a South paw which narrows the possibilities.

Josh


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## Robert1950 (Jan 21, 2006)

Tthat is limiting for a short scale. There is Epiphone SGE!1 short scale. It is a double cut so It can be easily flipped from left to right. Might have to get another nut, but hey...


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## laristotle (Aug 29, 2019)

There's many short scale brands to choose from, but finding a used lefty will make things tough for you.
Maybe try your local L&M or other music store and rent?

Gretsch - Junior Jet
Epiphone - EBO
Danelectro - '56, '58 Longhorn, '59
Squier - Bronco, Jaguar, Mustang


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## TempoGuy (Jun 11, 2021)

OK guys, thanks a lot. I will look into it.


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## slag banal (May 4, 2020)

I bought one of these. I play guitar (with torn rotator cuff, arthritis and trigger finger). This sounds good enough and is easy to play, for a bass. I use it for a few songs with a rehearsal band and in home recording. i give it five stars FOR THIS PRICE POINT. Yes, I would like a Fender Mustang, but I don’t play enough bass to warrant the cost.
*Ibanez miKro GSRM20 Left-handed Bass Guitar - Black*
4-string Electric Bass, Left-handed, with Poplar Body, Maple Neck, Jatoba


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## TempoGuy (Jun 11, 2021)

That's great info Slag, thanks for your help.


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## starjag (Jan 30, 2008)

Great suggestions. Decent short scale options with Squier (a generally drool for Mustangs) and Ibanez (the new headless short scale will be eventually my new bass).


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## TempoGuy (Jun 11, 2021)

OK, thanks Starjag


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## Hammertone (Feb 3, 2006)

Entry level Beatle bass (30" scale).
Comes in righty or lefty.
Comes up used on ebay /reverb/gbase now and again.
As well as new.
For example:


https://www.guitarcenter.com/Hofner/Ignition-Series-Left-Handed-Violin-Bass.gc


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## Rollin Hand (Jul 12, 2012)

Lots of option at Rondomusic.com.






Rondo Music Bass Guitars


bass guitars, 4-string bass guitars, electric bass guitars, bass



www.rondomusic.com


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## TempoGuy (Jun 11, 2021)

OK thanks Hammertone and Rollin, I'll look into these


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## TempoGuy (Jun 11, 2021)

I am looking at the SX Ursa, does it stay in tune reasonably well? One of the things about Rondo that kind of eats me is the $145 shipping but I can't find anywhere else that sells these guitars.

I have also been considering some more expensive basses, their is just not a lot of stock for left handed short scale.


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## laristotle (Aug 29, 2019)

Where about's are you located?


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## Budda (May 29, 2007)

TempoGuy said:


> I am looking at the SX Ursa, does it stay in tune reasonably well? One of the things about Rondo that kind of eats me is the $145 shipping but I can't find anywhere else that sells these guitars.
> 
> I have also been considering some more expensive basses, their is just not a lot of stock for left handed short scale.


SX is a Rondo house brand.


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## TempoGuy (Jun 11, 2021)

Thanks Budda.

Laristotle,I'm in Peterborough ON.


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## Mooh (Mar 7, 2007)

I really dig the Fender Mustang Bass. I had one for my first bass and always regretted dealing it, but I was young and stupid, so...yeah, that. For many years I played with a local bassist in a couple of local bands who had a Mustang as his primary bass and it was superb.

As for left handed, I suppose one could always flip a righty over, restring and intonate, tweak the nut, and maybe move the strap button. It would be its own form of cool, I guess.


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## Rollin Hand (Jul 12, 2012)

TempoGuy said:


> I am looking at the SX Ursa, does it stay in tune reasonably well? One of the things about Rondo that kind of eats me is the $145 shipping but I can't find anywhere else that sells these guitars.
> 
> I have also been considering some more expensive basses, their is just not a lot of stock for left handed short scale.


Shipping's $145? I don't think I have ever paid more that $65 all in, though this was a while ago, and things may have changed...OK, I checked, and they seem to give you no option but to use UPS. I would check with them to see if there are other options, because I got my instruments shipped by Fed Ex.

I have a 5 string Ursa and they stay in tune fine. Any of the SX guitars and basses is a great mod platform.

Lastly, check out Thomann -- they do ship here, and their stuff is supposed to be good.


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## TempoGuy (Jun 11, 2021)

More great stuff, thanks folks!

Mooh, there is a left handed Mustang but not in stock anywhere in Canada I can find. I have considered the old fliparoo.

Rollin, thanks I will check out Thomann. I may also call SX to see if they have other options for shipping. 

Thanks again for all your input.

Josh


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## Rollin Hand (Jul 12, 2012)

Another option:









Ibanez TMB30MGR Talman Bass 30" Short Scale - Electric Bass with PJ Pickups - Mint Green


Solid Bass Value, Classic Good Looks Step up to a value-packed bass guitar in the Ibanez TMB30 Talman Bass. Expect powerful, punchy tone from the poplar body and solid playability from the maple neck with jatoba fingerboard. Dynamix P/J style pickups give the TMB30 Talman Bass impressive tonal...




musicredone.com


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## TempoGuy (Jun 11, 2021)

Great Rollin Hand, thanks.


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## ibwesty (Sep 27, 2021)

+1 on the Mikro. New player here. I first rented an EB-0 (maybe EB-3) which was a 30" scale and didn't really like it much, it had one pickup and was pretty heavy. Returned it and L and M rented me a brand new Mikro, which felt more comfortable to play, made more sounds and I eventually bought it.


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## TempoGuy (Jun 11, 2021)

Great ibwesty, thanks.


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## Granny Gremlin (Jun 3, 2016)

Ibanez Talman series basses come in both short and long scale, and lefties. Few different pup configs over the years, but I'd take those over a Squire any day. Cask music always has a couple in stock (not sure if they have a lefty). Good bass with a number of options and looks cool too IMHO.

Then there's the higher end - Gibson Doublecut Tribute and the SG bass. Not sure if those come in lefty but the SG at least is more easily flipped. Love both of those.

Same with American Fender Mustang or Jaguar basses - never seen a lefty. There's the McCartney route - loads of cheap Beatle Bass reissues and copies. Not into either of these options personally, but gotta be covered

I'd suggest lawsuit era Gibson copies, and modern Burns reissues as well but never seen a lefty; they may exist.

As a mostly shortie-playing guy I can confirm that yes, the shorter scale can make things easier, but there are differences in responsiveness - a long scale will usually have a better defined E stringwhile a shortie will have a strong A string and a weaker E.



ibwesty said:


> +1 on the Mikro. New player here. I first rented an EB-0 (maybe EB-3) which was a 30" scale and didn't really like it much, it had one pickup and was pretty heavy. Returned it and L and M rented me a brand new Mikro, which felt more comfortable to play, made more sounds and I eventually bought it.


That would be an older Epiphone EBO (single pup and heavy). Stay away from those Epis, especially the cheaper bolt on neck ones; very chunky in a bad ay (just like the Epi SG guitars of the same period). The exception being the 90s/early 00s Elitist series EB3s - those ere good. The current Gibson SG bass (basically an EB3 with one less knob) is even better and the pups look the same but are actually modern Thunderbird pups under the covers (not the Artec 'mudbucker" reissue like on earlir models) so it's a bit more versatile tonewise.


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## TempoGuy (Jun 11, 2021)

Granny Gremlin, thanks for all of this info.


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## Morrow (Apr 29, 2020)

I’ve just made arrangements to pick up an SG bass on Monday . I’ve been in love with the DC Jr for the last year , it will be interesting to compare .


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## TempoGuy (Jun 11, 2021)

Very cool Morrow.


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## Morrow (Apr 29, 2020)

I’ve had the SG for a little while now and have to say it’s a great little bass . I do have a slight preference for the DC Jr bass , but the SG is a beauty . I’ve ordered some Gibson short scale round wound strings for it because I want to hear it with fresh rounds , it will probably wind up with LaBella flats on it , but I want to hear the rounds first . But I really do like this SG !


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## TempoGuy (Jun 11, 2021)

I just picked up a mid scale Yamaha motion mbII.

It is the nicest bass I have ever played, not that I have much experience. But it is a lot of fun and sounds great. The 32" scale is very comfortable. I still haven't tried a 30" when I am near a music store that has one I plan on popping in and trying it out. 

Thanks for all of your input folks!


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## Mooh (Mar 7, 2007)

TempoGuy said:


> I just picked up a mid scale Yamaha motion mbII.
> 
> It is the nicest bass I have ever played, not that I have much experience. But it is a lot of fun and sounds great. The 32" scale is very comfortable. I still haven't tried a 30" when I am near a music store that has one I plan on popping in and trying it out.
> 
> Thanks for all of your input folks!


Googled it. Nice looking bass.


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## Morrow (Apr 29, 2020)

There are a lot of people that really love those little Yamahas . Enjoy !


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## Gene Machine (Sep 22, 2007)

I have an Ibanez Mikro and a MIM Fender Mustang in PJ configuration. The Mustang is better. Mikro is still pretty good.


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## Paul Running (Apr 12, 2020)

Solo offers a DIY kit of a SS Bass:


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## TempoGuy (Jun 11, 2021)

Hmm, this is pretty cool. I have been thinking about buying a broken guitar and fixing it. This might be a good place to start. Thanks Paul


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## Morrow (Apr 29, 2020)

I recently saw a gorgeous bass made with a short scale neck and a Tele body . Looked like a Tbird pickup . It was a beauty !


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## Granny Gremlin (Jun 3, 2016)

Well that sounds interesting.


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## starjag (Jan 30, 2008)

What a teaser! So curious. 



Morrow said:


> I recently saw a gorgeous bass made with a short scale neck and a Tele body . Looked like a Tbird pickup . It was a beauty !


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## laristotle (Aug 29, 2019)

A friend lent me this years ago. I should've bought it when I had the opportunity.
Hutchins, out of England.


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## TempoGuy (Jun 11, 2021)

Morrow, that sounds like a cool bass.

Laristotle, that is a beautiful guitar!


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## Morrow (Apr 29, 2020)

Here’s a pic that I saved of it , simply because I thought it looked gorgeous .


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## TempoGuy (Jun 11, 2021)

Very cool Morrow!


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## Morrow (Apr 29, 2020)

Stefan Kienbaum is the name of the builder . It took me a bit to find his name … when I first saw it I simply thought it was gorgeous .


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## Marshtech (May 8, 2021)

Morrow said:


> I’ve had the SG for a little while now and have to say it’s a great little bass . I do have a slight preference for the DC Jr bass , but the SG is a beauty . I’ve ordered some Gibson short scale round wound strings for it because I want to hear it with fresh rounds , it will probably wind up with LaBella flats on it , but I want to hear the rounds first . But I really do like this SG !


I put tape wounds on my SG but soon changed back to rounds. It's such a fun bass to play.


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## starjag (Jan 30, 2008)

Tapes are an acquired taste. A taste a do enjoy on a short scale that I own. Using La Bella black tapes on that bass. And La Bella flats on my other short scale. Short scale is all I play and own these days


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## SWLABR (Nov 7, 2017)

I’d heard of a “short scale” before, but…. Saw this one at a Luau the other night.


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## starjag (Jan 30, 2008)

People say that amplified, those small uke-style basses can sound like a standup bass. Not sure about the non-amplified tone. How did you like the tone?



SWLABR said:


> I’d heard of a “short scale” before, but…. Saw this one at a Luau the other night.


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## Marshtech (May 8, 2021)

I had a guy come by to buy a bass amp. He was looking for something to amplify his U-Bass. I tried it unplugged and plugged. It sounded fine unplugged. He tried it plugged into the Vox 10 Watt amp and it was fine. Then he said "how about that amp?" which was a Vox Micro Beetle 50 Watt amp (which I was also selling). The U-Bass sounded magical through the bigger amp and the guy bought it. Would I say it sounded like an upright bass - YES.
If you're wondering why the Beetle amp was for sale, it never sounded loud enough to me. Sounded more like a 25 Watt amp than 50 Watts. Likely the 8" speaker was to blame.


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## Morrow (Apr 29, 2020)

I’ve been fooling around with these two for a while now . With the Ashbory intonation becomes tricky in the upper registers . They both have Thundergut strings , and have a nice rich amplified sound that’s deceptive for their size . I always plug them in to play , but tend to do that anyway .


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## Morrow (Apr 29, 2020)

and often use headphones with the Ashbory


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## Granny Gremlin (Jun 3, 2016)

Uh I dunno Joey. Something about those things just bad vibes me - like aren't the strings real floppy (low tension)? It's like my worst nightmare is ending up in a band with one of these, a chapman stick, and a cajon.


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## SWLABR (Nov 7, 2017)

starjag said:


> People say that amplified, those small uke-style basses can sound like a standup bass. Not sure about the non-amplified tone. How did you like the tone?


It was 100% amplified. It honestly looked like a solid body bass. Just tiny. Metal bridge, pups, the works. I don’t think it was even this spaghetti strings. Pretty sure they were metal too. If I didn’t see it, I’d have no reason to believe it wasn’t a full bass.


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## Morrow (Apr 29, 2020)

The strings are kinda floppy , but the Thundergut strings on mine are an improvement on the original rubber band strings developed for the Ashbory . They are what they are . They do sound surprisingly rich and deep for such a short scale instrument . (I think they’re deeper sounding than my upright) . I’ve used them for a song or two at the local blues jam , never done a full gig with them . Don’t plan to , I see them as something fun to fool around with . Like that Bass VI I picked up . 
Heck , I once picked up a sousaphone to learn those classic New Orleans bass lines on the original instrument . It did not go well … and the sousaphone is long gone . And to a good home .


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## starjag (Jan 30, 2008)

I’m gonna search me for some sousaphone pictures. I have no clue what that it!



Morrow said:


> The strings are kinda floppy , but the Thundergut strings on mine are an improvement on the original rubber band strings developed for the Ashbory . They are what they are . They do sound surprisingly rich and deep for such a short scale instrument . (I think they’re deeper sounding than my upright) . I’ve used them for a song or two at the local blues jam , never done a full gig with them . Don’t plan to , I see them as something fun to fool around with . Like that Bass VI I picked up .
> Heck , I once picked up a sousaphone to learn those classic New Orleans bass lines on the original instrument . It did not go well … and the sousaphone is long gone . And to a good home .


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## Morrow (Apr 29, 2020)

It’s a marching tuba .


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## Morrow (Apr 29, 2020)

I had played French horn in High School , so I thought I would just pick it up (wrong) . One day I was upstairs practicing some chromatic scales , and after a spell was feeling a little dizzy so I set it down and found Herself standing there with a horrified look on her face . When I asked what was wrong she said “ You would not believe the sounds the washing machine was just making “
I kinda figured my sousaphone playing days were numbered after that …


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## laristotle (Aug 29, 2019)

Morrow said:


> It did not go well … and the sousaphone is long gone


During covid times? I can't imagine why?


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## Morrow (Apr 29, 2020)

This was pre-covid . Maybe fifteen years back . But an interesting leg of my bass odyssey .


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## vokey design (Oct 24, 2006)

I can not provide any new insight to this discussion but when I saw the title I just had to share this gem. How adorable is this?.. what a great smile at the end


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## TempoGuy (Jun 11, 2021)

vokey design said:


> I can not provide any new insight to this discussion but when I saw the title I just had to share this gem. How adorable is this?.. what a great smile at the end


That is a great video. Very cute.


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