The sunn Forum
Other Musical Equipment => General Discussion => Topic started by: jdfarrell81 on March 17, 2009, 05:32:52 pm
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My hands are tiny, and, though a full-scale bass is managable, tendonitis is a recurring issue despite careful attention to form and technique. So, I'm in the market for a short scale bass, and my choices seem incredibly limited.
Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
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Epiphone Hofner Beatle bass knockoff with DR high-beam strings. Rogue V100 is the same with different control panel. Note pickups are not hum-bucking except when both are on. Gibson SG Bass is a little nicer but not 3x to 4x the price nicer.
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You might want to check out a Dano Longhorn. In spite of its name, it is a short scale. I have one with flats and it's pretty easy to access as I have short fingers too. Don't have the tendinitis, but used to have carpel tunnel. Surgeries fixed that. Remember to take 2 Advil and....well, you know the rest. 8-)
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My suggestions go back a few years, but that's the spirit of this site, so here goes:
I started off with a Fender Mustang bass, but sold that for my Precision for the better tone. Kinda toughed it out on the longer scale. I always preferred the thinner Jazz necks.
I was most comfortable with my Kramer 450B. It had a shorter neck but the sound was 10 feet long. Unfortunately. it had nuclear neck dive because of the aluminum neck. The 2 humbuckers gave a lot of tonal variety and the neck harmonics were insane. No dead spots. I wish I still had it.
I think the SG style EB0 had a shorter neck, but the EB1 with 2 pickups had a long 34" scale. The EB models always struck me as muddy. You can get Epiphone versions for less than the Gibsons.
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I have a Fender Mustang Re-Issue with Thomastik Jazz Flats on it. IMO, that bass sounds great, with plenty of thump or growl if you are playing thru a good bass amp where the amp is capable of shaping your sound/tone to a great extent.
(Sunn 2000S, Sunn Concert Bass & Sunn/Fender 1200S hybrid all sounded just fine to me).
If you're economizing you might consider a Gretsch Electromatic Junior Jet
I picked up one of these off of E-Bay a couple years ago for $185.00 in a hardshell case. Nextag has it going for $244 now.
http://www.nextag.com/Gretsch-Guitars-G2202-Electromatic-572959864/prices-html
Rondo's SX comes in short scale versions, but I don't have any personal experience with it. Most players seem to talk in terms of buying them because they're inexpensive and then doing up-grades on the pups & pots.
If you have the money to spend you might want to check out this website.
They build exclusively "Short Scale Basses for the Professional player"
http://www.birdsongguitars.com/
I love the ease of playing a short scale bass, especially the Mustang Re-Issue.
I'm sure there are other great ones out there, but these are the ones that I know.
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I use a new reissued Gibson SG bass with RotoSound flat wounds. This is my first short scale bass and I love the sound. I never expected to get sch a full fat sound from this when I bought it. It rivals my '72 Jazz and Schecter basses. The sound is tight without the mud.
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Hi,
check out these: http://www.largesound.com/, very, very shortscale.... :lol:
But, the sound is really not bad.
Greetings
Oli
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Sheldon Dingwall is in my backyard - 100 miles away, close for where i live. Dingwall basses are (I believe) one of the best basses ever built, he has won many awards. they are a Fan-fret style bass with differing scale lengths for each string. the low B is a religious experience. look up Dingwall at
http://www.dingwallguitars.com/
the fan fret is ergonomically correct, will help or cure any tendonitis, and you still get the long scale length for a solid low B. takes a little getting used to but, you'll see or hear it if you get one.
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Gibson EBO or EB3 for that Jack Bruce sound....or a U.S. Hamer B4S for similar feel but better sound (I think they also make a cheaper import model of this one.)
Fender Mustang bass for a Fender sound.
For a short-scale that has a REALLY narrow fingerboard that is great for small hands....an old VOX bass. I prefer the teardrops but any would do.
The 80s aluminum fork neck Kramers are also short scale but a little heavy...but you can pick them up for a good price.
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I have three or four short scale basses including a Rogue VB-100 and a Univox 335-copy hollowbody. But recently I got a Gretsch Electromatic Junior Jet 2202 and it's a very darn nice bass! Plenty of guts, strong low end, and well made. Check them out - they're no longer made new, but available under $200 if you search and check Ebay.
I was playing three or four of my basses lately - a Jazz, a Univox hollow-body and others - and when I connected the Gretsch, I had to turn the amp down. That single pickup is HOT, and it's in a very sweet spot. This bass stands out from most others in terms of sound quality.
(http://i83.photobucket.com/albums/j306/apowell1/Electric%20Basses/Gretsch%202202/Gretsch2202.jpg)
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ive got the same problem and a small collection of short scale basses which include a heit hollowbody (335 copy) from the 60's, the Gretch electromate, a fender mustang, and fender musicmaster. i thought that the electromate had kind of a weak tone and doesnt get very loud even with the pickup raised fairly high. id suggest either of the latter 2. older musicmasters are actually installed with a guitar pickup which gives it a real dirty sound, while the mustang has a stacked pick up almost like a p-bass and has a more bass conventional sound. plus playing them is easy and musicmasters and ri mustangs are fairly cheap for the good sound they put out. id go with either one depending on the sound you want
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I think Epiphone makes an Allen Woody model that sounds great and is short scale. A really beautiful guitar. Check it out. You can get one for around $400.00.
Zulu
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I think Epiphone makes an Allen Woody model that sounds great and is short scale. A really beautiful guitar. Check it out. You can get one for around $400.00.
Zulu
I'll second the Epiphone Allen Woody nomination. I seriously considered that bass instead of the Fender Mustang when I was looking to buy.
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The Allen Woody has a solid reputation and would be a good option - some of my friends really praise them.
I still say the Gretsch G2202 Electromatic Jr. Jet has the hottest passive pickup of any short scale bass I've ever owned! It's far and away the most powerful sounding short scale I've heard. The reviews on Harmony Central all praise this bass. If you have that exact model and the pickup isn't quite strong, I'd say there's something wrong with it or with the electronics.
As it happens, I also have the Rogue VB-100 violin bass mentioned above, and for $200 it's a great value. It doesn't have quite the guts of the Gretsch (especially on the open E string), but it's a good bass with fantastic fit and finish, and I enjoy playing it. It's also light without becoming a neck-diver. One note about the Rogue - it comes with a pitiful, tinny set of strings from the factory, and replacing them with a set of Labella Hofner flats will completely transform the output into great vintage sound with low end.
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I put Short Scale Thomastik Jazz Flats on both my Mustang R.I. and the Gretsch (not sure if my Gretsch is the G2202) but it sure looks exactly like that. Anyway the Thomastiks sound real good on them.
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The Gibson SG bass that they currently make would be a great choice. As someone mentioned here, put some Rotosound flats on it and stand back!!
I have an original 1965 EB3, but those are getting a bit pricey these days, so the current SG bass would be a better choice if you don't have tons of extra dough sitting around! Good luck!
Mike
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Dan Armstrong Plexi Bass
Best sounding short scale you can find.
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I'll vote for the Gibson SG. They go used from around $750+. I played the Allen Woody, and though it was by all accounts an excellent bass, the neck just felt way to tiny, like broom stick size, but you may like that. If you're worried about mud, either put on some brighter strings or if you have the $$$ buy a dark star pup for the neck position. If you go to talkbass there are plenty of modded SGs with DS pups.
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ive got the same problem and a small collection of short scale basses which include a heit hollowbody (335 copy) from the 60's, the Gretch electromate, a fender mustang, and fender musicmaster. i thought that the electromate had kind of a weak tone and doesnt get very loud even with the pickup raised fairly high. id suggest either of the latter 2. older musicmasters are actually installed with a guitar pickup which gives it a real dirty sound, while the mustang has a stacked pick up almost like a p-bass and has a more bass conventional sound. plus playing them is easy and musicmasters and ri mustangs are fairly cheap for the good sound they put out. id go with either one depending on the sound you want
My experience with the Gretsch Electromatic is a little different. The pick-up is WAY hotter on my Gretsch then the Fender Mustang, surprisinglly so. I agree about the tone to some extent, but my Sunn amps seem to create a great tone regardless of what bass I play thru them.
With the Gretsch, the tone knob is fairly useless, but I've discovered that the tone can be varied from a deep bass thump (picking up closer to the neck) to an almost guitar-like treble picking down closer to the bridge) by varying pick attack and especially the pick location. I get a tone variation that I'm very satisfied with that way. Don't know how that works out if your a finger player, I'll have to experiment with that. I've taking the Gretsch to rehearse with lately because it's so very, very light and easy to play.
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I still say the Gretsch G2202 Electromatic Jr. Jet has the hottest passive pickup of any short scale bass I've ever owned! It's far and away the most powerful sounding short scale I've heard. The reviews on Harmony Central all praise this bass. If you have that exact model and the pickup isn't quite strong, I'd say there's something wrong with it or with the electronics.
Yeah, that's what I'M sayin' too.
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Dan Armstrong Plexi Bass
Best sounding short scale you can find.
Backed hard. Would kill for a '69 Dan Armstrong.
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I have a few other votes as well:
the Danelectro Longhorn is damn good for a bass with one pickup, very simple yet effective.
Fender Mustang Bass seems like something to look at as well.
Also a Gibson SG or EB-3 can definitely be muddy but can also be perfect for a punky sound.
I just think the Dan Armstrong is the one I like the best as it's got incredible sustain and the tone knob changes the sound so drastically that it is very versatile. Not to mention it has switchable pickups.
All depends what kind of sound you're looking for though.
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Hi, Guys,
I have to emphatically echo grimniggzy and siamesetwins. I've had an original Dan Armstrong Ampeg Bass (first edition without the tone switch) since 1969, and wouldn't trade it for any other bass in the world.
This thing is heavy enough to cripple you permanently, but it punches, it bends, it's sweet and it's nasty, and you can get any sound you want with no more than the volume and tone controls and the way you strike the strings. The timber is in your hands, and the instrument just brings it all out.
Two bits of advice are to 1) always use a 90-degree plug to the input jack or you'll crack the pickguard (guess how I learned that one - twice!) and 2) never use a solid state amplifier with an Armstrong bass, or it could be the worst-sounding bass you've ever owned instead of the best.
Warmest regards...