Hey everyone, Sam from Professional Music Technology here
and in today's video we're taking a look at five of our favourite types of short scale bass guitars
Now if you didn't already know, the scale length of a guitar is
the distance between the saddles down on the bridge and the nut up at the headstock
with the standard scale for a bass being 34 inches
The basses we'll be looking at today however
all feature a shorter scale length of around about 30 inches
and there's a few reasons why a lot of players prefer this
Firstly, the short scale length means that the overall size of the bass
can be much more compact and lightweight when compared to a full-scale bass
so they're much closer to the size of a standard electric guitar
ideal for anyone who finds a bass such as the Fender Jazz or Precision a bit too big and heavy
The shorter scale also results in less tension on the strings and the frets are closer together
so they're a little easier on the fingers with less stretching
especially for anyone with smaller hands
which is why these are the perfect type of bass for kids to learn on
but don't be fooled by their smaller size, these aren't just basses for children
as a short scale bass also produces a very different tone to a full sized bass
That reduced tension on the strings affects the attack, sustain and dynamics
resulting in a very punchy sound with enhanced low-end thump
which over the years has been favoured by famous short scale bass players
such as Paul McCartney, Jack Bruce, Bill Wyman
and more recently, Mike Kerr of Royal Blood
So if you are looking for a smaller bass guitar
that's still going to pack a punch in the tone department
here's five of our favourite affordable short scale basses
that you can try out at your nearest PMT store
So to kick things off, we're going to start with arguably
the most popular short scale bass of all time, the Fender Mustang bass
Now these were originally introduced way back in 1966 as a companion to Fender's budget friendly
Mustang student model electric guitars
but they've since become an iconic bass in their own right
The model we're looking at here is the Squier Classic Vibe 60's Mustang bass
a great looking, affordable guitar which invokes the spirit of those original vintage models
but if you are looking for a cheap bass for a child to learn on
we definitely also recommend checking out the entry level Squier Affinity Bronco model
one of the best basses for kids around about £150 pound mark
As I said though, this Classic Vibe model features many of the original Mustang bass specs
so there's a slim, lightweight body with a bolt-on gloss finish Maple neck
and this features a Fender 'C' shape profile,
which is much slimmer than on their full scale basses
making it really easy to wrap your fingers around
This particular model features an Indian Laurel fingerboard fitted with 20 narrow tall frets
It's got a standard 9.5 inch radius and a narrow 1.5 inch nut width
so like most Mustang basses,
overall it feels really easy to play with quite a loose feel to the strings
That classic punchy Mustang tone comes courtesy of a Fender-designed Alnico split coil pickup
and other period authentic features include a vintage style four saddle
bridge and vintage style open gear tuners up on that instantly recognisable Fender headstock
and sticking with that 1960s inspired aesthetic, it's available in a couple of retro finishes
including Olympic White and this unbelievably cool looking Surf Green
Sticking with that kind of vintage vibe,
our next pick is the yin to Fenders yang when it comes to short scale basses
and that's the Gibson SG style bass
Now for this list we've picked the popular Epiphone EB-0 bass,
as we wanted to keep things a little more budget-friendly
and this one's inspired by the classic Gibson EB-3
famously used by Jack Bruce of Cream, who we mentioned earlier
Compared to the warm punchy tone of the Mustang,
this style of base tends to sound a little grittier and thicker
as they feature a humbucker pickup and a mahogany body,
which is a denser wood than those used on the Fender guitars
so they tend to produce a slightly darker sound
Looking at the specs of this particular model, as you can see
it features that legendary SG body shape finished in a classic Gibson Cherry Red
and even though it does feel a little heavier than the Mustang,
it's still much lighter than most full-scale basses
This one features a marginally longer scale length than the Fender at 30.5 inches
and the neck has a slightly chunkier feeling D-shape
but it's still got that narrower 1.5 inch nut width
and a slim taper profile, perfect for smaller hands
To keep the cost down. the neck on the EB-0 is a bolt-on design
as opposed to the more traditional set neck
that you'll find on the much more expensive Gibson models
and it does feature just the one sidewinder humbucking pickup
but you still get that resonance from the mahogany body
and when combined with the tone control,
that pickup still offers a surprisingly versatile range of tones
especially when you switch in between playing with your fingers or a pick
and being a humbucker, it's less prone to the buzzing and hum
that you get with single coil pickups
Other authentic features include vintage tuners up
on the two-side headstock and a three-point vintage bridge
which feels really comfortable to rest your palm on when you're playing with a pick
So if you do want that classic Gibson short scale SG bass kind of vibe
but without spending Gibson money
there's a good reason why the Epiphone EB-0 is one of the most popular short scale bases out there
Our next pick is much more contemporary looking,
offering the playability and tonal options of a more modern bass
and that's the ibanez GSRM-20,
a scaled-down version of the GSR-180 and 200 series entry level basses
With its lightweight, curvy, contoured poplar body and a super short 28.6 inch scale length
this is the smallest bass that we've got here today and it's also one of
the most affordable, coming in at well under £200
so it really is one of the best options out there if you're looking for a bass guitar for a child
That said, the four bolt satin finish Maple neck still features a profile
that will feel very playable in the hands of an adult without being too slim
and when combined with the flatter 12 inch radius Jatoba fingerboard and 22 medium frets
you still get that high performance feel and playability of the bigger full-scale Ibanez basses
Tonally it's also quite a bit more versatile than
the vintage inspired Mustang and SG bases that we just looked at
as this one features a PJ style pickup configuration,
so this means that there's a split coil Precision bass style pickup at the neck position
and a single coil Jazz base style pickup at the bridge
each with individual volume controls so you can blend the two distinct tones together,
making the bass suitable for a huge range of musical styles
Just like Ibanez's other entry level basses, this one features high quality
tuners and an Ibanez B10 bridge for rock solid tuning stability and intonation
and they're available in a wide range of gloss or satin finishes to choose from
So as I mentioned earlier, the GSRM20 mikro bass is perfect for kids
but due to that incredibly compact size,
they're also a great option if you're looking for a travel bass guitar
or something for recording in a small bedroom studio
Next up we're looking at a real kind of love it or hate it short scale model
that most people will instantly associate with Paul McCartney
and that's the Hofner Violin bass
Now Hofner have been making the iconic 500 series basses since the mid-1950s
and they're currently available in a range of different models at various price points
but we've chosen to look at the Ignition series special edition
mainly because I've just finished working my way
through the marathon that is the Beatles 'Get Back' documentary
and this bass is virtually identical in appearance to the one that Macca
uses during their infamous rooftop gig
even down to the 'BASSMAN' sticker that comes supplied in the box
Whether you're a Beatles fan or not though,
the Hofner is definitely the most unique bass that we're looking at here
as it features a hollow body with a spruce top and a flame maple back and sides
This makes the bass really lightweight,
one of the main reasons why Paul McCartney has said that he likes using them so much
and it also means that they sound really vibrant and resonant
and acoustically they're also louder than a solid body bass
In terms of playability, despite it's 30 inch scale,
because of the position of the bridge on the body
they actually feel a little more like a longer medium scale bass
and because of the chunkier feeling neck profile and wider 42 millimeter nut
they're ideal for players who are used to a full-size bass
but are looking for the tone of a short scale
Those tones come courtesy of a pair of Hofner Ignition humbuckers
each with their own individual volume control
and there's some quite unique tonal circuitry, with switches to cut the bass and treble
and the option of rhythm or a louder more prominent solo mode
giving you a wide range of distinctive, warm but punchy vintage sounding tones to play with
To keep everything as authentic to the originals as possible,
other features include a Rosewood bridge with a trapeze Nickel tailpiece
and up on the headstock you'll find that classic Hofner script logo
and a set of small button open gear tuners
So if you are a Paul McCartney fan,
you can't get much more authentic than the Ignition series bass at this kind of price point
but even if you're not really into The Beatles,
the Hofner Violin bass is definitely something that every bass player should at least try
as they offer a tone and a feel completely different to pretty much any other bass out there
So
the final guitar that we're checking out today is the Gretsch Electromatic Junior Jet II
a short scale base that's capable of delivering some truly monstrous tones
as proven by Mike Kerr of Royal Blood,
who's often been seen playing one of these on stages all over the world
The design is based on the famous Gretsch Duo and Pro Jet electric guitars
so it's got a classic single cut away body design and
is fitted with a pair of Gretsch mini humbuckers
which offer a pretty hot output with quite an aggressive growly tone
Running through the rest of the specs,
this one's got a scale length of 30.3 inches and features a basswood body with a bolt-on maple neck
The neck has a slightly wider but flatter slimmer feeling profile
compared to the narrower but more rounded necks on the Mustang and Hofner basses that we've looked at
which along with the 12 inch radius Walnut fingerboard and 20 medium jumbo frets
make the Gretsch feel really easy and fast to play
Hardware includes a set of close-back die-cast tuners and a simple but solid 4-saddle bridge
so the bass holds its tuning really well,
even during aggressive playing or after crazy string bending
To add a subtle touch of class, there's chrome Gretsch G-Arrow
style control knobs and a simple pick guard with the Gretsch logo
and the pickups run through a three-way Les Paul style switch with single volume and tone controls
offering a good range of sounds and allowing you to flick between pickup options really quickly
So all in all, the Gretsch Junior Jet is a pretty understated,
but very cool looking short scale bass
that really packs that tonal punch and it's definitely worth giving one a try
So thanks for watching, that was five of our favourite short scale basses
that you can try out at your nearest Professional Music Technology store
For more information on anything that we've looked at here, visit www.pmtonline.co.uk
and you can keep up to date with all the latest news and deals
by following us on all the usual social channels at Pmt House Of Rock
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let me know your favourite short scale bass in the comments
and i'll see in the next video