The Jazz Guitar Chord Dictionary
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  1. #26

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    I've been recording with my son's Danelectro and my standup. That's going from one extreme to the other. But I have the long fingers. Our bass is just like the one in this picture. It sounds great.


    Attached Images Attached Images short scale basses-danelectro_longhorn_bass_blue_burst_rifflessi-jpg 
    Last edited by kenbennett; 08-13-2015 at 07:18 AM.

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  3. #27

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    Quote Originally Posted by kenbennett
    I've been recording with my son's Danelectro and my standup. That's going from one extreme to the other. But I have the long fingers. Our bass is just like the one in this picture. It sounds great.


    I have a Dano Bass that is strung with flats. Love Dano's!!

  4. #28

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    Quote Originally Posted by ronjazz
    Gretch has a nice little one for cheap, and the Hofner copies by Epi are short-scale as well. Wanna go really short? The new fretless Uke bass is only about 15" in scale, but sounds like a big upright p[lugged in, really excellent.
    My 16 yr. old guitar playing son just got a Gretch short scale. It is a lot easier to play than a long scale and is...to quote my wife and his mom..."cute!" (That may or may not be part of your criteria.)

  5. #29

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    A nice Hofner 500/2 does the job as well.
    Attached Images Attached Images short scale basses-img_7586-jpg 

  6. #30

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    Or, for the more traditionally minded but with a twist, the 500/2-CV - a nice sunburst (in shellac) w/Cavern spacing:

  7. #31

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    Here's an article from Fender discussing short scale basses:

    https://www.fender.com/articles/tech...-right-for-you

    Is a Short-Scale Bass Right for You?

    Good things come in small packages.
    The scale of a guitar refers to the distance between the bridge an the nut. Most bass guitars are long-scale instruments. In fact, Fender itself defined the long-scale bass guitar when it introduced the profoundly influential Precision Bass® in 1951. It, as well as many other models that followed, has a 34” scale, which can prove to be a bit of a stretch for players with smaller hands and shorter reach.
    Realizing this, Fender--which already had been offering smaller-model electric guitars since 1955--introduced its first short-scale bass guitar, the Mustang® Bass, in 1966. This was the last Fender bass guitar designed by Leo Fender himself, and featured a student-friendly 30” scale, shorter distance between frets and a more compact overall size. Another short-scale model, the Musicmaster Bass, debuted in 1971 and remained in the Fender line until 1981.


    Between the mid-1950s and mid-1960s, several other makers introduced their own short- and medium-scale basses. Standards fell into place: the dominant long scale established by Fender (34”; rarely, other makers have offered longer scales), the less prevalent short scale (30” and slightly longer) and the much rarer medium scale (around 32”).


    Today, Fender’s widely varied bass guitar selection continues to feature several quality short-scale models. These include the modern version of the Fender Mustang Bass, Squier Vintage Modified Jaguar Bass Special SS and Squier Bronco Bass.


    So, while there's an obvious visual difference between long- and short-scale basses, many players wonder: Do they sound different?
    Yes, definitely. For one thing, short-scale bass guitars sometimes use a slightly heavier string gauge than their long-scale brothers, which imparts a thicker tone. Furthermore, shorter strings require lower string tension for proper intonation, which gives both a looser, more “floppy” feel to the strings as well as fatter-sounding low notes.


    While the short-scale bass has obvious benefits for students and kids, it's been used by plenty of bass greats as well: Paul McCartney, Jack Bruce (Cream), Bill Wyman (Rolling Stones), Andy Fraser (Free), Glenn Cornick (Jethro Tull), Trevor Bolder (Spiders From Mars, Uriah Heep), Tina Weymouth (Talking Heads), Garry Tallent (E Street Band), Bruce Thomas (the Attractions), Gary Mounfield (Stone Roses, Primal Scream), Mike Watt (Minuteman, Firehose, Stooges) and many others.

  8. #32

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    My 16 yr. old just got a short scale Gretch. It was inexpensive and seems pretty decent.

  9. #33

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    How about 20.375”? I love that I can get close to an upright sound out of this.

    Zac