Why do you play a shortscale?

George · Post by **George** » Sun Mar 03, 2013 3:20 pm

kypdurron wrote:I never cared for Nirvana. But I saw Nick Cave and the bad Seeds in 1990 (aged 15) and Blixa Bargeld played an small blue Guitar. Not only did it look damn cool, but it sounded like the Oscar Wilde of the mangled cats. When I had the money some years later I went to a small shop in Wilmersdorf. They had a Jaguar and a Jazzmaster. I bought the Jazzmaster because it sounded fatter.

So I started playing Shortscales when I first bought a CV Duo Sonic and finally that little blue guitar (reincarnated in a MG65 reissue Mustang). I have since sold both, as Teles and Jazzmasters work better for me. Still have that Duo SonicII I bought here, and a Musicmaster Bass. Whenever I play bass it needs to be a shortscale. I'm too slow on the big ones.

thats a cool story

Post by **Mike** » Sun Mar 03, 2013 6:14 pm

Because Jaguars and Mustangs look incredible.

It's a bonus I love the way they sound and play also.

Nizzle_Bizzle · Post by **Nizzle_Bizzle** » Mon Mar 04, 2013 12:49 am

Originally it was for the look and tone but honestly they fit my hands perfectly!

taylornutt · Post by **taylornutt** » Mon Mar 04, 2013 4:51 am

It started for me with my Squier Duo Sonic and Jagmaster. I loved not having the exact same guitar everyone else had. The passion came full force when I sold the PRS and bought the AVRI Jaguar. Such a great guitar to play though I am still trying to tame the beast. The Duo Sonic lead to my Musicmaster and Mustangs. I look way too big to playing such small guitars, but I just love the sound and all the chrome. The Bronco has inspired me to really learn to use trem bar and I like it so much better that a Strat trem. Shortscales put me into a different mindset since they are not the same as your typical Strat/Tele, I have to alter what I do to play them. Not to mention I think they are really sexy guitars to look at and play. I now have 7 electric guitars and 5 of them are Shortscales (Squier Hello Kitty strat is my daughter's guitar)

JohnnyTheBoy · Post by **JohnnyTheBoy** » Mon Mar 04, 2013 11:53 pm

OOoohh Looks first, definitely..but also because Strats have always been too mainstream looking for me..ask Joe Bloggs off the street "name a guitar" and they'll prob say a strat..
Back in the day when i first discovered guitar driven music, i simply wanted to emulate those bands by playing the same gear...funny tho as i never had the money to buy one till about 1999...
My early college years were a mix of baggy-era bands but with shoe-gaze as well....then i remember fallin love with the fender Jag after seeing it on music videos, just because it looked so fookin cool..that chrome and wood mix...then i saw MBV use jags with Dinosaur Junior and Jesus & Marychain in sheffield and Sonic Youth use em in Leeds that same year, and was blown away forever!
Didnt know anything about scale or neck profiles or neck width, and always assumed all guitars were the same and felt the same...
Eventually got a CAR Jap Jag in 1999 and felt cool playing it..but sold it to get a MIM Nashville Tele so i could emulate Mogwai

Never understood why i couldnt get on with the tele, and lost interest in playing it...
Then i scored the CV duosonic a few years back and it was a total revelation in the way it felt, and it allowed me to play chords easier, and without getting cramp in my fingers!!... and i feel it helped me play better and i got the lust for playing again..

Jagmaster followed, and that sealed the shortscale deal for me really...
I find smaller width necks easier to play comfortably, and dont think ill ever go back to full scale, unless the neck is real slim!

Fran · Post by **Fran** » Tue Mar 05, 2013 12:02 am

JohnnyTheBoy wrote:then i saw MBV use jags with Dinosaur Junior and Jesus & Marychain in sheffield

Rollercoaster tour, i was at that gig

JohnnyTheBoy · Post by **JohnnyTheBoy** » Tue Mar 05, 2013 12:28 am

Fran wrote:
JohnnyTheBoy wrote:then i saw MBV use jags with Dinosaur Junior and Jesus & Marychain in sheffield
Rollercoaster tour, i was at that gig

No way Fran!!! Yeh The Roller Coaster tour...JAMC were amazing...MBV were loud as fook, with a brill movie backdrop..i was at uni near leeds at that time..still got me ticket stub!! Saw so many great bands during those two years!...Mega City 4, Pavement, Sonic Youth, Swervedriver..even The Ozric Tentacles ha ha!!
Small world eh!

stewart · Post by **stewart** » Tue Mar 05, 2013 12:54 am

Looks, feel and sounds for me. Like Fran, before I could even play guitar I was naturally into Jags (and Jazzmasters tbh), Mustangs etc. I like the shapes more than other Fenders. I think most Teles are really clumsy looking, I think it's the harshness of the control plate. Strats are nicely designed but I've never been passionate about them. My feelings for Gibson type guitars are more complex, but I'm largely not interested in the aesthetics as a general rule.

stewart · Post by **stewart** » Tue Mar 05, 2013 12:57 am

Leisureclub wrote:MEDICAL REASONS FUCK OFF

If I were able to play 25.5, I probably would have a Tele or something but I'm pretty sure that I'd still be mostly into Mustangs too.

I don't think I've ever seen pics of your guitars.

Leisureclub · Post by **Leisureclub** » Tue Mar 05, 2013 1:10 am

I'm not the most public person in that respect. I have been meaning to post guitar pics here though.

jagsonic · Post by **jagsonic** » Tue Mar 05, 2013 9:59 am

I am a nearly 2 m man and have big hands. So i have no problems with long scales. But i love the feeling and look of the shortscales. I love to play my strat and jazzbass, but everyone plays strats and jazzbasses...
I like the odd fender designs. So i play jazzmaster, mustang bass, jaguar, jagstang, duosonic, supersonic, cyclone - no matter what scale. I like the feel and look of that instruments.
The sound? Hmm, i had played a lot of instruments and the most instruments i play sounds like me playing guitar.

... and i like this forum with all the crazy people

Fran · Post by **Fran** » Tue Mar 05, 2013 2:39 pm

JohnnyTheBoy wrote:Saw so many great bands during those two years!...Mega City 4, Pavement, Sonic Youth, Swervedriver..even The Ozric Tentacles ha ha!!
Small world eh!

True mate, saw most of them myself. Can you remember CUD? They were Leeds based, great band.

brainfur · Post by **brainfur** » Tue Mar 05, 2013 2:42 pm

i actually dont play shortscale that much-- im a large man and my hands are not large, but my fingers are large enough to feel cramped on upper frets when playing a shortscale

so I like a short scale for easy powerchords and what have ye, but for any serious stuff i prefer the strat scale

brainfur · Post by **brainfur** » Tue Mar 05, 2013 2:50 pm

Freddy V-C wrote:Pretty much because when I was 13 I saw Josh from The Horrors playing a Jaguar and he looked COOL AS FUCK.

i saw the horrors last year and they were... not good

JohnnyTheBoy · Post by **JohnnyTheBoy** » Tue Mar 05, 2013 3:26 pm

Fran wrote:
JohnnyTheBoy wrote:Saw so many great bands during those two years!...Mega City 4, Pavement, Sonic Youth, Swervedriver..even The Ozric Tentacles ha ha!!
Small world eh!
True mate, saw most of them myself. Can you remember CUD? They were Leeds based, great band.

Yeh, they were good Fran, I've still got a couple of their singles on tape ha ha!...quite jangley stuff...I got into sonic youth, buffalo tom, nirvana, pavement, superchunk, dinosaur junior, Sloan etc, all from watching MTV 120 minutes on my landlords satelite tv...great musical education for me!!

Freddy V-C · Post by **Freddy V-C** » Tue Mar 05, 2013 6:03 pm

brainfur wrote:
Freddy V-C wrote:Pretty much because when I was 13 I saw Josh from The Horrors playing a Jaguar and he looked COOL AS FUCK.
i saw the horrors last year and they were... not good

They've gone pretty far downhill, but the first album and all the preceeding singles/EPs are great.

TapTapTempo · Post by **TapTapTempo** » Sat Mar 23, 2013 12:16 pm

I play short scale because I have small hands.....and they look/sound cool as hell.

BobArsecake · Post by **BobArsecake** » Sat Mar 23, 2013 1:13 pm

Mike wrote:Because Jaguars and Mustangs look incredible.

It's a bonus I love the way they sound and play also.

+1

Never really consciously thought about it to be honest.

Thom · Post by **Thom** » Sat Mar 23, 2013 1:24 pm

Because I love Kurt and I think about him every day.

71Smallbox · Post by **71Smallbox** » Mon Mar 25, 2013 5:47 pm

I think "Teh Kurdtz" should have been an option.

Why do you play a shortscale?

Why are you here?