ShortScale.org

I know I rant on and on about how much I love my Mustang bass, but someone I met this weekend kinda said something about my bass that made me wonder what the reason is on why the Mustang bass isn't as popular as say, the P bass. This guy said that he liked to stretch out and hold the neck of his bass (Yamaha) and that the shortscaleity of it is kind of girly. I've played a good number of shows with Swing Hailey, but no one else plays a mustang bass.

Why doesn't the mustang bass get much love? It's lightweight and compact, sounds great (split pickup), has the body of a friggin Mustang, and has a glossy neck that feels so sweet.

I'm definitely going to buy another one in the future. It's going through some abuse at shows, but hey! if you don't rock out with your gear, then stick it on a wall and keep it there!

I like the way yours looks, but when I've played bass in bands I've always been really happy with the Jazz bass that J in Sell Crazy now plays. It has the thin neck profile at the top of the neck which makes it easier for guitarist to adapt, but the large scale and the body give you a nice resounding thunk.

I'm all ranting about how the bass is awesome cause it's shortscale and I post under "All Other Guitars" because it's a bass. What am I thinking? Can I get this moved pls? Thank you!!

done'd.

Mike wrote:I like the way yours looks, but when I've played bass in bands I've always been really happy with the Jazz bass that J in Sell Crazy now plays. It has the thin neck profile at the top of the neck which makes it easier for guitarist to adapt, but the large scale and the body give you a nice resounding thunk.

Strangely... I've never played a Jazz or P-bass. I do have the OLP Musicman which caused some back pain after practicing for a few hours, so I figured all reg scaled basses were similar to it in weight. Then Fredo got me the Mustang bass for my 21st birthday and I just fell in love. But I guess I haven't had much to compare it to besides the Musicmaster, OLP, and Italia which is a great acoustic but soso electric bass.

Yeah you need to get on that. Jazz basses are legendary.

roachello wrote:I've never played a Jazz or P-bass. I do have the OLP Musicman which caused some back pain after practicing for a few hours, so I figured all reg scaled basses were similar to it in weight. Then Fredo got me the Mustang bass for my 21st birthday and I just fell in love. But I guess I haven't had much to compare it to besides the Musicmaster, OLP, and Italia which is a great acoustic but soso electric bass.

Musicmaster bass is the SAME as a Mustang bass - you big cheat!

The reason they're not more popular is simple - shortscale basses are more midrangey and thumpy than fullscale basses, which are pure LOOW deep rumble.

I used to own a Vista Musicmaster and a Squier Jazz bass and have played both in bands - honestly even though it was heavier and the neck was longer, i found the jazz bass more comfortable to play. Plus it sounded like 100x better. You owe it to yourself to try one out.

aphasiac wrote:

roachello wrote:I've never played a Jazz or P-bass. I do have the OLP Musicman which caused some back pain after practicing for a few hours, so I figured all reg scaled basses were similar to it in weight. Then Fredo got me the Mustang bass for my 21st birthday and I just fell in love. But I guess I haven't had much to compare it to besides the Musicmaster, OLP, and Italia which is a great acoustic but soso electric bass.

Musicmaster bass is the SAME as a Mustang bass - you big cheat!

The reason they're not more popular is simple - shortscale basses are more midrangey and thumpy than fullscale basses, which are pure LOOW deep rumble.

I used to own a Vista Musicmaster and a Squier Jazz bass and have played both in bands - honestly even though it was heavier and the neck was longer, i found the jazz bass more comfortable to play. Plus it sounded like 100x better. You owe it to yourself to try one out.

Not true! Same shape and shortscale, but different pickups that definitely sound different to me. Poor Mustang bass got hates instead of love

Whaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaatt.

I have nothing but love for shortscale basses. They have enough bassy thump for me, man. I'm glad they're not popular. More mustang basses for mEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!

Sublimedo wrote:Whaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaatt.

I have nothing but love for shortscale basses. They have enough bassy thump for me, man. I'm glad they're not popular. More mustang basses for mEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!

NO MEEEEEEEEEE!

how are you both up? isn't it crazy-o-clock in the USofA?

Anyway nuttin wrong with Mustang basses or shortscale basses in general - ive seen bands use em and sounds good. BUT sometimes the bass should be felt rather than heard - and the longer scale of 34" makes a huuuge difference to low end.

You should try a Squier P-bass special, they're sexy:



Body and split neck pickup from a Precision bass, bridge pickup and neck from a jazz bass. Best of both worlds.

Whoah that looks pretty sleek. Like if the IPOD were a bass. It's 2:19AM and I gots class in the morning. I'm up around 4am sometimes shortscaling.

Honestly though, I really like the look of the Squier Vintage Modified TB bass. I'm up for that mess.

ive got a jazz bass. but im trying to make it sound more like a mustang bass by buying the lightest strings i can find for it....something like a 40-90

Nothin' but love
I have been demoing out some songs for a new band and have been playing my Mustang bass non-stop. I put some new strings on it and it sounds nice and punchy. I had a Musicmaster bass for a while and it played nice, but I never liked the way it sounded. I've got a couple full scale basses I can't go back to after playing the Mustang so much, I can walk all over the short neck. It almost feels like cheating.

I can't get on with fullscale basses, my MM bass is a good compromise.

the bass player from amazing color plays a mustang bass, and the chick from the hangmen had a mustang bass as backup but never took it out(her main bass was a vintage hagstrom octave bass thing, can you blame her?)

i guess my stance on this is no secret


mustang bass : hawt looking, ..and it can puuurrrr, if i weren't so fucking left handed i'd play one aalll the time (not really, love mine too much, haha)

jazz bass: don't get why people rave about j basses (nomatter what make, US, Japan etc)..do not liek thin neck and sterile sound


p bass: i've played ones that sounded like crap and ones that sounded like everthing i want a bass to sound like (mine) but the feel stays the same basically (just little build details) but chunky neck wins for me.


it's all just personal taste, personally i think a P bass is more versatile (when it's a good sounding one) in that way that it can go from traditional 'polite' sounding to pure split coil groowwwwll.


you can go on and on about this, at the end of the day people are just gonna stick with the instrument that has the best sound/feel features that THEY NEED/ EXPECT. no real discussion or 'convincing' possible i guess

The mustang bass plays and sounds fine, IMO, but I have a big problem with neck dive on it.

what are peoples thoughts on the squier bronco bass compared to the musicmaster and 'stang?

robert(original) wrote:the bass player from amazing color plays a mustang bass

you mean awesome color? because that band rules.