ShortScale.org

This has probably been posted before but I didn't see it when I ran a search... *shrug*

What was it that first got it into your mind that you needed to own a short scale (and in my case, an offset body) guitar? I went to a friend's house today and he was watching the old "1991: The Year Punk Broke" film and I remembered that the first time I saw Thurston Moore's red jaguar, I almost shat myself. It was so badass looking, all beat up, covered in stickers, chips, dents and scratches... a real player's guitar. Three months later, I had saved up all of my pennies, sold my crappy strat copy and bought myself a japanese reissue jaguar - this was back in 1996, I believe - and never looked back (except that in my old age, I've developed a love for telecasters).

So, to recap: What was it that turned the lot of you on to offset and/or short scale guitars?

Thurston Moore's Jaguar:

having short arms.

I believe mine was the Kudtz jag. I just saw a jag and thought it looked
fucking awesome. Maybe it wasn't Kurdtz....whatever.


I also have small hands.

It was teh Kurtz...I guess his Mustangs, but when it came to it, I wanted a Jag-Stang, and got it...1997...
Still the guitar that feels "right" to me. Often repeated, but the neck is simply sublime.

I played a Jaguar at a guitar shop and it was the nicest feeling guitar I'd ever touched.

when i bought my first shortscale (new jag-stang in 1997), i knew nothing about scale or any of that shit. i knew it felt different, and it actually took me a while to get used to it. i got that guitar because it looked so different.

Starngeley enough, a guitar I wouldn't probably play again. a stock CIJ Jazzmaster. this infatuation was due mostly to the amp I was using. I hadn't ever used a Fender amp before (WHAT? BASS FREQUENCIES FROM A GUITAR AMP?) and the JM was lucky enough to be in my hands at the time.

[youtube][/youtube]

I saw this and it was the end for me. My tele seemed instantly boring. Still love Teles though.

In 1984 a friend of mine showed me his Antigua Mustang. Love for both started that day.

I happened to get a good deal on a beat up 69 mustang back in 76. Got it for $125.00.

It was actually J Mascis' Jazzy in the 'Freak Scene' video that set me off, i was told it was a Jaguar so wanted a Jag. Might sound dumb, but in 1988 around here no-one knew fuck all about Offset guitars and there was no googling gear info.
Soon afterwards i saw MBV live, Ride, Sonic Youth, The Telescopes that used Jags/Jazzys and soon other UK bands were using them like the Happy Mondays. Kurdtz came a lot later for me, if anything he killed the Jaguar. Made it mainstream and too popular pushing Vintage prices too high.

So yeah, i am shallow, it was purely aesthetics. Its only in recent years i have come to love the short scale neck, more so the mustang.

Skiptracer1981 wrote:I saw this and it was the end for me. My tele seemed instantly boring. Still love Teles though.

Yeah, I always loved that Duo Sonic of his... it was stolen in 1999, I hear and has yet to turn up.

oolu wrote:

Skiptracer1981 wrote:I saw this and it was the end for me. My tele seemed instantly boring. Still love Teles though.

Yeah, I always loved that Duo Sonic of his... it was stolen in 1999, I hear and has yet to turn up.

I always thought that was an early mustang, because it has a Mustang Trem and Bridge.

Mine was more recent. A couple of years ago I really got into The Cribs. I checked out what gear they were using, it looked cool. Turns out they used Mustangs, both bass and guitar. I started looking for one, that's how I ended up here.



They've stopped using mustangs now though

short scale dot org got me into shortscales.

i've always liked jags but i'd never have owned one were it not for this place, the mustang just fell into place shortly after.

Went from playing a strat to Jazzmaster and liked it, then after trying out a Jagmaster I decided that a Jaguar would be perfect. Picked one up cheap on ebay and the rest is history.

I guess it all started cos the Jazz looked so cool and was set up well so it played perfectly.

played a mid 70's musicmaster at a guitar shop and got into, nirvana, sonic youth, grungy shitty bands. then my first real guitar was a jagstang, so i learned how to make sweet musical love with it, and have kept it ever since(this was in 98 or so)

my sheer hatred of stratocasters and mainstream guitars plus falling in love with cobain's lake placid blue mustang sealed my fate. plus the neck is the most amazing i ever played on

For me I was getting into MBV and a big part of that band is their guitars. It led me to getting interested towards a technical angle of learning about the guitar and got me playing again. I've been sucked in ever since. Someday I'll get or build a jazzmaster but I've kind of moved on to different tastes now. I'd have to build one for it to be interesting enough for me. Maybe I'll get one of these new GFS ones.

Fran wrote:It was actually J Mascis' Jazzy in the 'Freak Scene' video that set me off, i was told it was a Jaguar so wanted a Jag. Might sound dumb, but in 1988 around here no-one knew fuck all about Offset guitars and there was no googling gear info.
Soon afterwards i saw MBV live, Ride, Sonic Youth, The Telescopes that used Jags/Jazzys and soon other UK bands were using them like the Happy Mondays. Kurdtz came a lot later for me, if anything he killed the Jaguar. Made it mainstream and too popular pushing Vintage prices too high.

I thought you said it was that Ultra Vivid Scene video that sold you on the jag.

[youtube][/youtube]

Some UVS?