Fender Short Scale Bass

chris45

fretmeister said:

chris45 said:

fretmeister said:

If it doesn't have to be a Fender, then Sandberg make an excellent Shortscale - the Lionel.

The Lionel VS4 is a P bass type and the Lionel VT4 is a PJ type. They are available in gloss and matt finishes. Might need to be an order to get exactly what you want though.

I have one in the build queue. Delivery next March / April. Can't wait!

@fretmeister did you order direct or can you tell me which dealer you used?

@chris45

I ordered through Classic and Cool guitars on recommendation from the Basschat massive.

https://classicandcoolguitars.co.uk/sandberg-new-basses/

We went through the exact specs I wanted including ones that are not available on the configurator, and I've paid a £250 deposit. Balance to be paid when it's built and ready to be delivered.

Thanks for the info

fretmeister

I'm a big fan of Sandbergs. I currently own 2, and I've had 3 others in the past.

Great basses.

dindude

Don’t be entirely put off by the Mustang PJ, see for yourself if it works, I have a lot of time for mine, plays nice, and sounds great. The P pickup on its own is a bit woolly but the 2 together is a fine base tone and the J on its own gets a bit of honk going. 

https://i.imgur.com/f2b1ece.jpg

Funkfingers

Consider the Squier Mikey Way signature Mustang Bass. This came with a generic passive soapbar pickup and controls, making it easily upgradable using a professional quality aftermarket pickup.

The obvious choice is the EMG-35 series pickups, offering P, J and humbucker models plus a dual-mode model that switches between J and HB.

Seymour Duncan makes the passive NYC Soapbar - effectively, a double Jazz pickup - and the active Blackouts For Bass.

Bartolini, Delano, Nordstrand and others also make pickups in this size. I can not remember whether Aguilar offers any.

Thus, you could have a Mustang Bass and, then, choose how it will sound.

UnclePsychosis

Funkfingers said:

Consider the Squier Mikey Way signature Mustang Bass. 

Good luck finding one  

If I was buying a Mustang I'd go for a JMJ. 

Whitecat

fretmeister said:

I'm a big fan of Sandbergs. I currently own 2, and I've had 3 others in the past.

Great basses.

+1 - probably the best value in western-made basses at the moment by quite a ways. I have a J-style that was quite frankly a bargain considering the spec. Absolutely worth checking out.

ICBM

dindude said:

Don’t be entirely put off by the Mustang PJ, see for yourself if it works, I have a lot of time for mine, plays nice, and sounds great. The P pickup on its own is a bit woolly but the 2 together is a fine base tone and the J on its own gets a bit of honk going. 

https://i.imgur.com/f2b1ece.jpg

It does look nice in that colour . It’s a shame the ones I’ve tried just haven’t sounded good - possibly a pickup change might help.

On a slight OCD level it does annoy me that they can’t set the switches at the right height too! (Although easily fixed - the threads should be flush with the top of the nut.)

PrecisionGuided

ICBM said:

dindude said:

Don’t be entirely put off by the Mustang PJ, see for yourself if it works, I have a lot of time for mine, plays nice, and sounds great. The P pickup on its own is a bit woolly but the 2 together is a fine base tone and the J on its own gets a bit of honk going. 

https://i.imgur.com/f2b1ece.jpg

It does look nice in that colour . It’s a shame the ones I’ve tried just haven’t sounded good - possibly a pickup change might help.

On a slight OCD level it does annoy me that they can’t set the switches at the right height too! (Although easily fixed - the threads should be flush with the top of the nut.)

It's worse on a Jazz - the smallest knob is always miles off the deck - I slap a star washer on the pot-side of the panel for each pot - as you say minimal thread showing above the nuts is the way to go

Funkfingers

By an amazing coincidence, a pre-owned MIM Mustang Bass has appeared at a guitar shop near me. (No affiliation.) The PJ pickups have been changed to Seymour Duncan Quarter Pound models. The bass is Sonic Blue - no competition stripe. The shop is asking £450. This may include a gigbag. Definitely no case. Shipping a possibility.

TDubs

Funkfingers said:

By an amazing coincidence, a pre-owned MIM Mustang Bass has appeared at a guitar shop near me. (No affiliation.) The PJ pickups have been changed to Seymour Duncan Quarter Pound models. The bass is Sonic Blue - no competition stripe. The shop is asking £450. This may include a gigbag. Definitely no case. Shipping a possibility.

Thanks @Funkfingers Which shop is this?

Funkfingers

@TDubs PM sent.

PAL

louis_LLM said:

I’ve got the JMJ Bass in black, I use it regularly for country stuff and in my heavy shoegaze band, it seems to do everything, the pick-up is great, I just swap between flats and rounds and it has massive sonic difference. Had J and P basses before it and ditched them all, really can’t say enough good things about it! 

In answer to your question, best bet is probably looking at recent FSR stuff, possibly getting an import model, most of the historic mustang basses in nitro finish have the split coil pickup a la the JMJ bass.

I also have the Fender JMJ Mustang bass and it's great it does have a wider nut width as it is based on  60s bass it also has
Seymour Duncan pickup. It comes with flat wound strings which I really like. May be worth you checking one out. 

fretmeister

ICBM said:

dindude said:

Don’t be entirely put off by the Mustang PJ, see for yourself if it works, I have a lot of time for mine, plays nice, and sounds great. The P pickup on its own is a bit woolly but the 2 together is a fine base tone and the J on its own gets a bit of honk going. 

https://i.imgur.com/f2b1ece.jpg

It does look nice in that colour . It’s a shame the ones I’ve tried just haven’t sounded good - possibly a pickup change might help.

On a slight OCD level it does annoy me that they can’t set the switches at the right height too! (Although easily fixed - the threads should be flush with the top of the nut.)

If you can cope with a bit of routing and a new 'plate... swap the P pickup to reverse configuration so the bass side is closer to the bridge.

It's only about an inch movement but it makes a surprising difference to the tone and really helps with a flubby P.

ICBM

fretmeister said:

If you can cope with a bit of routing and a new 'plate... swap the P pickup to reverse configuration so the bass side is closer to the bridge.

It's only about an inch movement but it makes a surprising difference to the tone and really helps with a flubby P.

That doesn't surprise me at all - I've just accidentally bought an old 80s Washburn Force 4, which is basically a slightly reshaped P with a reverse pickup (common among Japanese makers at the time), and I do feel it improves the sound.  It looks fine on the Washburn because you're not 'expecting' it to be the other way round.

prowla

I quite like having my MIM Mustang, though I hardly play it.

mbe

I got a Bronco bass from Thomann that did have superb clarity but the neck was warped like a banana. I sent it back and ordered a Mustang PJ from GAK. 

I've had it a couple of years now and it has GHS Precision Flats on it as I am a fan of thump. No hint of mud on mine, it has the Maple fretboard. I do find the tone control backs of nicely and still has sufficient clarity in all positions.

TDubs

prowla said:

I quite like having my MIM Mustang, though I hardly play it.

Off the bass I would have thought ‘what is that pickguard about’ but it actually works when on the bass!

prowla

TDubs said:

prowla said:

I quite like having my MIM Mustang, though I hardly play it.

Off the bass I would have thought ‘what is that pickguard about’ but it actually works when on the bass!

I bought it with that on and I like it.

It was done by GIG.INK (https://www.originalscratchplates.com/).