If you were curious to know more about short-scale bass guitars, we hope this blog will make clear as to why they’re a great choice for any bassist – novices and pros alike!

What’s the scale length of short-scale basses?

The scale of a guitar is defined by the distance between the bridge and the nut. Short-scale basses have usually a 30″ scale length or a bit more, but always under 31″. But the scale can be even shorter than that, such as with the legendary Airline Pocket Bass, which has a 26.5″ length (and is now being reissued by Eastwood Guitars.)

Airline Pocket Bass… even shorter scale length than usual short-scale basses! View info

Compare that to the length of the traditional long-scale basses (34″, made popular by the legendary Fender Precision Bass) or the less-common 32″ medium-scale (such as the Eastwood Sidejack 32), and it seems plain obvious that there are bound to be quite a bit of difference between them, and not just cosmetically!

Short-Scale Bass vs. Long-Scale Bass: Why Play One?

It’s fair to say that short-scale basses can hold special appeal for younger players or anyone who feels somehow challenged by the extra reach required by the usual long-scale bass guitar (which still is the most common and popular, let’s not forget!) For instance, many guitarists who decide to also learn bass, might find that a short-scale model feels more familiar.

However… short-scale basses are by no means simply a “beginners” guitar – on the contrary! Many seasoned pros prefer the fat (and we mean “phaaat!”) tones that a short-scale bass guitar can produce. Because of the lower tension required by the shorter strings, short-scale basses can give you a deeper, bassier low-end. In the studio or live, short scale basses are a great tool to have.

Even if, as a bassist, you generally prefer long-scale basses, it might be a great idea to have a short-scale model too, for extra sonic palette! 

The Airline MAP is a very popular short-scale bass. (Photo: The Skeleton Krew, live)

Of course, long-scale basses have their own advantages, too, such as better sustain and more defined trebles, ideal for slap bass.

At the end of the day, it all depends on how you plan to use your bass, and how it fits your style – but you should definitely try both to find out for yourself! 

Which Famous Players Play Short-Scale Bass?

Some of the greatest bass players ever have used short-scale bass guitars. To start with, we can mention none other than Paul McCartney! Yes – his iconic Hofner Violin Bass is indeed a 30″ short-scale bass… so all those wonderful bass lines in early Beatles records are, that’s right, straight from a short-scale model!

Other top bassists who’ve used short-scale bass guitars include Jack Bruce (Cream), Bill Wyman (The Rolling Stones) and Tina Weymouth (Talking Heads), to name but a few.

If you too want to join the short-scale team, few brands can be said to offer so many great short-scale bass guitars for sale as Eastwood Guitars, so make sure to check their short-scale basses.

A Short Guide To Short-Scale Bass Guitars from MyRareGuitars.com

New 34" Scale Electric Bass Models from Eastwood Guitars & Airline Guitars

What is the downside to the short scale bass?

1. Shorter strings have less tension, and therefore the tone tends to sounds tubbier or even muddy, and with far less sustain. Not a bad thing for many 60’s style applications, but does not give you a huge, booming tone.
2. Longer scale basses have more overtones, clarity and punch.
3. 30-inch scale feels noticeably short or awkward to a P-bass player and may be tough to make the adjustment.

Although I still feel every bass players needs a short scale bass in their arsenal, I too feel that Eastwood should have more 34″ scale options for our customers. In fact, we have had many customers over the years asking us to reach out to the 34″ crowd. So that time has come and we are now introducing 3 new Bass models this summer:

• The Hurricane ($429)
• The Stormbird ($469)
• The 34″ Airline Map ($879)

Enjoy!

Order before June 30th and we will throw in a $99 hardshell case for FREE.

New Eastwood & Airline Electric Bass Models – Moving Upscale from MyRareGuitars.com

The NEW 34″ scale Airline Map Bass in Seafoam Green!

For a few years now customers have been asking us for a “Bass Players” version of the popular Airline MAP Bass. Well, that day has come. We only have 12 of these new models in stock, so if you are ready to rumble, hit the BUY NOW button right away as they are shipping now and won’t last long. Special Price only $879

SPECIFICATIONS
Body: Tone Chambered Mahogany
Neck: Bound Maple, Bolt-on
Fingerboard: Rosewood, Block Markers
Scale Length: 34″
Width at Nut: 1 5/8″
Pickups: Two Alnico Hot-10 Humbuckers
Switching: 3-Way
Controls: 2 Volume, 1 Tone
Bridge: Tune-o-matic bridge, trapeze tail
Hardware: Grover Style Nickel/Chrome
Strings: D’Addario #45-#100
Case: extra
Unique Features: NATIONAL Style Striped Pickguard
Suggested Retail: $1099.00 US

I’m not sure who this fella is, but he has some nice things to say about Eastwood and Airline models:

Stephan Wickham: Eastwood Guitars basses and guitars are real sleepers for most people. It will surprise many that they have large acceptance with musicians in alternative genres such as West  Coast Punk, grunge and modern alternative rock. Eastwoods are popular with some top players like John Fogerty, Mick Karn and groups like Foo Fighters.  People expect the build quality of original Danelectro (e.g. particleboard  bodies) and Valco / National guitars / basses and are surprised to see Eastwood Guitar reproductions that there are improvements, such as the body tonewood. While the Airline MAP bass carries Airline name it is actually based on Valco 1962 Val-Pro 85 bass. It produces a killer low rider tone and works best with a medium-to- fast player. In addition to punk, grunge it fits well with 60s rock, Grateful-Dead tone, reggae, modern country & blues. The body is chambered mahogany, rather than acrylic resin / fibreglass of original Val-Pro 85. I would swap out the bridge, nut and knobs to better quality components and it would be good to go. For people that don’t like the Sea-Foam Green, it also is available in White or Black. In Black it comes with black & white pick guard with white binding on body, which gives it a bit of art-deco Duesenberg design flavour. The addition of a 34″ scale to the Eastwood Airline MAP bass product line offers an excellent tone alternative to original 30″ short-scale model and more familiar length for most bassists.

More Pictures of the new 34-inch scale Airline Map Bass:

The NEW 34″ scale Airline Map Bass in Seafoam Green!

The NEW 34″ scale Airline Map Bass in Seafoam Green!

The NEW 34″ scale Airline Map Bass in Seafoam Green!

Airline Introduces New 34″ Scale MAP Bass from MyRareGuitars.com

Tim Sarter from California here. We spoke a couple of years ago. I used to have one of the two or three map basses Metropolitan made – long scale, weighing a million pounds, etc. Been wanting one of yours for years. Finally got one a couple of months ago. Writing to tell you how much I love it. Compared to my old Metro it is so comfy to play. I may have my tech do a custom wind on the pickups for me to get a little more clarity and bite out of them, but after completing a run of the stage play Always Patsy with it I may not need to.

Tim Sarter with his surf green Airline Map Bass

I have it strung with La Bella flats right now. On some of the tunes I used the bridge pickup with a pick to get an outrageously cool tic-tac Bass tone. Used both pickups fingerstyle for most of the show, but switched to the neck pickup for the segments of the play that were underscored. Beautiful.

Considering trying some Thomastik Jazz Rounds on it like I have on my old Guild M-85, but for now I could not be happier with what I’m hearing out of it. Also used it with a county/rock and roll band Sunday. It was loved by all who heard it there as well. For your viewing pleasure here’s a few shots from that gig.

Anyway, thank you for your efforts in producing this bass. I have a lot of different basses that I use regularly, and yours is going to be getting heavy rotation from now on.

Cheers,

Tim

From The Mailbag: Tim Sarter & His Airline Map Bass from MyRareGuitars.com