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

Vintage 1980’s Aria Pro II ZZ Bass Deluxe

Aria Pro II did some copies of famous American guitars like the Fender Stratocaster and the Gibson Les Paul though it also did its own style of guitars. In the 70s and early 80s the company came into its own in the United States with a series of high end professional instruments. The company had professional endorsements from Herb Ellis, Yngwie Malmsteen, Neal Schon, John Taylor, and many more. Cliff Burton of Metallica used an Aria SB Black N Gold I as well as an SB-1000 bass but was never an official endorser.

Here is the Aria Pro II ZZ Deluxe Bass. These were manufactured between 1982-1987.

Back Catalog Memories: Vintage 1980’s Aria Pro II ZZ Bass Deluxe from MyRareGuitars.com

Vintage 1960’s Espana Bass Guitar (Sunburst)

These Crucianelli guitars are surprisingly well made with a wonderful, slim neck. Unfortunately, many of these instruments from the 60’s were 30.5″ short scale basses, so never did measure up to the sonic boom of the full scale Fenders.

Back Catalog Memories: 1960’s Espana Bass Guitar from MyRareGuitars.com

Eastwood Magnum Electric Bass Guitar (Sunburst)

New Eastwood Bass Model coming next month! Here is a sneak peak at the new Eastwood MAGNUM Bass, the first 34″ scale BASS from Eastwood in many years. A tribute to the 1970’s Ovation Magnum Bass which features:

• Model: Eastwood Magnum Bass Guitar
• Colors: Sunburst, Natural
• Body: Mahogany
• Neck: Bolt-on Maple
• Fingerboard: Rosewood, Dot Markers
• Scale Length: 34″
• Width at Nut: 1 1/2″
• Pickups: Neck Humbucker, bridge Single Coil
• Switching: 3-Way
• Controls: 2 Volume, 2 Tone
• Bridge: Fender Style Adjustable, Rear String Mount
• Hardware: Gotoh Nickel/Chrome
• Strings: #45-#100
• Case: extra
• Unique Features: Wide Tonal Palette
• Suggested Retail: $759.00 US
• Availability: Early February 2011
• Street Price: $579

Eastwood Magnum Electric Bass Guitar (Sunburst)

Eastwood Magnum Bass Guitar Coming Soon! from MyRareGuitars.com

James Jameson and his P-bass helped to define the Motown sound.

1. Fender Precision Bass
This is the bass that started it all. And all through its many incarnations the P-Bass is, and will always be the industry standard and the safe choice for any application. The bass was so damn popular that you would see ads that read “Band Looking for Fender Bass Player”. It was a distinction that grew out of a way for band leaders to let the bass player know that he could leave his upright at home. It also denoted a preconceived style of music that the bandleader or producer wanted. The “Precision’’ had one pickup and basically one sound, but that sound kicked ass! If you want to hear a few of the P-Basses signature sounds check out James Jamerson’s Motown recordings, and the edgy Precision bass sound on Joe Cocker live at Woodstock’s “With a Little Help from Me Friends.” Even in today’s world of 5, 6 and 7 string basses the P Bass makes a statement when it is produced at a gig or an audition. It says “I understand and respect the roots of bass playing.”If you’re a bass player of any serious stature and you don’t have a Precision Bass, then you better have a Jazz Bass.

1964 Rickenbacker 4001S Bass Guitar

2. Rickenbacker 4001 Bass
Rickenbacker instruments have been paired with Vox amps over the years, evidenced by the Beatles, Tom Petty (Mike Campbell), and REM to name a few. Interestingly I believe that Ricks are to Fender and Gibson guitars what Vox is to Marshall and Fender amplifiers. Okay point made, now onto the 4001. The first time I saw the Rick 4001 was on the cover of Magical Mystery Tour. There it was, right next to George holding an early rosewood Strat. I listened closely to the record that was included with the cover and could hear a discernable difference in tone from Paul’s previous bass sound. Actually it wasn’t that different because again Paul’s Rick was strung with flatwound bass strings. But unlike the Hofner bass the Rickenbacker’s fate did not lie solely in the hands of the man from Liverpool. Chris Squire armed with a Ricky and some roundwound Rotosounds quickly became the captain of the good ship 4001. His playing on Fragile is mindblowing, and I know it is safe to say that his playing influenced players like Stanley Clarke and Jaco Pastorious, as well as a generation of checkerboard wielding Rickophiles. Again the bass was equipped with two single coils and a very cool pickup cover over the back pickup reminiscent of the old Rickenbacker “Frying Pan” lap steel. Even the great Lemmy from Motorhead played a 4001, adding another sound to the palette offered by the great bass from Cali.

1977 Fender Jazz Bass Guitar

3. Fender Jazz Bass
Leo sure must have loved jazz and as any of us in the guitar business know, you ain’t gonna make a million dollars selling instruments made for jazz. But, Leo’s second offering in the world of basses was sure a home run. Unlike his Jazzmaster which was as unjazzy an instrument as you can possibly imagine, the Jazz Bass actually sounded great playing jazz. Legendary jazz player Ron carter played a JB with great style and dignity, but it was Jaco Pastorius that brought the Jazz Bass to another level. Jaco utilizing the back pickup on his defretted JB created a lyrical smooth sound that was truly magical. Years later another bass master the great Marcus Miller played the Jazz Bass with great distinction. Rock players as well enjoy the J Bass, like Geddy Lee, Dave Brown (Santana) and John Paul Jones.

Mike Watt with his 1963 Gibson EB3 Bass Guitar

4. Gibson EB3 Bass
The bass that Jack Bruce played, and played so well, was an also ran in the bass race of the rock and roll era. I personally believe that the EB3 was destined to die a fiery death if not for the great Jack. In reality the EB3 was a victim of the amplifiers of the era. The high output of the massive neck humbuckers over drove the preamp section of most of the era’s Neanderthal bass rigs. It never sounded clean, but it was Jack Bruce that went with it, and played with the back pickup, which is a smaller mini humbuckers design. This growl became Jack’s signature sound. Any of you who want to hear Jack and his EB3 at their best you must go out and get his first solo album after Cream called “Songs for a Tailor”

Jack Casady with his Guild Starfire Bass Guitar

5. Guild Starfire Bass
Often copied but never improved upon, the semi-hollow Starfire bass was to my ears the best sounding semi of them all. Guild instruments are and always will be underrated and a best buy for the buck. This bass, made famous by Jack Casady of the Jefferson Airplane had two versions, the first produced from 1965 to 1969 sported a single coil pickup, and the latter featured humbucking pickups. The one Jack used was the single coil version, and it sounded chunky and percussive. I am sure Jack’s technique had something to do with it, but it was an awesome sound. This is one bass that begs for round wound strings, to enhance the bite of the single coils. The Gibson EB1 was a muddy version of the Starfire basses.

Ricky Danko and his Ampeg AUB-1 bass

6. Ampeg AUB-1 Bass
There can be little doubt that the Ampeg AUB-1 is one of the most unique fretless basses ever made, with its offset body and cut-thru f-hole. A striking look, for sure, but it also sounds amazing. This model (and the fretted version, the AEB-1) are very rare and hard to find now – only around 1150 AEB-1 and AUB-1 basses were manufactured between 1966-1968. But thanks to being used by artists such as Ricky Danko (watch “The Weight” from The Last Waltz film) it has become the stuff of legend. The AEB-1 was also used by Adam Yauch in the Beastie Boys. Thankfully, the Eastwood tribute models are fantastic alternatives if you can’t afford an original. Both the Eastwood EUB-1 fretless and EEB-1 are still available and well worth checking out:

Eastwood EUB-1 | ORDER NOW, Only $898 USD

Paul McCartney with his 1963 Hofner Model 500/1 Bass Guitar

7. Hofner Model 500/1 Beatle Bass
Paul McCartney, Paul McCartney, Paul McCartney. What the hell was this guy doin’? What was he playing through? What kinda strings was he using? Now I think Paul would have sounded great if he was playing a cigar box strung up with rubber bands played through a transistor radio but that’s my hang up. Paul was the man, and that little bass sounded great in his capable hands. The 500/1 premiered in 1956 and it featured a set of mini humbuckers and a spruce top. That combination would usually spell disaster especially at higher volumes, but it didn’t. And by the way I’ll finish like I started, all you aspiring Paulie Mac’s use flatwounds, use flatwounds, use flatwounds.

1959 Danelectro Longhorn Bass Guitar

8. Danelectro Longhorn Bass
No matter how cheap you think this bass was, it was a killer sounding low frequency machine for sure. Those anemic “lipstick” bass pickups sounded so good, whether coming through an amp (preferably a big one) or through the console in a recording studio. Legend has it that the bass part for “Take a Walk on the Wild Side” was recorded with a Longhorn by 60’s electronic wiz Dan Armstrong. (his son Kent told me). The Danny was light weight, and as sexy looking as Phoebe Cates getting out of the pool in “Fast Times at Ridgemont High”. And great news is that the reissue ones sound as good as the originals.

1977 Music Man Stingray Bass Guitar

9. Music Man Sting Ray Bass
Well Leo you did it again! This bass was the first mass produced active electronic bass. It was made available in the summer of 1976, to rave reviews. The massive pickup produced a sound never heard before, and the pole pieces were the size of a dime. The Sting Ray had a volume control and a bass and treble control as well. This way you could add or cut bass and treble separately, way snappy. You could for the first time get a sound that wasn’t a Fender or Gibson sound. This bass became synonymous with cats like Bernard Edwards of Chic and Tony Levin (of everybody).

Dave Alexander and his Mosrite bass

10. Mosrite Ventures Bass
Of course, Mosrite was not just about the guitar! The Ventures bass was famously used by, obviously, the Ventures, but it also put its mark in the dirtiest corners of rock’n’roll thanks to being used by John Entwistle in The Who and, especially, Dave Alexander in The Stooges. Available with one or two pickups, the Mosrite Bass is one of the few models ever made featuring hot, P90-style pickups – rocking! Once again, Eastwood paid tribute to Mosrite, and their Sidejack 32 bass is the ideal choice for punk rockers, fans of Dave Alexander or anyone looking for a bass with extra kick.

The 10 Most Important Electric Basses in Rock & Roll History from MyRareGuitars.com

1960's Supro Airline Pocket Bass Guitar

What makes it so special? Let’s start with the delightful design, typical of early to mid 60’s Valco. The Supros came in black, with transparent thumb and finger rests on either side of the body and the white (and sometimes, rarely, black) headstock. The Airline came in the Ice-Tea sunburst and white pickguard wings. Some of the Airline models came with a bound neck; some did not. For my hand, I dig the unbound, thinner neck, but that’s all to taste, I suppose. Either model is a ridiculously easy bass to play. Both models sport Brazilian rosewood fingerboards.

Is one better than the other? I think the AIRLINE model is better looking, but beware: The SUPRO model has a MUCH better down angle from the nut to tuning pegs. The Airline’s angle is too shallow, allowing the strings to pop out of the nut unless you add some after market string trees on at least the A and the D strings.

Other interesting features? Small (for a bass, at any rate) Kluson tuners. A monster of a fat Valco pickup in the neck position and a piezo pickup in the bridge. The knobs are for pickup blend and volume.

What’s the story behind these? They are pretty much a guitar-sized bass, which is really just too cool. Actually, the bodies ARE guitar bodies (or, at any rate, were USED for Valco-made guitars that are the cousin of these basses). The only things different are the necks and the bridges. So, it was probably an economical way for Valco to use the bodies as a duel-purpose body to get more bang for fewer production bucks (though they probably weren’t very successful, as the productions ran for fewer than 4 years).

But back to the bass at hand (if you’re lucky enough to have one at hand). None other than vintage gear collector and ex-Bob Dylan sideman and Saturday Night Live bandleader GE Smith called these the best recording basses around. I’d agree and go one further – they are the coolest bass for jam sessions and live gigs if you’re a guitar player who plays bass on the side or a bassist with small hands.

The neck pickup is a typical Valco monster. VERY full and fat and round (put some nylon strings on this and play along to “Rubber Soul” all day long) with tremendous depth and warmth. The piezo pickup (and the blend knob) result in a much lower volume, but have an incredibly woody tone that resembles a standup jazz bass. Maybe not enough volume for the stage at this setting, but a fabulous recording setting.

The 25 7/8″ neck practically begs you to play chords and/or two note combos. The bass has a ring and chime to it that jumps out of a good cab’s speakers.

How much should you pay? As I write this (always a danger to list a price for vintage instruments…a month later, this could be woefully out of date the way prices seem to go), a MINT example seems to be going in the $800 range (that’s with the original hard shell case). A beater that you could take to your garage or a bar stage? Around five hundred bucks. Which, really, when you think about it, is better than money in the bank. You have an incredibly cool bass that will have people coming up before and after the set asking “what the hell are you playing?” Which, of course, is part of the fun with oddball gear.

We have two of these in the house, and both get used with the bands. One is set up like a normal bass – one set up as a baritone electric ukulele (hey, why not?). These are fabulous made in the USA vintage basses that are still pretty affordable on the vintage market (the Reso-Glass super short scale Map Shape Bass is ALSO incredibly cool, but they’re going for well over a grand now). Get one while you can. And, hey Mike, how about a re-issue?

Editors note: We’ve considered doing a re-issue of this little beast for some time. But, the ultra short scale has some inherent design flaws; the worst of which is the extreme difficulty in keeping these in tune. The heavy strings combined with the short scale make intonation and pitch very difficult to nail down. If someone invented tuners with a much higher (or lower?) gear ratio, they would be easier to tune. Also, the short scale length does not give a full resonance as a Bass. But hey, it is a great BASS for guitar players indeed…

In the meantime, we decided to offer something that is the best of both worlds, and hence the AIRLINE Bass and the new AIRLINE MAP Bass. Both are 30″ scale (shorter than traditional 34″ scale BASS), and therefore offering 1) complete comfort for a guitar player, 2) long enough scale for accurate tuning and setup and 3) resonant enough for professional Bass players.

But, might still be cool to do the real McCoy in the coming years…

– Mike Robinson

1960’s Supro Airline Pocket Bass Guitar from MyRareGuitars.com

1960's Kent Short Scale Bass Guitar

Enter exhibit A: A late 60’s KENT short scale variation on the very popular (then and now) “Beatle” violin shaped bass. As you can see from the photos, this isn’t your average violin bass. While many, from the classic Hofner that Paul McCartney turned a few kids on to, to the Teisco and Black Jack Japanese models, didn’t stray far from the violin shape, this Kent takes a few attractive and stylish liberties with the standard template.

While clearly inspired by the violin basses, notice the cool horn flares and the distinct cut aways. Also of note on this model is a stunning triple (TRIPLE!) bound side and a highly figured and eye-catching sunburst on the back (!?) side.

1960's Kent Short Scale Bass Guitar

This, like many (most?) Kents has a history that’s a little difficult to trace. This one is from 1967 or 1968 and was probably made at the Kawai factory. Some sources also credit the earlier slab bodied models to Guyatone and/or Teisco. A tangled web they weaved, these Kents.

Also of note about Kents is that both the amps and guitars vary wildly from model to model – perhaps more so than any other brand from the era. They made some truly crappy guitars (the slab body models mentioned above among them. Most I’ve seen, actually, are low-grade crude one pickup models with very little to recommend them as players or collectables). Yet, they made beauties like this and many other higher-end semi-hollowbodies. And while most of the Kent amps I’ve ever seen are the basic three and four tube crapboxes without Power Transformers (i.e., ones you don’t want to play barefoot on a cement floor with a moisture problem), there are a couple of models that are very sweet. These include a 2 EL84 output model with tremolo and a single 12″ speaker in a primitive basket-weave faux-tweed (or, paper, if you want to be exact-ha), and a REALLY cool piggyback model (with single 12″ cab). They may not be collectable, but their cool factor is very high and no one wants them, so they can be had on the cheap (which, for the frugal tone gourmet, only increases the cool factor).

1960's Kent Short Scale Bass Guitar

Back to the bass at hand, though. This model has a zero fret and plays really well up the neck. With a good setup, these are truly sweet playing basses. If you were going to use it as your main bass, you’d probably want to get some higher-grade machine heads and also probably replace the pickups (which are pretty aenemic and flat sounding). However, the pickup covers are so radically cool, you’d probably want to find something that fit so you could put this beauty back to stock. No permanent mods on something this nice looking. For just looking and the odd recording bass and quieter(er) jams, leave it as-is.

1960's Kent Short Scale Bass Guitar

One thing to look out for (especially if buying via on line auction and/or through the mail): I’ve seen a few of these over the years and nearly half had a warped neck. The truss rods are not the most reliable, so ask questions and don’t pay too much if you have any hunch there might be something hinky about it.

Other nifty features: Dig the 60’s Japanese top-hat Tone and Volume knobs (with the stylish “T” and “V”), the funky script on the headstock and chunky block mother of toilet seat inlays on the neck.

1960's Kent Short Scale Bass Guitar

What does one of these cost? These are pretty rare and, as a result, they don”t show up on eBay or in music stores a whole lot. As a result, there seems to be more variation on the price- I’ve seen them go as low as $150 (not including shipping…which of course we never do include when discussing what we paid for a neat vintage guitar, right?) and as high as $450. There is a corresponding guitar model, so be the hep cat on your block and, like they used to say about Hot Wheels, “collect ’em all.” Happy hunting, yee vintage freaks.

Rob’s Crazy eBay Finds: 1960’s Kent Short Scale Bass Guitar from MyRareGuitars.com