Short Dilemma

#41
I will throw this out there, played my new Sire U5 last night at an outdoor gig. It is the best sounding and playing bass I have played or owned. Me, my bandmates and soundman were in awe of this little 7 1/2 lb. gem. I am stunned and can see why they are sold out everywhere.
 
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#42
brocco said:
I will throw this out there, played my new Sire U5 last night at an outdoor gig. It is the best sounding and playing bass I have played or owned. Me, my bandmates and soundman were in awe of this little 7 1/2 lb. gem. I am stunned and can see why they are sold out everywhere.
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Beauty looking bass, though I'm kind of looking for something with humbuckers.
 
#43
BassFalcon said:
Just a thought, if you love your current bass but are concerned enough about shoulder/neck health to consider getting rid of it, then surely spending 10 min. a day with some push-ups and military presses and other shoulder and back strengthening exercises should be on the table too, right? Why give up a bass you love if getting stronger and injury-proofing yourself is an option?
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As mentioned, I'm in decent shape, but age and some very abusive sports have led to issues that can't completely be overcome by exercise (of which I still do regularly). But the point is well taken.
 
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#44
angst178 said:
I had a MM Stingray HH Stealth. It was heavy. I never weighed it, but damn. I later bought a Sterling Ray 34 PB. It was lighter, and the build quality was so good and it sounded excellent. It was also a LOT lighter. I recently sold my MM because I stopped playing it due to the weight. I don't know if the 2nd pickup adds that much weight, but all of the other MM's I've tried lately have been the single pickup version and they are just as light as my Sterling.
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I have been thinking about that. Tried the short scale today and while the weight was amazing, the lack of active pups and the string tension were not giving me what I was looking for. I owned a single pup Sterling and have contemplated revisiting that.
 
#45
I suggest also a USA Sterling 4HH (5-way switch) smaller body, 1.5 at the nut 34" scale but plays almost as easy as my Sire U5 as far as the reach to the first position. These are the 2 basses I gig with now
 
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#47
Some excellent advice from fellow TBers.

Short scale does always translate to "light weight". Make sure that you have the short scale bass weighed first. You should probably try to find something under 8 lbs.

My son bought a 32" scale Fender Telecaster type bass. It is over 11 lbs! OUCH! Short scale doesn't always translate, light weight.
 
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#49
brocco said:
I suggest also a USA Sterling 4HH (5-way switch) smaller body, 1.5 at the nut 34" scale but plays almost as easy as my Sire U5 as far as the reach to the first position. These are the 2 basses I gig with now
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I don't doubt that the USA Sterling is a beast, but in all honesty, I love the tone and feel of my SBMM Ray34HH. However, I'm also guessing the USA Sterling is not that much lighter than the SBMM. That's the issue. There is the SBMM Ray4HH which is made with basswood or poplar (depending on the colour). I would think that the tone wouldn't be the same as the 34HH, but might be worth checking out as those are both ridiculously light woods (my Aerodyne is made of basswood and it is so nice to play). Here are a couple of pics of my Ray34HH. I think it's a stunning bass and, for now, I am not parting with it. I did try a short scale over the weekend and while it was a joy in terms of weight and movement on the neck, I was not a fan of tone or the string tension, though I suppose I would adapt to the latter.
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#51
brocco said:
I will throw this out there, played my new Sire U5 last night at an outdoor gig. It is the best sounding and playing bass I have played or owned. Me, my bandmates and soundman were in awe of this little 7 1/2 lb. gem. I am stunned and can see why they are sold out everywhere.
Click to expand...
Very similar design and weight as my Aerodyne (though alder as opposed to basswood body and was not enthralled with the Aero pups, so swapped for GZRs, which sound great) and certainly can't wrong at that price!
 
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