OpenTube

40 short scale bass reviews later: My favourites & Rankings! What have I learned on this journey?

Jonathan Wong 458 Music

50,836 views

In this video, I will rank the short scale basses I have reviewed, based on my preferences. Which are my favourites? In the past 2 years, I have reviewed or demonstrated 40 different short scale basses. What have I learned from this experience? In this video, I will summarize some of my findings by ranking these basses.

Categories:
28.6" scale 4 strings
30" scale solid bodies with unique or oddball appearances
30" scales under $500 cdn
30" scales between $500 to 1000 cdn (solid body)
30" scales over $1000 cdn (solid body)
Beatle style basses
Semi hollow basses

I will then share my collection of more rare and custom builds.

If able, please check out my other channel: ‪@PalliativeCareExplained‬
www.palliativecareexplained.ca

00:00 Intro
00:28 Thank you!!
01:00 Preamble
01:52 Why short scales?: Medical illness
05:25 What have I learned?
09:00 The other channel - Palliative Care Explained
10:33 Approach to rankings
11:02 28.6" Scale
12:56 30" Scale Unique / Oddball
16:20 30" Solid body Under $500cdn
19:27 30" Solid body $500-1000cdn
23:08 30" $1000-2000cdn
28:12 Beatle style
29:33 Semi-Hollow
31:27 5 String affordable
32:12 My collection of more rare, custom or expensive pieces
36:39 What is the market lacking?
37:30 Outro

https://jonathanwong.bandcamp.com

20 Comments

@basstackler 9 months ago

You're the best reviewer. Humble honest and factual in your reviews. Thank you!

@Classic-y7g 9 months ago

This is the best short scale reviewer in the world👍🏻

@basstardo 2 weeks ago

Thank you for your honest, detailed reviews!

@HereOnEarthStudio 10 hours ago

You are consistently awesome!

@ArleyMcBlain 9 months ago

i'm grateful for all that you do. 🇨🇦

@JackDraak 9 months ago

I've broken my shoulders four times, so a musician friend suggested I look at getting a "kids bass" (back in August). I quickly landed on the Squire Mini P. It's so small and light, it gave me the opportunity to catch the bass-bug without the discomfort of a heavy full-size bass. I now have an SRX700 as well, but I'm super thankful I still have the Mini P, because sometimes the Soundgear is too uncomfortable to enjoy playing. I appreciate that you've decided to share your experiences with us!

@LMFAO5001 8 months ago

your videos are so well done and honest it’s closer to journalism than anything. got my squire bronco about a year ago. your videos and your sound motivated me a lot. i wish you the best of health.

@Barry101er 9 months ago

You are the Saint of the Short Scale; we, in the "Digiti breves" community, thank you. :face-blue-smiling:

@darkcitychief 4 months ago

Jonathon, thanks for addressing those of us who MUST continue to play music beyond our physical limitations. It means so much to have a voice on YouTube that can express our needs. Although I can no longer stand to play for gigs, I still maintain a robust gigging schedule and now my equipment decisions are made on quality, size, comfort and weight. Your video information is so useful, thank you so much.

@georgegandara6054 9 months ago

Hi Jonathan....this channel is among the best bass review channels on utube!! 👍🇨🇱🇨🇦

@christravis8288 9 months ago

I have had scoliosis my whole life and 99% of the time it's not an issue. I'm mainly a guitarist but I like to play bass on my demos and have done in bands on occasions. It may be the extra reach rather than weight but I've always found full scale basses leave me with an aching back the next day. So I'm in the market for a short scale and this was a big help. I hope your health remains stable

@alexanderdevries8890 5 months ago

All round, a brilliant presentation by a man with a beautiful heart. Jonathan, you truly are a breath of fresh air in a world saturated with hype and superficiality. Thank you for being you!

@bananasamurai 9 months ago

Solid review, had an arm injury and switched from a normal p-bass to a Mustang Player 1 and have never looked back. Rock on my fellow shorties!

@darrylovia 9 months ago

What an excellent year-end wrap up! Thank you for doing excellent content. Your work has been very helpful.

@marksy850 2 months ago

Your video inspired me to purchase my Squier Mini P-Bass. It is perfect for me as a guitarist who has an affinity to bass. I modded it to my tastes and am now reaping the benefits and enjoyment of playing bass. Thank you Jonathan!

@Eveningbreeze1 3 weeks ago

Start around 12:00 to hear about basses.

@jacascfvcc 7 hours ago (edited)

Gracias por tus análisis, son serios y sinceros.

Te sigo con entusiasmo, no hay demasiados sitios que tomen seriamente a los bajos de escala corta. Para mí estos bajos son muy útiles, tengo las manos cortas con dedos gordos y la espalda no soporta grandes pesos.

Me llama la atención que no hayas analizado algún bajo Gibson de escala corta (por ejemplo el SG Standard).
Un saludo desde España.