Should You Play a Short Scale Bass? | Gretsch Junior Jet G2220 vs. Ibanez MiKro
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 26 ก.ค. 2024
- Today our man Carlos is in here talking about the benefits of playing a short scale bass-- they're not just for guitarists, they're not just for smaller players, they can fit in anywhere! Take a listen to two great examples, the new Gretsch Junior Jet G2220 (in shell pink) and the tried and true Ibanez MiKro. Which do you like better?
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0:00 Intro/Discussion
6:39 Gretsch G2220 Junior Jet
10:07 Ibanez MiKro
13:31 Wrapping Up
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![New Favourite Short Scale?! | Gretsch G2220 Electromatic Junior Jet II [Review/Demo]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/JwwKxGfgY9E/mqdefault.jpg)
I have both these (among other short scale basses). The Gretsch is my number-one, go-to bass: comfortable, sounds beautiful, and looks great. The Ibanez Mikro is quite nice for the price, with superb ergonomics (the most comfortable of all my basses) and a good growl for hard rock, metal, punk, etc.
I would take a short scale over a 34" any day at this point. It's a shame 30" isn't the de facto standard. And they are perfectly suitable for tall players with long arms and fingers, which I can attest to. They are in no way just for kids or smaller-stature players. After all, they are just a little longer than a typical electric guitar, which people of all sizes play every day without issue.
How thick is the neck round the back for the Gretsch, I haven't tried one yet but I'm interested in buying on. I'm asking because I tried one of the new orange basses which is also short scale but it was very thick round the back of the neck, meaning not good for my small hands. Perfect neck for me is the Hofner Violin, is it similar to this?
I love my Gretsch. Not just for my large but arthritic fretting hand, and also for the light weight which means less wear and tear on my shoulder.
I'm a guitar player, used to own a fender jazz bass, sold it then went out and bought one of these, for the price and quality this one of the best guitars I have ever owned, I just can not put the thing down , play it more than my guitars, thank you gretsch.
I've been looking into these on and off for about a year. Thanks for all the info!
WOW...Nice to see a video from Alamo Music... I bought my White Peavey Foundation bass from there when I lived in San Antonio back 1986.. I lived off Portranco & Ingram Road... I'm originally from Chicago. I was in the USAF at the time. I have nothing but praise for this musical instrument store..❤
This was a superb in depth video. It REALLY helped me. Me regular scale bass is just too big long and heavy for me. I will be changing to one of these.
Great video.
I'm a short scale person with small hands, so big instruments just feel uncomfortable to play most of the time.
Because of this I've always felt like it's best to choose what suits me.
Thank you Carlos for the history lesson on short scales! I got my jet about a year and half ago and can’t put it down. It’s super comfortable to play and I like having the ability to play chords easily. Being able to bend the strings is cool too. I’m enjoying the bass vids, keep ‘em coming! 🤘
great in depth video , thank you
Greetings from Funkytown N Texas!! Got a single pickup JR Jet when it first came out. Was looking to get a Epi EBO. The Jr Jet sounded better. And better factory quality build. Really love that Bass! Had a Bronco Bass before. Really prefer short scale now. Great channel Bro! Keep up the good work!!
Just ordered a Gretsch Junior. Looking forward to play it.
Thank you for explaining this, at 68 I suffered a sezure lost the flexibility in my hands, I purchased a fender squire precision mini bass. I love this bass, short scale works with my weaker hands and I can still play daily. Definitely not just for kids. Thank you again.
Short scale basses are the bomb! I've been playing guitar/bass since 1984. My first bass was a 1979 Fender Musicmaster I got back in 1991. That was a cool little bass, wish I still had it. Since then I have owned several long scale basses Fender jazz, G&L sb-2, EBMM Stingray. 2 years ago I bought a new EBMM short scale Stingray and it has become my main bass. I love it! My band says it sounds better than my long scales. I also have two Squier VM Jaguar SS Special basses that are excellent. Short scale is just so much easier to play.
Nice video Carlos. When some friends and I started playing together regularly three of us on guitars was a bit much. I opted to get a bass. Our local store had a fair selection and most were 34” scale.
An Ibanez Semi-hollow Artcore caught my eye. I’ve always been a sucker for arch-tops so a 30” bass version was a big draw. After a few minutes playing her, I was sold. She’s my main instrument now. Two humbuckers and a Fender Midnight pedal - great tones IMHO.
I have now three basses and all are “short-scale”. One is the Mikro in pearl white and the other a Gibson Les Paul DC Tribute with 30” scale.
Very informative video. Thank you.
The Gretch sounds a lot like my ‘90s Reissue Danelectro ‘58 Long Horn. Has that hollow sound. Love it!
Do you think the gretch is a good beginner bass? I really love the longhorn and i wanted to get it at first but its a tad bit too expensive for me as a beginner i think. You think this would be a good alternative?
@@j.c1574 in my opinion, the Gretsch and Danelectro Longhorn Short Scale Basses are good if you’ve been a Guitar player or dont have long fingers. If you have normal size hands and are just starting out I’d suggest a standard size Bass like a Squire Affinity. Good build quality and playability and if you don’t want to continue you can get most of your investment back. The other two have shorter Necks Abe the Strings are closer together but they sound a little different. Good Luck man.😎
@@j.c1574 I've been playing since the 80s and the Jet Jr is good for anyone from beginner to professional. Fabulous little bass!
It's those wonderful sounding single coil pickups!
Excellent video! Just subscribed because of it... very educational. I had the opportunity to get a Squire mini, so I snapped it up.... not realizing really what I was getting. After playing it for a very short time, I fell in love with it...or maybe heavy like? It's different, but in a really good way in my opinion.
Probably one of the most iconic basses in history in my opinion is the Alembic and I believe they are for the most part all short scale.
I bought 2 of these Gretsch G2220 and I love them so much, they are so fun and easy to play, with or without a pick! I highly recommend get a short scale!!
does it have 'hum' noise ?
I bought one back in Feb - was a little upset to learn about the false advertising of dual-coil pickups when they're just a single-coil.
@@ILikeStyxI have one also. Don't feel bad, it's still the same great bass you bought. It's a very unique sounding bass and plays like a dream. I wouldn't change a single thing.
@@gpasc I have one and it's quiet as a mouse.
@@bobt5778 me too
As a guitarist I got my Ibanez short scale bass for recording and I'm very happy with it, less space , more comfortable, and it look great
I am a beginner with big hands and pretty long arms but I enjoy playing my budget squier mini p bass. It is easy to play and sounds good to me.
I would like a musician short scale bass if money was no object!
That was an excellent explanation. There are a number of reason why people play a short scale bass. I, for one, come from years of playing guitar, and I find the short scale bass a nice transition, so to speak. Plus, I do not have normal sized fingers for the size of my hand. They are shorter in length, and especially my little finger which looks deformed. It's very short and bent inwards at the top knuckle. Therefore, a short scale bass is perfect for me. Yes, it is an ideal instrument for children, and when ignorant, or shall we say, uninformed individuals see the short scale bass, they will refer to it as a child's guitar. Go tell that to Paul McCartney from the Beatles, and Bill Wyman the former bass player of the Rolling Stones. Thank you again, Carlos, for a very informative video.
I have what i call a little bass too, fender bronco, its red and white and i have never liked the look of it, but i got it for going to uni, didn't take it, and over the past two years have gone at it but i do think the range for what i play suffers, can't go deep enough, and with no music knowledge other than what the tuner says I don't know how to tune it down, still, plays along to the cure good enough so works for mw👍
And Jack Bruce. A trained multi- instrumentalist. For me, one of the most influential rock bassists.
I have an ibanez mikro mini bass guitar with quarter pounders semore duncan pickups p.j . And a Ksm bridge on it and it sounds 👌🔥
Bought a Sterling Stingray SS-4 and I absolutely Love it. Fantastic Bass. oNe LoVe from NYC
Congrats, is it heavy? I am skiing bc my 7 year old wants to start learning. My bro has a full size MusicMan which is HEAVY! lol
lmao hahahahaha ~25:25 "uh!" haha yeah shoving the door on that long scale bass in the back seat is always a thang. lol Carlos nailed it! lol
I just got one a couple of weeks ago in Bristol Fog! Are you aware if these has issues with the pickups that should be worrisome? You play great by the way!
Yes, they are single coil, not humbuckers…still a great bass though
My guitar player view on short and long scale bass, before I started playing bass, was that the long scale would have a deeper and richer bass sound with long sustain, due to the longer strings. The fact is that most instruments will sustain longer than needed and when you need long sustain, you probably also need compression, either with a pedal or from the amps distortion.
I suspect that the original design for long scale had to do with the fact the Fender bass was a replacement for the double bass with it's very long strings.
I also associated short scale bassed with surf rock where punch was key and there was no time for sustain before diving into the next note. We often (wrongly) assume that an instrument popular in a certain genre is not good for other genres or that you can't play a certain kind of music with a different guitar. If an aspiring player wanted to play like Nirvana, they'd be jonesing for a mustang, jaguar or some hybrid, but there's no reason you can't use a les paul. Just twiddle the knobs. Similarly, most hard rock fans assume you need a les paul, but most of Led Zepplin I was recorded with a telecaster and later, Page used all kinds of guitars for recording.
I play stuff that doesn't meet the range of little bass, whatever its called, thats what i got, what its taught me is to just improvise, its not perfect, but with an audiance of 0 its good enough. I wish id learned music proper when i was younger, now my best hope is to build up the courage to have someone young enough to be my kid tell me whats what😃 im going to do it, got my guitar bag last month, so i have no more excuses😢 its cool reading from what id call "music dudes" (people who play and know music theory and such) saying little bass is ok, ive had such an issue with it man, reading that people think its good, rather than my own "damn it, can't get that note" gives me hope that i can go to a lesson without feeling like a complete numpty👍😃
Good video, even it's difficult to compare 2 bass with a price half than other one (the ibanez is 180€ / Gretsch is 360€ - French prices)
I have a Court Action Jr. that I love. Í have bad arthritis in my shoulders as well as degenerative disc disease in my spine. The Cort is very lightweight and comfortable for me to play sitting down. I also have the Junior Jet, but it just doesn't "fit" me like the Cort. I do like the sound of the Jet, but prefer my Cort all-round.
Wow! I own a Ibanez Mikro & it sounds nothing like yours. Did it not dawn on you to setup the bass first? Nasty, NASTY fret buzz! The stock strings are terrible on the Ibanez, but a better setup would have helped. Thank goodness I bought mine before seeing this. The Gretsch is setup much better out the box with better strings. I like your history & educational content, but please have your guitars setup decently prior to demos as we're not hearing the potential of a guitar out of the box & heavy fret buzz always makes a guitar sound NASTY.
Thanks for your time.
The first known electric bass guitar was manufactured in the 1930s by Seattle-based inventor and musician Paul Tutmarc, but it wasn’t very successful. Leo Fender developed the Precision Bass, which made its debut in 1951. Minor modifications were made in the mid-50s. Since then, very few changes have been made to what quickly became the industry standard. The “P-Bass” is still the most commonly used bass guitar, and multitudes of copycats have been made by other manufacturers.
How thick is the neck round the back for the Gretsch, I haven't tried one yet but I'm interested in buying on. I'm asking because I tried one of the new orange basses which is also short scale but it was very thick round the back of the neck, meaning not good for my small hands. Perfect neck for me is the Hofner Violin, is it similar to this?
Hi man! Nice vídeo! Im from brazil, im a former eletric guit in my church, but i started to play bass in the end of last year, and i really enjoy it! So now i am starting to think on getting my first bass 😅without spending a lot of money…i like the tone of U2 sounds for bass, we play worship songs, do you think gretsch its a good option? This caps have some noise?
My guitar is pink too…it would be a Nice couple 😅thanks a lot
I gave up playing my ‘78 P bass for short scale. I have the Gretsch in green, the Ibanez Mikro in red, a Squier Jaguar in silver.
Played long scale all my life with the exception of my 1st bass,(Fender Music Master)......I'm 58 btw. This changed in the last year,(2 carpal tunnel surgeries and numerous cortisone shots for "trigger finger f/b surgical repair. I just couldn't get around on a 34" scale anymore. So I now own 6-7 shorties ranging from a Squire "P" bass mini with Geezer emg pup to a hofner, a G&L Fallout, a Sire U5, Ibanez TB30 and a reissued restored Squire Music Master bass.........I will never go back to a long scale bass again........no need : ) Love my shorties.
How do you like the Sire and Fallout? I’m interested in those, but as a lefty no one has them to try out
Good review. Bought the Gretsch for my niece half a dozen years ago. Now she's a phenomenal 6 string Rock and roller. So the Gretsch was a great choice to start her out on. She learned to play bass quickly and migrated over to the Les Paul without any problems.
Ibanez Mikro or Gretsch Junior Jet? Or the Hofner Icon/Ignition? Well, since I now have all three, I have a chance to find out...Especially when I put flat wound strings on the Gretsch to match the others !
If I learn on short scale, will it be a bigger deal going to full size?
It's simple. It's not really the size that matters but who's playing it. This is true in most aspects of life.
I'm a guitarist (and sax and harp player), and I took my vintage short scale Framus 5/149 Star and Burns Nu-Sonic basses to rehearsal to show our bass player. He tried the Framus with its very narrow but deep 'broomstick' neck briefly, then had a go with the Nu-Sonic for quite a bit longer. At the next rehearsal he turned up with a brand new Hagstrom Viking short scale bass (which is a beautiful looking 335 style semi-acoustic with a notch filter tone control), which was followed shortly after by a Hofner Violin bass, and we haven't seen his long scale basses since! He loves 'em.
Harps😢 id so love one of them, i touched one once, a dude i knew way backs housemate had one, yes i did ask, and while i didn't know what i was doing, its so magical 👍😃
@@noeyes6151 I think you're thinking of a harp with strings - I meant harp as in shorthand for harmonica! You're right about 'proper' harps though, they are quite magical. Mind you, I wouldn't want to tune one, six strings on a guitar is trouble enough!
Have you ever seen the video of a woman playing harp in the woods, when a deer comes over to see what the sound is? It's lovely. Look for Harp Player Deer if this link vanishes:
th-cam.com/video/9Xd8xq06FCw/w-d-xo.html
The Gretsch is such a good bass with great tone. The low end is almost scary! Also, for $299.00 the make of this bass in unbelievable! Mikro... well a cheap bass for kids to start with.
I don’t know if I “should” play a short scale bass. I do play them though-about as often as I do the long scaled versions.
I have both full scale and short scale. I dont love one anymore than the other although i do tend to grab the short scale first.
The primary reason for the darker tone typical of short-scale basses is the reduced string tension. Because the scale is shorter than standard, it necessitates "down tuning" to achieve the same open-string notes as a long-scale bass.
Sweetnesses!!
I've read shortscale basses have issues with downtuning (strings being too floppy), is that true?
I frequently tune them down to Eb or drop D with no major issues.
Remember the Alamo Music Center!! (do you guys have a basement?lol...)
Did Chris and Cooper take the day away OR are you the bass guy? The Ibanez seems to have a metallic click. Like the Jet better
Good sound on the Ibanez seems louder especially the slap
Is the Ibanez Mikro Bass recommended for a serious playing? I'm starting a band with my good buddies, and we agreed to take things seriously. The bassist is a guitarist-turn-to-bassist who struggled to reach the frets of a bass.. Will it be good & okay for gigging (or even professional use) after component upgrades?
I had a similar issue.
Guitar player being asked to play bass in a band. Recently bought the Mikro, after playing a P bass. It's far easier to play as the scale length is not much longer than my go to Strat & I can get the sound I'm looking for. So go for it
Oh... & if a short scale is good enough for McCartney...🎸
And I'm playing mine 'stock's at the moment...
For the money you can't go wrong, give it a go...
@@nickcooper1000 thanks so much for the insight... I'll make sure to check it out
If it were me (and I've owned & played Both of these, plus the Squier Mini-"P" bass)... and IF, he can... I would go for the Gretsch, for only $100.+/- more than either of the other 2.... Much better overall quality at every level and the scale is only marginally longer at 30.3" compared to 28.6" for the Ibanez. Also, you need to be aware... that the Ibanez comes in 3 different version.. the Multi - color choice GSRM 20... has an Agathis wood body.
The GSRM 20B in Natural "Walnut" stain, has a Poplar wood body with a Maple neck, and the GSRM20 with the Metallic Root Beer finish has a Mahogany wood body with maple neck & Jatoba wood, fret board.
My choice of those 3 would be either the GSRM20B with the Poplar body, or the "Root Beer" GSRM20 with the Mahogany wood body for more sustain, being a denser (tighter grain) wood. The Poplar wood body (GSRM20B) would have a little less sustain, but a "deeper" bass tonality to it.
The Squier Mini Precision bass has excellent quality and is in the same price range at $199.99 at Guitar Center, Sweetwater, etc. and IT... is 100% designed by Fender and is made in Indonesia... Not China!
Don’t waste cash upgrading. It’s fine as it is.
Actually, shorter scales with the same tuning tend to have a darker character. It's one of the most important differences between Fender and Gibson.
Which one do you guys recommend for a 7 year old ?
Erick Torres..... I would suggest the Squire Mini-bass for your 7 year old.... it's well built, great tone, excellent quality and priced the same as the Ibanez which is $199.99 at present (9.24.2022) at Guitar Centers, Musicians Friend (owned by Guitar Center), Sweetwater Music, etc.. I was "experimenting" with short & micro-scale basses, myself... a year or so ago, and have tried all three of these... the Gretsch, Ibanez & the Squier Mini Precision bass... for me, as an adult with long arms and large hands... the Gretsch was the best.... for overall quality and sound.
In fact I'm about to order the new "Bristol Fog" (color, Not model type) version of the Gretsch, on Monday, this week.
IF... you're considering the Ibanez Mikro bass.... be aware they come in 3 different versions... with 3 different types of wood, for the guitar "body".... Agathis, Poplar & Mahogany... I would go with either the Polar (GSRM20B... Walnut Stain), or the Mahogany (GSRM20 - Root Beer Metallic finish). The Agathis bodied Mikro, is available in Multiple colors... and it's the lightest of the 3 available models, however the Poplar & especially the Mahogany, are more "solid" woods, resulting in more sustain and greater "presence" than the Agathis wood body version will.... but Not to a "Huge" degree of difference, between them, really.
The other two (in the main body of the bass) were just Too small for me, but of the two... I really like the Squier Mini "P" bass... nice, deep bass tone to it, played Very Well... has a "fast" neck... easy for the young folks with small hands, to learn on, for sure... and quality that even a "seasoned" player would appreciate. Another "plus" (In my opinion, anyway lol) for the Squier, is that it IS Made in Indonesia... Not China, and is 100% designed by Fender.... which also handles the manufacturing of the Gretsch guitars.
Btw, would it accept strings for long scale bass?
At least on the Ibanez, you'll need to look for short scale strings if you prefer silk windings. D'addario short scales fit without getting the winding on the tuning post.
Always go SS strings.
I have used them and they work and sound ok. They were a pain in the ass to put in. Go with short scale strings.
I like the Bronco Bass from Squier/Fender - in my youtube Chanel you could find a modificated Bronco Bass with sound very nice. 😀
The date was February 9th, 1964.
Dude. When you went through timbre/feel of the fretted A versus the open string A, why didn't you actually play the two notes so that viewers could actually hear the difference?
I kind of hate to say it, but this is the most convoluted discussion of bass history and historical guesswork that I’ve heard pretty much ever
He's not very good at this. Clearly a nice dude but presenting/public speaking ain't one of his strong points.
Easy, Yes you should play a short scale
Interesting video, the Gretsch costs twice as much. Pretty unfair comparison to begin with....
No mention of that bass having zero humbucking pickups as advertised? *Gretsch
Still a great bass, for the price
damn he didnt even mention that? not even gonna watch
He probably assumed it was obvious just by their appearance
Deceitful, fraudulent, untrustworthy. There are lots of adjectives to be used for Humbuckergate.
At least because of the work of TH-cam channels, Gretsch/Fender are offering 100$ rebate on future purchases to those who got conned by the company for a decade. (not sure if that's enough to not get sued)
Not relevant to this discussion/topic.
Sounds like the Ibanez has fret buzz🥴
Mine had fret buzz when I first bought it. After adjusting my bass and pickups it sounds great.
I find short scales in general suffer from this. The strings are so loose they tend to slap against the frets. I put flatwounds on my violin bass to minimize the string noise. Had to install a higher-rise nut too. Sure is fun to play now.
Ibanez definitely needs a proper setup done on it.
Very clear explanation! I think less material makes very insignificant price difference even for manufacturers, and since sound and tone can be easily manipulated by electronic simulator or imitator, and affected by amp and speaker you use, the "discrimination" on shorter scale bass really came from where they were originally positioned in the market.
I suffered from the weight and my finger span on a full scale for years till I finally got me a 30" and an Ibanez Micro, they are a lot easier to play by weight relief, softer strings and shorter finger travelling. I achieved a lot more than the loss of dignity on a "full scale" one. They are not toys for children or assistances for beginners, they are "easier instruments" to me, and probably be "better instruments" for most of the people.
There is a lot of nonsense about an Instrument, amplifier, etc, being a beginners level or entry level choice . Statements like : Short Scale basses and good for entry level or. For people who have small hands become accepted as ttruyah by endless repeeit8on. The same is true for "Peavey. Makes good entry level equipment" and
so forth. This brain. Washing.
I have had A Gibson Eb0, Eb3, a short scale Rickenbacker and they were my favorite basses. I have enjoyed long scale basses and for some things, I would only use a 34" scale. If I bought a 4 string to be tuned B-E-A-D, I would use a 34" scale, especially since I would add a drop
switch to my B string so it can drop to A.
As for short scale players, Jack Bruce and Felix Papilardi were both short scale users as were many more.
Just FYI - timbre is pronounced TAM-ber.
Just play the dam bases thank you for the history lesson but I want to hear it played so I can buy one or the other
You makes a few good points but your analysis is rather thin. There is much more involved than you cover.
I am surprised you didn't discuss some of yhe short scale lengths, in fact I don't you even mentioned the various scale lengths
I love my gretsch. Didn't like the Ibanez micro at all.
Terrible buzz on the Ibanez. Setup needed.
Mikro seems pretty buzzy.
As a Bassist I really don't like any short scale basses I've tried.
I'm 6'2'', played Jazz bass over 30 years, after playing short scale Hagstrom for Years. Due to hand injuries, I've gone to primarily Mustang Bass. I have 2, plus the '66 Hagstrom, and don't feel at all handicapped by them. Jazz's are still in the stable, but see a whole lot less than the others. I play Gospel music these days, and it covers all the bottom I need.
Don't discount them as a 'kids bass'.
Paul McCartney is worth $1.2 billion and he plays a short scale bass, so...
I mean the 34" scale was just an arbitrary number to begin with. No real necessity to stick to it.
man I like that gretsch not the Ibanez so much.
You question "the stigna" of being associated with children or smaller people, yet you reinforce it multiple times in this video.
Hmm? I wonder where people get that idea from?
Plays as bad as he talks
"timber" "timber" "timber" ... it is pronounced "TAM - BER" it is spelled timbre pronounced "tamber" ...say it with me now... TAM... BER..
#1_EyeLoveSpicyPhood_Cumin_Q_knot_Coo_Aint_Inglish_Language_Phunn😇