LeftyBassist.com

saw it and almost pulled the trigger I have tiny hands and really want a short scale though.
suggestions?

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/Factory ... b833&tpp=1

My experience with three basses I bought through AliExpres is that out of the box they are mediocre to bad.
They all needed serious tinkering before they were actually playable. If you are into that kind of tinkering go for it of you are not it's better to shy away from it.

I love to tinker so for me it was no issue.

That looks closer to an EB3 than either Gibson or Epiphone are prepared to make. You could even get a proper 4way rotary selector in it if you wanted. Not much more money than a kit SG bass I've been thinking of getting. Tempting.

But, I've heard horror stories of customs/duty stings seriously adding to the price, at least in the UK where I am. That's the only thing that's putting me off buying anything direct from an Oriental outlet. I saw a lefty 8 string (extended range 8, not octave paired) that had me tempted.



Oooh, my first post here! Hello everybody. Name is Jim.

Welcome!

Yeah, welcome to LeftyBassist from me, too.

Is that something to shy away from? Sadly..yeah, it probably is. In this situation, caveat emptor and "you get what you pay for" are the rules to be guided by. I'd count on having to do some (maybe a lot) of work to make that one playable; and there's a good chance that some hardware will need to be replaced, too. Cheesy hardware and electronics, and little/no quality control are where all the cost savings are, in those instruments. OK if you want a project, and know what you're getting into up front. I have a Beatle Bass clone like that. However...
Do you want a short scale bass simply because you have small hands, and think that's what you need? Or, is it that what you're looking for is a narrower neck, width-wise, and maybe one that's also fairly thin, top to bottom? Hate to tell ya, but being a short scale is no guarantee of getting that. About all it does guarantee is an easier reach up toward the head stock, and troubles with alternate tunings. Some short scale basses have wide, chunky necks. And, some long scale basses have thin, skinny necks. I own several of them, in fact.
For thin necked short scales - lefty ones that I'm familiar with? Hofners or Hofner clones; Danelectro Longhorn; and, most vintage Japanese basses from the '70s. My new Eastwood Flying-V has a pretty thin neck, top to bottom; not particularly wide either. The headless aluminum neck on my vintage Kramer Duke is nice, too. But, all of those are going to be more expensive than that one, although, in the case of the Dano and Hofner clones, not a lot more...
For long scales? Ibanez is famous for their thin, skinny necks. Fender Jazz necks are pretty nice, too. The necks on my Danelectro DC59's are thin and fairly narrow; my favorites, in fact. Rickenbacker's run in batches of thin or thick necks, depending on the year; both of mine are thin, skinny ones. Not going to get a Rick for that price, though... Gibson T-Bird necks are very nice, too, but, again... not at that price...

I'm sure there are others, both long and short scale; but these are what I'm familiar with. I'm sure others here will have recommendations, too. This whole subject is discussed pretty frequently over on TalkBass.com; not usually from a lefty's perspective, though. Still, might be worth a look... Personally, I would try to play as many basses as I could - even if you have to play a righty upside down, you'll get a feel for the neck - and see what makes your fretting hand happy...

@GIBrat51

Which of the Rickenbacker's has the thin neck...I also have short fingers. I have been looking at the 4003.

Rickenbacker necks tend to run in batches, usually from year to year, with noticeable variation within a given batch. They will make a bunch of "Thin" ones, then make a bunch of "Thick" ones. If you want a really thin neck, and can find one, get a 4001. They ran in batches, too, but pretty much all 4001s have thinner necks than any 4003. I can't tell you much about Rick 4004s; never seen one, and don't know anybody who has. From what I read, 4004's necks are supposed to be on the chunky side, but I can't say for sure. I don't know which neck cycle Rick is in at the moment. If they're in a Thick cycle now, a 1or 2 year old one should be a lot thinner. I suppose I could go to the local Sam Ash and find out, but I honestly don't pay much attention to new Ricks. Much as I like them, 2 Ricks (3 if you count my '87 330 guitar) is about all I can handle..

My '86 4003 feels and plays like a jazz. It has a great narrow, thin neck. Much thinner and more narrow than the '79 4001 I had.

I would lean towards a 4003 over a 4001, unless you are specifically after a vintage instrument. The only real difference is that the 4003 has some upgraded hardware, such as dual truss rods and a bridge with extra screws to prevent the tail lift associated with the 4001.

Thanks...when I'm ready to shed some $$$ I'll definitely be looking at the 4003 possibly an 86.

I just bought a short-scale Eastwood Flying V (30.5") and love it. They're a little expensive for imports, but they're well crafted. I'll probably upgrade the hardware at some point.

pete

Lookie what just popped up! Unfortunately, it is overpriced by about $700:
https://applink.reverb.com/item/7387793 ... m-hardware