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Thanks for watching and commenting! The main reason to go with a rail design for a 4 string bass is avoid the null spots created by 4 string layout not lining up with the 6 pole pieces designed for an electric guitar. The rail design avoids this, but I agree that the resultant tone is more closed sounding with muted highs.

@@jonathanwong458music Original Broncos just like Rickenbackers were built with guitar pickups if I remember correctly. Hell some Broncos today are made with guitar 6 pole piece pickups. The spacing is tight enough to not make any difference. I believe that majority of guitar/bass differences accumulated over the decades are purely there to create more products with higher prices. I've seen basses with guitar P90s and guitars with a strip of copper attached to a broken wall wart producing music no problem. This would be fine too. Maybe play around with different tone pots or adding switch to bypass them entirely.

Thanks for sharing your experience and knowledge!

Thank you for your message. I appreciate your encouragement! Thanks for watching!

Thanks for watching! The EMG Geezers, to my ears, have a bit of a peaky upper midrange and perhaps in some wood/instrument/string combinations can be a bit too brash and cutting - especially if you want a tubbier or subbier sound. I've found the same peakiness in the several basses I've put these EMGs in. It's the character of the p/u. but it'll cut through! What are you experiencing in your Sire that you dislike?

Thanks for watching! I prefer 250k volume pots myself.

Thanks for watching! The Hofner Ignition quality control is sometimes a bit hit or miss and they are heavier than you would think they should be! This danelectro has its faults too, but it has a distinctive sound that's pretty cool. There are more short scale options on the market now - was there a particular vibe or style you're after?

@@jonathanwong458music I've heard that about the Hofner Ignition. Some reviews are really good and some are really bad. I've only been playing for about 2 months, and currently play a Squire Vintage Modified Jag that's been converted to passive. I like the sound and how it plays but my specific one weighs 9.4 lbs which is a bit much for me. I play mostly folk and classic country (Johnny Cash, John Denver, etc) But I do play some punk as well as I played guitar in a punk band 20 years ago.

@ Cool musical choices! If you play with a pick, getting those old style bass tones with the Danelectro would work well. But I'll say the same thing I tell everybody else - get the bass that is most comfortable on your body and most importantly, the one that inspires you to play! It does not necessarily need to be bass to genre defining or specific. It has to make you want to play it, otherwise you'll spend more time day dreaming about what to buy next. Best of luck!

Thanks for watching and for writing! I hate the tuners on my Hofner. I'm always afraid that I'm going to knock them on something and have the button break off. The viola is a good value!

Thanks! Appreciate that and I appreciate you watching!

These are the stock Atelier Z branded jazz pickups. Thanks for watching!

@jonathanwong458music I bet that bass would sound even better with a set of Delanos or Nordstrands.

It just might!

Appreciate that! Thanks for watching!!

Right on! Was it the Fender Junior Jazz video(s)? That’s a great sounding shorty J bass. The Atelier Z is more modern sounding and depending on the strings, can get zingy-er. Thanks for watching!

@@jonathanwong458music yes sir it was! The Atelier indeed sounds great, but the Junior Jazz sounds more traditional. If I get one, I'll try an S-1 switch. Jazz basses in series sound notably thicker, and would be interesting to hear it on a short scale. Could be powerful, or turn into a muddy mess! Love your videos, usually watch at least one a day :D

Thanks for the support! You’re absolutely spot on. The Fender junior Jazz (I dislike the naming) is more of a traditional mid scooped J sound in comparison to the more forward mids found in the Atelier Z. I’ve kept both as they do different things!

I hope you get a good one! Might be worthwhile to get a luthier to put a slot in the saddle to keep the strings from slipping. Thanks for watching!

@@jonathanwong458music thanks

Totally! The magnet just needs to be a few mm wider. But it was never designed for usage in a bass! Thanks for watching!

Thanks for watching! Those are some very cool specs for your dream bass! I also find the string spacing to be tight, even though i have small hands. It's funny, I played a 5 string Cort with 16.5mm spacing (E-C) for a long time, but now I've developed an affinity to Fender spacing.

Right on! Thanks for watching and sharing your thoughts!

Right on! Thanks for watching and sharing your thoughts!

Yes! The full scale precision has more harmonic content in the higher freqs. The D’addario chromes also contribute to that. Like my mustang too! Thanks for watching!

Appreciate the feedback. Thank you!

Nice! Thanks for sharing your preferences and for watching!

Thanks so much for watching!

Appreciate that! Thanks so much for watching!

It does look cool, doesn’t it? Different than other commercial short scale offerings. A 500k volume might open it up a bit tonally. Thanks for watching the series! Lots of options. I’ve only scratched the surface. Thanks for watching!

Thanks for watching! For the low asking price, the Wilkinson M series is pretty hard to beat.

Thanks so much for watching! Appreciate it!

Thanks for watching and writing! The strings were nickel roundwounds. I didn't get out the calipers, but they felt like a stiffer 105-45. But that's speculation. Unfortunately, I no longer have the bass to the measure the neck radius. Sorry I am not more helpful.

Thanks so much for your kind words! Much appreciated. More build videos coming soon! Thanks for watching!

I appreciate your messsage! Thank you for watching! The Tribute series represents a good value if you are into the G&L sound. Consistent quality from what I've had my hands on. But it's a distinctive G&L sound!

Thanks! So far, so good! Fingers crossed! Thanks for watching!

I would personally take the Groove! (I still have it, loaned it to a friend’s son). A lot has to do with the scale length, as I prefer a 30”. I’m not sure if it’s just the one I got that’s special, but it’s a TON of bass for the very low asking price of 289 cdn! Punches well above that price point. Mikro’s great too, but I find 28.6” to be a bit cramped. Thanks for watching!

You are so kind! Your encouragement means a lot to me! Much appreciated, Don! Thank you for watching!

Thanks for watching and for your encouragement! Unfortunately, yes....the shop footage was using only the iphone 15 mic. I don't have a lot of space down here, and my other renovation stuff is taking up the remainder of the limited space! Hope it still sounds clear enough.

@@jonathanwong458music Oh, I was asking becuase it seemed good to me! Was wondering in case I wanted to record videos myself.

Awesome! Do it! My usual setup is an Audio Technica 4040 condenser, which in the past year or so, you can see in the frame/shot. Previously, I tried to hide the mic (was a Warm 47jr at first) out of the shot, but I ended up with too much room sound, so now I have it off to a side, but visible. Compromise. In my own trials, I found lapel mics to make too much rumbling and movement noise, especially with instruments hitting the cable while playing. It seems to be a trend to use broadcast-style mics (eg Shure SM7B for that 'radio' sound. But I found that it gets in the way of the shot, the insturments and I would constantly bump into the boom arm because I'm clumsy. The iphone mics are alright, but they record in stereo, so depending on where you are relative to the phone, you might get an undesirable stereo image. So what I have done for the shop footage, is sum it down to mono in Logic, compress it and level it. It's surprisingly quiet in terms of hiss and noise. But you will get room sound, for sure. If you are in an untreated or echoey room, there's no hiding from it!

Amazing. Thanks so much for the detailed explanation!

Happy to be helpful!

Appreciate that! Thanks for watching!

Thanks for that! It's been pretty cold this week, unfortunately. Furnace is working hard! Thanks for watching!

Do it Ted! Thanks for watching and for the encouragement!

Thanks for watching! I think Leland's more forward neck P pickup is a big contributor to that warm hit record-after-hit record sound. Hahaha, re producer switch.....I inadvertently ended up with one in my PJ Mustang. I disconnected the bridge J and I'm only running the P - took all the wiring out, but didn't want the hole where the switch was, so the 'producer' switch had to stay in!

Thanks for that! The colour will darken and hopefully deepen and warm up a bit with the Osmo top coat finish. I hope it won't show some of the blotchy spots! Thanks for watching!

That's an awesome tonal option! I featured series vs parallel in one of my Seymour Duncan Hot Rail videos. Awesome that you dig the tone! Thanks for watching!

My custom F Bass, which is from one of the most premier hand-made bass builders on the planet, uses copper shielding tape! I personally prefer working with it over shielding paint. It's less messy and stinky to apply and it's modifiable. Also less risk of accidentally dripping some on the finish!! Nightmare! Thanks for watching!

Have you ever seen the inside of a Fodera? Copper tape is all they use.

Thanks for watching! The colour is a little darker (on the alder) in comparison to the sample, but with printer and screen variances, it's often hard to really tell. I think the Osmo finish will further darken it and warm it up more. But I like darker/deeper colours, so fingers crossed it'll be ok. Might be too dark for those wanting a brighter more poppy colour though! Re sanding! Totally. Surface prep is everything!

Appreciate that! Thanks for watching!

The look/esthetic is not for everyone! Thanks for watching!

Thank you so much for watching and commenting! Indeed, many flatwound bass strings do not tolerate an acute angle bend such as going through the body. I find the higher tension ones such as Labella Deep Talkin’ flats don’t like to be bent at all! Those outer wraps around very tightly and once you can see the core, the string is almost a goner. Then you’re living dangerously! It also becomes an issue if you are experimenting and taking strings on and off. If bent, some don’t survive repeated re-stringing. I’ve broken more strings than I care to admit in the name of experimentation. Best of luck finding strings you like and that suit your sire and your tonal goals!

@@jonathanwong458music Hey Jonathan...I contacted D'Addario and inquired on their Bass strings, Ball to taper. I got this response. Hope it helps all. Bass All string lengths are wound & trimmed at 48”. Scale Lengths: Short = Taper happens at the 32” mark. Medium = Taper happens at the 34” mark. Long = Taper happens at the 36 7/8” mark Super Long = Taper happens at the 38” mark. Extra Super Long singles: NYXLB100MS NYXLB130MS (The tapers are at the 39.5” mark) Those distances are from where the wire material meets the ball end up to the taper. Top Mount: Please always determine the distance from where the ball end (please do not include the ball end as part of that measurement) sits on the bass, to the top of the nut, on the headstock side. Then reference the specifications listed above since you always want the taper north of the nut but south of the closest tuning post (if it is the lowest-pitched post). Bridge pin scenario: Mark the lowest pitched string on your bass (while installed) at the nut (on the headstock side) with a marker. Take the string off the bass and measure from the inner edge of the ball end to the mark you just made. Record this length and compare to the chart above to find the proper string length for your bass. Thru -body : Same process as the bridge pin scenario.

@ awesome info! Thanks for sharing with the community!

Thanks for watching and for asking! I started dabbling on bass in the 90s and then, everybody had heavy brass hardware, and of course, Leo Quan Badass bridges on everything. So naturally, that's what I did too. With time, I came to realize that the combination of my fingers, my sound, the way I pluck etc etc, I was missing some midrange content, but I never figured out why at the time. Sustain, or lack thereof, was never my issue, it was the missing midrange frequencies. Fast forward to this RUclips adventure of mine and I have now filmed a couple of videos comparing a high mass bridge vs the stock bent metal bridge (one on a bronco and another on a mini P) and I consistently preferred the more open sounding (less mid dipped) plain metal bridges over the heavier bridge. It's certainly not a night and day difference, but everything adds up. Further to that, I also discovered that I like the vintage-style threaded saddles over the more normal looking saddles too - it does something pleasant to the high end. Not to say higher mass bridges are bad, not at all. It is purely a tonal preference for me and the combination of factors that result in how I play. Every player strikes the string differently and tonal preference is such a personal thing. I do, however, like the fact that most heavier bridges have more comfortable curved edges!

That would be a great addition to their line. I'm not sure why they haven't done one....lack of market demand, I guess. Thanks for watching!

Thanks for watching! Where do you live? I am a bit biased here - but I found the Ibanez Talman to be a bit chunky in shape and comfort. I filmed a video on it vs the Ibanez Mikro. The tone knob issue is easy to fix, but I found it uncomfortable on my lap. The Bronco neck and body is very similar to my Fender PJ Mustang (which I adore) so it was familiar feeling for me. It also makes for a nice modding platform if you like to do such things. My main thing is playing comfort. If it is not comfortable to hold and if the contact points are wrong for your body, it doesn’t matter how good it sounds! Too bad you can’t try them beforehand. Good luck in your hunt!

@ Thanks for answering my question! I live in Brazil and I can’t find short scale basses around here and when I do they’re too expensive (usually a used fender mustang)… I guess it’s just a cultural thing. A member of my family is in the US for a few days so I will try to buy one of these basses.

Hope you find an instrument that inspires you!

@ Thanks! I’ll get the bronco

Thanks for watching from across the ocean!

@jonathanwong458music Always a pleasure 👍🏼Thanks for uploading the excellent content.

So kind! Thanks!

Thank you so much for your encouragement and for watching! I really appreciate it! It’s been very cool these past few days in Winnipeg. -28C today. Yikes!

Thanks for watching! I prefer 250k vol pots too. I’m not after a super bright cutting sound/tone.

Thanks for watching! Well, I am a scientist by training, so i might just have to build a few provided this one turns out alright! Finding funding for them is an entirely different problem!

That's a clever way of using bass VI strings! Another strategy one could try if you like E-C is to string it with a short scale set E-A-D-G and then add a high C gauge 32 or 30. At such a small gauge, the string wound length matters less. Just the thicker/lower strings where you need to pay more attention to where the taper or silk ends up. I've been using E-C D'Addario XLs for many years before relenting to being a 4 string player (and short scale) due to arthritis and joint issues. Thanks for watching!