I’m definitely flying the Sterling short scale flag. It’s on one hand not even close when it comes to pickups and the electronics wizardry but on the other hand the U5 is quite stunning, at the time I didn’t have as many natural finish so it was great.
Short scale is tough because I have 3 favorite the SSS, the Mustang and the 32” Yamaha Motion bass.
I would love me some G&L fallout but it’s the same overall length as the full size bass, so I’d pass.
It’s really, really tough to beat the MB - in fact I would say it’s unfair to compare to them just because they are such high quality little instruments. '80s MIJ Yamaha medium scale is tough to top in terms of price/quality; they are well under $200 here.
That’s not fair. 
@howard do you see the LB1 around? Neck through. Give me a heads up please when you see one. The one I see around here were in pretty bad shape.
not yet, will look
Thanks buddy.
I WILL own an MB some day. By the power of greyskull.
They are adorable. I wish I had dug the 32" scale length, I had a cute one.
Since you’re concerned about your hands hurting, does scale length really make a difference or do you think you just need find something with a skinny neck?
Isn’t meant to sound argumentative. Couldn’t think of a better way to word it..
Scale length makes a huge difference to me in the stress on my hand and wrist. And the narrower frets also contribute. I too have light arthritis.
In my case it’s the extension of the arm and angle of the wrist
Agreed. It’s that little bit of extra stretch on sore tendons that made it hurt to play.
If you want to go super-short, then this might be worth considering.
No!!!
I have it and it’s great. But with .125 E string it’s harder to play. Also it has a 42mm nut.
I would not advise to use it in case of arthritis.
Maybe a GSRM20 would be a great start? It’s 28” has a 38mm nut, sounds very ok (and you can upgrade it easily).
Only getting good strings for that bass (like the Jazz Flats that I absolutely advise to use in case of arthritis) will be harder…
I have the Squire Paranormal and love it. It has all the girth of a full side bass with a short scale. I also have the Gretsch short scale.
I’m with you on this.
I’m currently on vacation. I unscrewed the neck of my Ibanez Mikro, bubble-wrapped it and the body, and brought it with me in my suitcase. It sounds great, is infinitely playable, and I only paid $180 for it (on sale).
In fairness, I did replace the stock tuners with Gotoh brand tuners. That cost me $62, but it was worth it for the more stable tuning.
What a great little bass!
I’d highly recommend a bass built by Scott Beckwith, founder of Birdsong Guitars/Basses. He makes a super short scale bass—the Sport—which is incredibly comfortable to play (I have 3 of his super short scale basses), and has wonderful sound. I’m small and it could not be more comfortable—and I have some hand issues as well, but no issues on his basses. I would recommend his Sport (super short scale) over his other Birdsong basses (which are short scale but not super short scale) because the Sport is quite a bit shorter—a Telecaster guitar size—and for me, it makes a huge difference in comfort and reach. You can find him on FB either by Birdsong Guitars or Scott Beckwith. He’s very down to earth and you can just reach out to him with any questions to explore your options. Very, very honorable guy and business. Known in the short scale realm for a very long time due to his integrity and outstanding quality of instruments.
Interesting … I have noticed that the tuning can wobble around a bit on the E & A strings. I’ve already upgraded the pickups with a set of Geezer EMGs, so why not go that bit extra for better tuning? 
Phil
I am very happy with my Ibanez EHB1000s. Most comfortable instrument I have ever played, sounds great and weighs just over 6 pounds.
I think it’s a good use of $62.
Now, a while back, I bought a Squire Sonic Precision bass for $250 and put flatwounds on it. That was a ton of fun and it sounded really good. No stranger to overkill, I then put a set of Geezer Butlers, and a Fender high-mass bridge on it. Did it sound better? I guess so. A little. But not night-and-day better. Did the high-mass bridge make a difference? I think it increased the sustain a bit… but I was already happy with the sustain before the change. So, I’m not sure the expense was worth it, but I did enjoy the process and I learned some things. That’s got to be worth something, even if it only marginally improved what was already a very decent bass for the money.
I have repetitive-use injuries in both hands and arms (too much computer work for too many years). I switched to a short scale a couple of years ago and it has made a big difference for me. I’m very happy with my Music Man Stingray Sterling!
You and I can be great friends 
To my defense these are parts that I have lying around. Squire Sonic Bronco
EMG Active SA Strat pickup staying true-ish to this iconic student model
HipShot ultra lite lollipop tuner
RayRoss Bridge Saddleless talk about sustain.
I also had a little fun with the red Kala
