New Short-Scale Headless Bass Day!
I have had surgery on both hands, and I suffer from neck & shoulder pain. I can only play standard basses for a short time before something starts to hurt. The bass I have been using most is a Hofner Verythin. I've had it for a few years and it's great - it has great tone, 30.5" scale, looks stunning, and weighs 5.5 lbs. (I have 2 other basses that weigh north of 10 lbs.). However, it has the standard Hofner bridge, which means tuning / intonation is always a compromise. So I have been on the lookout for a bass that matched a particular set of requirements:
1. Light
2. Short scale
3. 24 frets
4. Intonatable bridge
5. Relatively inexpensive
A couple weeks ago I picked up a Hondo Alien. It's a headless bass, very similar to the Kramer Duke. My best guess is that it was made in the 80s, but I wasn't able to find a way to confirm that. It has an aluminum neck and comes in at 6.25 lbs., slightly more than my Hofner. It sounds great and is very easy on my hands with a 31" scale. And, while weird, I think it looks kinda cool.
