Ibanez SRMD200D SR MEZZO 4-String 32" Medium Scale Bass Guitar Pearl White

I have been playing for almost 30 years and always played long scale basses. Lately, I have been dealing with arthritis in my hands and some pretty significant shoulder pain. I started to try some short scale basses, but did not like the lack of low end. Everything sounded "tinny" on the E string. My GC guy suggested this Mezzo, but they didn't have one in stock. I ordered it online and had it shipped to the store, knowing that GC's return policy was excellent if I didn't like it. The set up was absolutely terrible out of the box, to the point of being unplayable because of the needed truss rod adjustment. However, I took it home and did a full set up before I took any of the stickers/tags off of it. Once set up, it played very nice. I like the satin neck and the frets were actually very good (just needed polishing). The electronics were easy to dial in and the finish was great. I hated the stock strings (to be expected). I got some LaBella Low Tension flats (medium scale was perfect) and it plays like a dream. I can play for hours and not feel pain in my hands due to the combination of neck shape, fret distance, and low tension strings. As far as my shoulder, the light weight of this bass is awesome. The other medium scale bass that GC had in stock was the Squier Classic Vibe Jaguar. According to other websites, the Jaguar weighs around 9 lbs. My Mezzo weighs in at 7.6 lbs. It's hard to believe that a pound and a half makes that big of a difference, but that was a big factor for me going with the Mezzo. So far, it has been a good choice. The sound of electronics is also just what I needed. I have a MIM Fender P, but it has been the main source of pain for me lately. I needed the Mezzo to do a pretty good "P bass with flats" impression and it does remarkably well. I call tell a difference, but it gets awfully close. The low end is certainly better than the other short scale basses that I tried. I would say it is just below the Mustangs that I tried, but less than half the price. I may upgrade the pickups at a later date, the stock ones are doing just fine. So far, I'm pretty happy with this bass. I've played one gig and pulled this one out instead of the P bass on a couple of tunes. No one said anything, which probably means that it did it's impression pretty well.

Bought this for my son last Christmas. Sits in the case or on a stand most of the time. Noticed 6 months after we got it that the paint is bubbling and peeling on the front and the back. Too late to return to GC - having to go to Ibanez. Wish me luck.