- 1) Cheap
2) Tough - I dont intend to get a harcase, so it'll get abused
3) Short scale (or medium at a push)
4) Available in almost any US shop - I won't have time to shop around
5) I want a fat dubby bass sound. There'll be no slapping here
6) Preferably retro looking
Should be easy to find. Except what kind of bass style do you mean Recto looking?
As far as cheap, durable, and sounds/plays good.... a Peavey Millennium comes to mind:
http://www.musiciansfriend.com/produ...ELAID=26041240
They have 4 strings too.