I have or have had coursed-string basses in short, mid, and long scale lengths.
For me, the shorties seem to open up opportunity for more guitar-like playing (with pick, little bit of OD... or a lot... nice w/delays, reverb etc). They'll cover bass stuff of course, but then I also find it easier to execute chords and lead playing. Bends are made easier with the lower tension. Of course, the low register isn't quite as assertive on the shorties (same deal as with four stringers), but there are other virtues to exploit.