Rob, as I have said, my experience in locations other than Jawa/Bali is limited, by that I mean my field experience, and truly, form my own perspective that is really the experience that counts.
What applies in Jawa/Bali might apply elsewhere, or might not apply elsewhere, I do not know.
However, in your situation, where you do not have access to craftsmen in SE Asia, you really do not have any options other than to fit this small blade neatly to the scabbard it is already in, it is best to leave that scabbard as it is, do not shorten, maybe just burnish and stain the chipped buntut, I would not replace it.
As to proportions of hilts and anything else, again, from my perspective everything is fine just as it is, for now. At some point in the future you might come across other fittings that better suit this keris, but for right now it is best to just make the best of what you have, I did this for the first 20 or so years of my collecting life, before I had access to SE Asian craftsmen, & I learnt one hell of a lot along the way.
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