Short scale bass with standard scale length?

[BrunoBass]

Good evening everyone. My question; has anyone ever tried replacing the neck on a short scale bass with a 'normal' standard scale neck? Please excuse me if this is a stupid question but would it work? The reason for asking is that I love the sound and look of the Fender Modern Player Starcaster but I just don't get on with short scale basses. So I thought why not get a Starcaster body (plenty on eBay) and bolt on a P Bass neck? Is there something in the physicality of scale that might make this unfeasible? Thanks in advance.

[Woodinblack]

Yes. The distance between each fret is based upon the scale of the neck. As short scale bass sizes are designed so they look the same and join the body at the same fret, it means the bodies are shorter, so the intonation would be out and the bass would be completely useless.

[chriswareham]

I bought an unbadged short scale Gibson EB-3 copy, only to find out it's a long scale EB-3L body that someone's grafted a short scale neck onto. The neck looks like it's from an Avon badged copy judging by the holes where the headstock badge would have been. Impossible to get the intonation right, since the distance from nut to twelfth fret is fa less than distance from twelfth fret to bridge. So no, mixing long scale and short scale necks and bodies doesn't work!

[linear]

What if he moved the bridge back a few inches? This effectively changes the pickup positions, but at least it would intonate, wouldn't it?

[jazzyvee]

You could be drastic and move the bridge to get the correct distance between 12th fret and bridge. The problem then would be that the pickups would not be in the same position relative to the scale length of the bass and so the bass would sound different, better or worse would be dependent on your ears.

[Nicko]

In theory I suppose it would be feasible if the longer scale neck was just the right scale length, and joined the body at the right place so that the distance between the bridge and 12th fret is still exactly half the total scale length. Since the Starcaster is 30" and the precision is 34" you could get away with it if the distance between the body joint (back of the neck) and the 12th fret was 2" longer on the P than on the starcaster. If its close to 2" the bridge adjustment might make it possible. However, the OP says he loves the sound of the Starcaster, and it wont sound the same.

[BrunoBass]

Ha well that's a pretty emphatic no all round then! I had a feeling it wouldn't be possible. Thanks guys for all your advice *Googles phone number of Fender Custom Shop...*

[BigRedX]

IME there are very few hollow-body basses with a 34" scale length. Off the top of my head I can only think of the Warwick Star Bass (but not the Rockbass version as that's only 32") and the Epiphone Jack Cassidy Bass.

[TheRev]

[quote name='BigRedX' timestamp='1450789158' post='2935868']
IME there are very few hollow-body basses with a 34" scale length. Off the top of my head I can only think of the Warwick Star Bass (but not the Rockbass version as that's only 32") and the Epiphone Jack Cassidy Bass.
[/quote]


My Italia Rimini is 34" scale.

[EssentialTension]

[quote name='PaulGibsonBass' timestamp='1450738568' post='2935454']
Good evening everyone. My question; has anyone ever tried replacing the neck on a short scale bass with a 'normal' standard scale neck? Please excuse me if this is a stupid question but would it work? The reason for asking is that I love the sound and look of the Fender Modern Player Starcaster but I just don't get on with short scale basses. So I thought why not get a Starcaster body (plenty on eBay) and bolt on a P Bass neck? Is there something in the physicality of scale that might make this unfeasible? Thanks in advance.
[/quote]

The general answer is no as already pointed out; but it's not totally unfeasible as long as the new neck when attached has the second fret where the nut was on the old neck when it was attached.

On a 34" scale bass with a capo at the second fret, in effect you have a 30.3" scale bass.

That might be close enough if there was plenty of adjustment available at the bridge saddles.

[EssentialTension]

[quote name='BigRedX' timestamp='1450789158' post='2935868']
IME there are very few hollow-body basses with a 34" scale length. Off the top of my head I can only think of the Warwick Star Bass (but not the Rockbass version as that's only 32") and the Epiphone Jack Cassidy Bass.
[/quote]
You're correct they are usually short-scale but there are some long scale.

Gretsch do one, Duesenberg too.

[pete.young]

My Duesenberg is 30". I think chowny has just brought out a 34" version.

[Maude]

The short scale length probably goes a long way to giving it the sound you love, if you could stick a P neck on it it would sound different.

Also to add to the 34" hollow body list my Yamaha Bex4 is also 34".

[BigRedX]

[quote name='pete.young' timestamp='1450891637' post='2936799']
My Duesenberg is 30". I think chowny has just brought out a 34" version.
[/quote]

Only the Duesenberg Motown Bass is hollow body with a 34" scale length.

Do you have any more info regarding the 34" Chowny Bass? I couldn't see anything on their website or Facebook page.

Edited December 24, 2015 by BigRedX

[BigRedX]

[quote name='EssentialTension' timestamp='1450793824' post='2935931']
Gretsch do one,,,
[/quote]

Gretch actually do a couple - the White Falcon in 34" scale and there's an Electromatic as well.

I'm sure that there are more 34" hollow bodies but I think you'll find most are either expensive or difficult to find.

[Chownybass]

[quote name='BigRedX' timestamp='1450944698' post='2937163']
Do you have any more info regarding the 34" Chowny Bass? I couldn't see anything on their website or Facebook page.
[/quote]

Hi! It's exactly the same spec as the short scale model. But it's 34"... we had to make it a little heavier to solve some neck-dive issues, so now it's perfectly balanced. I am busy editing together a little video demonstration of it, which I'll post in the Affiliates area of the website. It's the same price too (£360), but will come in only 3 colours (Emerald Burst, Sapphire Burst and Tobacco Burst).

This final production prototype we've just had is perfect, so we will spool it into production for delivery about March/April time. We'll start taking pre-orders in the new year. (At which point we'll add it to the website and Facebook pages)

Edited December 24, 2015 by Chownybass

[Paul S]

Back to the OP, I am guessing that if you fitted a 34" scale neck to a 30" scale bass body, even if there was enough room to move the bridge backwards to make it intonate correctly it would presumably neck dive like crazy?

[Guest bassman7755]

[quote name='linear' timestamp='1450740564' post='2935481']
What if he moved the bridge back a few inches? This effectively changes the pickup positions, but at least it would intonate, wouldn't it?
[/quote]

Most bass bodies already have the bridge quite close to the back.

[EssentialTension]

[quote name='bassman7755' timestamp='1450960228' post='2937370']
Most bass bodies already have the bridge quite close to the back.
[/quote]

Less so on short scales.

[chriswareham]

[quote name='Chownybass' timestamp='1450948213' post='2937212']
Hi! It's exactly the same spec as the short scale model. But it's 34"... we had to make it a little heavier to solve some neck-dive issues, so now it's perfectly balanced. I am busy editing together a little video demonstration of it, which I'll post in the Affiliates area of the website. It's the same price too (£360), but will come in only 3 colours (Emerald Burst, Sapphire Burst and Tobacco Burst).

This final production prototype we've just had is perfect, so we will spool it into production for delivery about March/April time. We'll start taking pre-orders in the new year. (At which point we'll add it to the website and Facebook pages)
[/quote]

Any chance of a black option at a later date?

EDIT: scratch that, the Sapphire Burst on your existing model is gorgeous!

Edited December 24, 2015 by chriswareham

[BigRedX]

[quote name='Chownybass' timestamp='1450948213' post='2937212']
Hi! It's exactly the same spec as the short scale model. But it's 34"... we had to make it a little heavier to solve some neck-dive issues, so now it's perfectly balanced. I am busy editing together a little video demonstration of it, which I'll post in the Affiliates area of the website. It's the same price too (£360), but will come in only 3 colours (Emerald Burst, Sapphire Burst and Tobacco Burst).

This final production prototype we've just had is perfect, so we will spool it into production for delivery about March/April time. We'll start taking pre-orders in the new year. (At which point we'll add it to the website and Facebook pages)
[/quote]

Brilliant. I want to see some photos though...

When's the 5-string version coming out?

[BrunoBass]

[quote name='Chownybass' timestamp='1450948213' post='2937212']


Hi! It's exactly the same spec as the short scale model. But it's 34"... we had to make it a little heavier to solve some neck-dive issues, so now it's perfectly balanced. I am busy editing together a little video demonstration of it, which I'll post in the Affiliates area of the website. It's the same price too (£360), but will come in only 3 colours (Emerald Burst, Sapphire Burst and Tobacco Burst).

This final production prototype we've just had is perfect, so we will spool it into production for delivery about March/April time. We'll start taking pre-orders in the new year. (At which point we'll add it to the website and Facebook pages)
[/quote]

Sounds interesting. And yes, a black option would be great!

[tauzero]

[quote name='BigRedX' timestamp='1451039981' post='2937942']
When's the 5-string version coming out?
[/quote]

+1.

[Chownybass]

[quote name='chriswareham' timestamp='1450980431' post='2937634']
Any chance of a black option at a later date?

EDIT: scratch that, the Sapphire Burst on your existing model is gorgeous!
[/quote]

Hi

Here's some sound samples (excuse the awful video quality - doing video was sort of an afterthought and I had no lights).

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sWR2O67vvXo

[Chownybass]

[quote name='PaulGibsonBass' timestamp='1451084844' post='2938248']
Sounds interesting. And yes, a black option would be great!
[/quote]

Sorry to hijack the thread but update on these over here in the affiliates area of the site [url="http://basschat.co.uk/topic/249697-update-on-chowny-bass/page__view__findpost__p__2959657"]http://basschat.co.uk/topic/249697-update-on-chowny-bass/page__view__findpost__p__2959657[/url]