fiatcoupe432 Posted May 4, 2018 Share Posted May 4, 2018 Hi what scale lenght do you guys play and why? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikel Posted May 4, 2018 Share Posted May 4, 2018 (edited) Short, 30". I am a little guy with small hands so it makes the first 5 frets much easier. String tension is reduced when using the same gauge strings and short scale basses are often lighter so its a win win situation for me. Tone wise I have never noticed any difference between long and short scale basses, others may argue that point. Edited May 4, 2018 by mikel Additions Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grantd Posted May 4, 2018 Share Posted May 4, 2018 I'm a short scale guy too, with 3 short scale basses, but I have an ACG 32" scale bass which really is a great compromise in scale. The tone is great, and is extremely playable. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ped Posted May 4, 2018 Share Posted May 4, 2018 34" because that's what the manufacturer deemed to be best, mainly. I have had a 36" Jazz Bass (Bacchus) before, felt fine, doubt I' have noticed if it didn't say. I also have a 17" bass which is just tons of fun. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grantd Posted May 4, 2018 Share Posted May 4, 2018 Ped you made me go the route of a wingbass too! They are great. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ped Posted May 4, 2018 Share Posted May 4, 2018 Just now, Grantd said: Ped you made me go the route of a wingbass too! They are great. Sorry So you sold the Stradi and bought a Wingbass? Got pics?! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Graham Posted May 4, 2018 Share Posted May 4, 2018 35", since getting my Lakland last year 34" 5 strings don't feel right, okay for four strings though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grantd Posted May 4, 2018 Share Posted May 4, 2018 3 minutes ago, ped said: Sorry So you sold the Stradi and bought a Wingbass? Got pics?! Don't be sorry, I will post pictures over the weekend. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thepurpleblob Posted May 4, 2018 Share Posted May 4, 2018 Don't know. Not shot scale. I genuinely have no idea what the scale length of my three basses are. I've never thought about it. Am I mad? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Graham Posted May 4, 2018 Share Posted May 4, 2018 17 minutes ago, thepurpleblob said: Don't know. Not shot scale. I genuinely have no idea what the scale length of my three basses are. I've never thought about it. Am I mad? No, as the vast majority of basses are 34" scale 😀 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rumple Posted May 4, 2018 Share Posted May 4, 2018 32" scale for me, 34" is fine but my 32" scale basses are more comfortable to play and tend to be slightly smaller & on the lighter side. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cosmo Valdemar Posted May 4, 2018 Share Posted May 4, 2018 1 hour ago, ped said: 34" because that's what the manufacturer deemed to be best, mainly. This. I am in discussions with a fine luthier to have a custom bass built soon which will have a 33.25" scale, but that's because it will be 'paying homage' to a very particular instrument... I do own a couple of 30" basses, which are glorious, but are the exception to the norm for me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Akio Dāku Posted May 4, 2018 Share Posted May 4, 2018 35" I play five string (B-G) and l prefer light gauge strings from a timbral standpoint, so the extra inch brings the tension back to where I like it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fiatcoupe432 Posted May 4, 2018 Author Share Posted May 4, 2018 I used to be a 34" inch bass guy but I'm loving the 35" ATM . Like akio say , the extra inch feels perfect with string tension 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frank Blank Posted May 4, 2018 Share Posted May 4, 2018 I have a 23.5" scale Taylor Mini-e bass that changed the way I think about basses forever. I went from struggling to play (small hands, smaller talent) 34" scale basses straight down to the little Taylor and found myself able to do so much more on it than I thought myself capable of, the realisation set in that I'd not been playing longer basses for thirty years but I'd been fighting them. Now I don't play anything over 30" scale. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Barking Spiders Posted May 4, 2018 Share Posted May 4, 2018 I've never measured them but I know the necks on mine aren't short. Short scales aren't right for me even though I've hands like a marmoset. Don't like the way they look generally. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fleabag Posted May 4, 2018 Share Posted May 4, 2018 No short scales for me, though many moons ago, i owned a Yamaha Motion B MB2 ( the best IMO of the Motion basses ) which i think was 32 " Was a fab bass too I've also owned a couple 35" scale basses, namely a Yamaha TRB ll and a De Armond Pilot Deluxe and when using the same tension strings as those on a 34", the longer scale 35's tend to give a bit more ' piano ' tone, if yoo knaw wot i min Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Delberthot Posted May 4, 2018 Share Posted May 4, 2018 My favourite basses are Precisions and Stingrays/Sterlings so 34" for me I've had a few 30" ones and my TRB6 was a 35" - there may be others. I've never bought a bass for its scale, only because it looked nice and shiny 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fretmeister Posted May 4, 2018 Share Posted May 4, 2018 34. Low B tone is more about the quality of construction than scale length. My 34 inch Marleaux has a deeper clearer B than any bass I’ve ever heard, even when I’ve had Dingwalls. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SpondonBassed Posted May 5, 2018 Share Posted May 5, 2018 34" I sometimes think I'd like a go on a longer scale but it remains a notion of fancy. I don't want to change scale as I have a better choice of strings at 34". Although 34" scale, both of my headless basses require double ball end strings. It's sometimes hard to get the ones I want in DBE though. I wouldn't want to add another layer of complication by going extended scale on my conventional bodied stuff. I find that five stringers are a mixed bag when it comes to the low B. Some B strings feel quite different to the E A D and G. My Steiny for example took a bit of getting used to as I'd tend to push the string over the fret ends until I refined my fretting. I managed to get a set of SS flatwounds for it off a fellow BC member and it improved the feel of the low B against the frets. My Ibby on the other hand feels consistent across all five strings. Some say the answer is to go to a longer scale. I couldn't say because I've never had the pleasure of trying one long term. I'm none too bothered. You can't miss what you've never had. Piano tone can be achieved on standard scale basses by using superwound strings. These aren't as common as in the eighties but I'd recommend you try them if you like a lively zing and that well defined tone characteristic of piano strings. The key is in the detail below. Only the core of the string sits on the saddle. The string windings start on the neck side of the saddle where they don't add stiffness at the bridge contact points. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NickD Posted May 5, 2018 Share Posted May 5, 2018 34 at the moment. I did have a 35 inch Skyline 55-01, but realised it was about more than scale length when I got my first Maruszcyck. The Lakland went when the 2nd Maruszcyck came. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sibob Posted May 5, 2018 Share Posted May 5, 2018 I have three 34” 4 strings, a 35” 5 string, a 33” 6 string on the way (have had a few 33ers before) , and am looking out for a shortscale (30”). They’re all great for different things, no bother swapping between them all. Si Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thepurpleblob Posted May 5, 2018 Share Posted May 5, 2018 According to my "back of an envelope" calculation. The difference between 34" and 35" is (on average) slightly less than 1mm between frets. Can anybody even notice that? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
naxos10 Posted May 5, 2018 Share Posted May 5, 2018 30.5" here due to the playability and weight. Don't think I lost anything but gained a lot moving down from 34". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bassbiscuits Posted May 5, 2018 Share Posted May 5, 2018 34" all the way for me, but I've very very keen to get my hands on a 30" Fender Mustang at some point (the old style, not the PJ version) as the shorter scale and lighter weight really appeals to me. The various things on YouTube dont really give me clear idea whether a 30" has the same amount of thump as a 34" tho. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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