BottomEndian Posted February 5, 2009 Posted February 5, 2009 Does anyone know of a 36" scale four-string of reasonable quality but not much expense? I'm thinking preferably under £300, but any sensible suggestions would be gratefully received. My problem at the moment is that I tune in fifths (C-G-D-A) on my Music Man SUB (34"), but to get sensible string tensions, I've had to put a 135 on the bottom. It's the thickest string that can pass through the bridge! The tuning's stable and the playing's OK, but I wouldn't mind seeing if a longer scale length would give me that level of down-tuning with a slightly less insanely thick bottom string. D'Addario's good old tension chart tells me that a 125 on a 36" scale would give roughly the same string tension as the 135 on 34", and something in my brain thinks it'd be less inclined to attack sharp and "fall" into tune like the 34" can do. Yes, I play hard with a pick. Maybe even a 35" scale would help, but I can't find any 35" or 36" four-strings. I know people will suggest getting a five-string and ignoring one of the strings, but I've already got a (cheap Wesley) five-string, and I find the extra neck-width uncomfortable. Thanks! Quote
Machines Posted February 5, 2009 Posted February 5, 2009 36" is custom territory. There are 35" 4 string but I can't think of any . Oh yes, Warwick Darklord/Corvette Taranis are well suited but they're a tad pricer than £300. Quote
BottomEndian Posted February 5, 2009 Author Posted February 5, 2009 [quote name='Machines' post='400888' date='Feb 5 2009, 12:12 PM']36" is custom territory.[/quote] Ah, bumcakes. I thought that might be the case. I suppose if I'm going to use custom tunings, I should expect to need custom basses... So I'm probably looking at a 35". Anyone got any cheaper ideas than the Warwicks? (And as a side note, why do manufacturers think that if you want to tune down, you're going to want a bass that looks "metal"? The Dark Lord's a nice idea, but it'd probably be way more popular if it looked less... pointy. Sure, I play heavy music, but it's not "metal", and I like my basses to look like basses, not Klingon weapons. Maybe I'm alone on this. ) Quote
hubrad Posted February 5, 2009 Posted February 5, 2009 Another possibility is to get an unlined fretless (yes, I know, just lose the fear!) and shift the bridge. As an experiment I did that with a de-fretted - hence lined - Squier Jazz last year, and it worked well. You just had to keep your eyes shut to play it. Overwater do 35" and 36".. obviously not budget basses, but you can really tell the difference for the increase in length. Ask them.. they have their own forum on here. HUGH Quote
BottomEndian Posted February 5, 2009 Author Posted February 5, 2009 [quote name='hubrad' post='400950' date='Feb 5 2009, 12:56 PM']Another possibility is to get an unlined fretless (yes, I know, just lose the fear!) and shift the bridge.[/quote] I think the fear might be insurmountable at the moment. But I've found a budget 35" scale: the Peavey Cirrus BXP. The whole Cirrus line seems to be 35", and the BXP puts it in my price range. Any thoughts on the Cirrus from anyone? Quote
DanOwens Posted February 5, 2009 Posted February 5, 2009 I had a quote from a local luthier to put a new fingerboard on a neck. Basically it came to around £150. You could shift the bridge and get a neck/fretboard that was spaced for a 36" scale. Just a thought!! Dan Quote
GreeneKing Posted February 5, 2009 Posted February 5, 2009 Esp do some 35" scale 4 stringers. One here: [url="http://www.espguitars.com/basses_f.html"]http://www.espguitars.com/basses_f.html[/url] Quote
Mr. Foxen Posted February 5, 2009 Posted February 5, 2009 Have a Wishbass made, with frets. Post him your favoured bridge and pickups also. Quote
voodoobassman Posted February 27, 2009 Posted February 27, 2009 [quote name='BottomEndian' post='400989' date='Feb 5 2009, 01:33 PM']I think the fear might be insurmountable at the moment. But I've found a budget 35" scale: the Peavey Cirrus BXP. The whole Cirrus line seems to be 35", and the BXP puts it in my price range. Any thoughts on the Cirrus from anyone?[/quote] Got one. Love it. Quote
Ballie Posted March 4, 2009 Posted March 4, 2009 Spector make a 35" 4 stringer. Look around their site to find it as I'm not entirely sure which one. Quote
BottomEndian Posted March 5, 2009 Author Posted March 5, 2009 [quote name='Ballie' post='425642' date='Mar 4 2009, 11:43 PM']Spector make a 35" 4 stringer. Look around their site to find it as I'm not entirely sure which one.[/quote] If they did, they don't any more. All their 4-strings are 34", although their 5s and 6s are 35". Their (US) price list gives you the scale lengths: [url="http://www.spectorbass.com/pricelist.html"]http://www.spectorbass.com/pricelist.html[/url] Anyway, as an update to this thread, I've ended up jumping on a bargain Ibanez BTB775PB (the whole BTB range is 35" scale). Yes, it's a 5-string, which I originally said I didn't want, but it turns out that I find the BTB 5-string neck really comfortable. Strange how a few weeks of mulling it over can end up with you going for something completely different to what you started out looking for. And I love it. Thick, meaty bottom end, and the B string feels responsive and sweet at 130-gauge. In fact, I love it so much that I might be tempted to get one of the BTB 4-strings as well at some point. Quote
Hamster Posted March 5, 2009 Posted March 5, 2009 I know a few people who have used a 36" scale neck and have found the extra stretch involved to have given them tendon trouble. Of course it's cumulative, but see if you can play a 36" scale in a shop for 30mins or so to see if you can cope before you splash the cash. Quote
xilddx Posted March 5, 2009 Posted March 5, 2009 [quote name='BottomEndian' post='425725' date='Mar 5 2009, 06:45 AM']Strange how a few weeks of mulling it over can end up with you going for something completely different to what you started out looking for.[/quote] Funny that, isn't it. Last year I decided I needed a better bass. Started GASing for a USA Precision, ended up nearly ordering a Status Streamline, then a Spalt Bass, before finally getting a Warwick Corvette $$. Couldn't be happier too! Glad you found what you needed in the end. Quote
velvetkevorkian Posted March 5, 2009 Posted March 5, 2009 [quote name='BottomEndian' post='425725' date='Mar 5 2009, 06:45 AM']If they did, they don't any more. All their 4-strings are 34", although their 5s and 6s are 35". Their (US) price list gives you the scale lengths: [url="http://www.spectorbass.com/pricelist.html"]http://www.spectorbass.com/pricelist.html[/url] Anyway, as an update to this thread, I've ended up jumping on a bargain Ibanez BTB775PB (the whole BTB range is 35" scale). Yes, it's a 5-string, which I originally said I didn't want, but it turns out that I find the BTB 5-string neck really comfortable. Strange how a few weeks of mulling it over can end up with you going for something completely different to what you started out looking for. And I love it. Thick, meaty bottom end, and the B string feels responsive and sweet at 130-gauge. In fact, I love it so much that I might be tempted to get one of the BTB 4-strings as well at some point.[/quote] Are you tuning it in 5ths? Quote
BottomEndian Posted March 5, 2009 Author Posted March 5, 2009 [quote name='velvetkevorkian' post='426682' date='Mar 5 2009, 09:09 PM']Are you tuning it in 5ths?[/quote] Not yet. It'll probably end up in any number of crazy tunings in the future, but I'm sticking with standard for the moment. I've kind of gone back to basics recently, learning fingerstyle and a decent left-hand technique (until now I've been all pick, with a left hand inherited from years of shoddy guitar playing). If it did go in fifths, I'd have to really think hard about string gauges and notes across the five strings. Maybe A-E-B-F#-C#, running probably 135 or 140 up to maybe a 30 or 25 on the C#. Smells like a custom set to me. Quote
caruso Posted May 30, 2009 Posted May 30, 2009 [url="http://www.beyers-music.de/beyers/seoc/product_info.php?products_id=4002479"]http://www.beyers-music.de/beyers/seoc/pro...ucts_id=4002479[/url] [url="http://www.musicworldbrilon.de/GitarrenBaesseAmps/E-Bass/Traben-Phoenix-4-Black-Shadow--10274.html"]http://www.musicworldbrilon.de/GitarrenBae...dow--10274.html[/url] Not 36 but 35 scale. Quote
Protium Posted May 30, 2009 Posted May 30, 2009 [quote name='TheBrokenDoor' post='401301' date='Feb 5 2009, 06:34 PM']I had a quote from a local luthier to put a new fingerboard on a neck. Basically it came to around £150. You could shift the bridge and get a neck/fretboard that was spaced for a 36" scale. Just a thought!! Dan[/quote] Don't know about you, but I don't have 2 extra inches of body behind the bridge to shift it to... Quote
Mr. Foxen Posted May 31, 2009 Posted May 31, 2009 There is this 5er in for sale: [url="http://basschat.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=46887&hl=clifton"]Clifton.[/url] Quote
Kongo Posted May 31, 2009 Posted May 31, 2009 [quote name='Machines' post='400888' date='Feb 5 2009, 01:12 PM']36" is custom territory. There are 35" 4 string but I can't think of any .[/quote] Ibanez BTB & Peavey Cirrus come to mind. Quote
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