Is it possible to change the string length on a bass without and drastic alterations? I once heard of having the nut extended over the fingerboard to make the strings slightly shorter. Have any of you done this?

if by drastic alterations you mean moving everysingle fret, then no its not possible

I mean on an upright bass without frets.

sorry linked here from the homepage and didnt notice the forum. my bad

It's a 42 1/2 inch 7/8 size Shen that's about 10 years old. The heel lies somewhere between D and Eb. It would be cool if I could bring it down to an even 42 inches. I can get around the thing but I have to stretch my hand a little wider than I would like sometimes. It is beginning to get a little bothersome.

Thanks for the info Ken. Moving the bridge up 1/2 makes it much more comfortable to play. It did tighten up the sound a little bit but im sure a quick soundpost adjustment could fix that. I don't know what model of shen it is. I bought it from Bob's house of basses on consignment. He said it was about 10 years old. It looks just like the 7/8 Willow on the website but is much lighter in color and has a round back. There is no X bracing on the inside like the ones they are makeing now. There is a piece of what looks like burlap inside going along the seam of the back. It has a great sound. I have been told it sounds better than a lot of basses that cost thousands more. Good times!

In my experience, if you move the soundpost as much as a half an inch, the post will most likely need to be refitted. If yours is a flatback, you just might get away with just moving it. Most soundposts that are fitted, fit one place only.