Mssrs. Lawson and Manring,

While I would normally post a question like this in the general Basses forum, I play a great deal of fretless and was hoping to get your opinions in particular. Plus, I'm a big fanboy and am always stoked at the chance to talk with you two.

So, after that lead-in, I have a pretty simple question - is it a better practice to pick one scale length and stick with it, as opposed to going back and forth between instruments with differing scale lengths. I.E., My LUll P5 is 35" and the other five basses, both fretted and fretless, are all 34". I feel fairly comfortable on the longer scale so far, but of the fifteen years I've been playing, most of those have been on a 34" scale instrument, and particularly as it pertains to fretless I wonder if I'm setting myself up for potential muscle memory weirdness or throwing an unecessary wrench in the works with the one longer scale instrument.

In simplest form, should I pick one and stick with it?

Thanks very much.
JP

Hi Justyn,

nice to hear from you! There are a lot of variables in what makes a particular bass comfortable or not - scale length is one, but everything from fingerboard radius to neck depth to string spacing...

Given the number of people who switch between instruments - even between fretless electric and upright, or bass to cello or whatever - it's clearly possible to make the switch. All my basses are 35", but the Rick Turner still feels very different from the Moduli.

Which is where rule #1 comes in - GET LINES! :D

Steve
www.stevelawson.net

On a good day, I can switch between my Ashbory (fretless, lined, 18" scale), and my unlined Warwick 5 fretless (34" scale) without sounding like a complete retard.

YMMV. If you're unsure, get only lined fretboards. If you like adventure, lose the lines...but be prepared for the added concentration required.

I can go from riding a bicycle to riding a moto, and remember to remap the brakes (front is left lever, rear is right lever on the handlebars of the bike - front is right lever, back is right foot on moto).

Likewise I can remap the clutch from a hand operated lever on the handlebar of the moto, to a pedal on the floor of the car, with the shift also moving from the left foot, to the right hand.

I don't spaz out, and don't inadvertantly punch myself in the face fumbling for controls. In this case, getting it wrong is a little worse than being slight off key. Curiously, I'm still alive.

The brain is a wonderful thing.

There is no thing like "muscle memory". I understand what you are refering to, though. there is no problem IMHO if you decide to switch scales (even with a fretless board). If you do go that way for longer scale or even fanned frets (Dingwall :hyper: ) you may ask for lined fretless (as a helping point, in addition to your ears)

Hi Justyn,

Which is where rule #1 comes in - GET LINES! :D

Steve
www.stevelawson.net

Steve, you will never find a more ardent proponent of fretlines (save perhaps, youself) than I. I've fooled myself a couple of times over the years with unlined fingerboards thinking I was doing okay, and I was, but 'doing okay' is far from the goal. My newest fretless, an Ibanez Gary Willis model, is, of course, lined and the difference was immediate and sobering. So yes, you'll be seeing my Godin A5 up for sale soon. In fact, that's part of the reason I was wondering about scale length, as I'm quite a fan of fretless acoustic bass guitars, and the Turner and Rob Allen offerings are both 35" scale, though I did contact Rob an he can make a 34" scale or me. I think you make a very good point in that scale length is really only one variable in what makes for a good fit. My concern, which seems kind of silly in the cold light of a Saturday morning :smug: , was as to whether I'd be throwing a wrench in my intonation if I were to switch back and forth. Better to search for a good overall fit than to base a decision solely on one aspect.

Sound advice.

Thanks very much to you and others who have responded. We now return you to far more interesting discussions of solo bass exploration;)

Justin