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Originally Posted by Jazzerbone  I measured the body and including the heel of the neck it's almost 42". I believe that's 1/2 size?
I'm 27, have a degree in music (trombone) and I've fallen in love with jazz bass playing the last four years. I'm 5'9" and I'm getting the sense that a 1/2 size bass wouldn't be best. I'd only pay $1000 for it though which seems super cheap. It's has a pretty good tone too. Just not sure what to do.
Btw I've been reading the newbor links and they are great! I'm completley convinced that I must get a teacher soon of I buy this bass. Awesome advice on this web site. Thanks! |
There are other folks who can probably assess the size of your bass better than me. That said, there's a lot of variability in the body size for a 3/4s bass. Based on your one measurement, it sounds like the bass you are looking at is a 1/2 size bass but I think its actual string length (or scale length) is a better gauge of bass size than its body length. To determine its string length, you'll need to measure the length of the string BETWEEN the nut and the bridge. That's the length of the string that freely vibrates between the positions where it's "anchored" on the top and bottom. There's a great deal of variation in string length for basses, but for a 1/2-sized bass the length is in the neighborhood of 38 and 39 inches. A 3/4s bass has a string length that varies from about 40.5 inches to something in the neighborhood of 42 inches (give or take a few fractions of an inch on either end).
Also, as far as being a "cheap" bass...it's NOT a cheap bass if it's not the right one for you (size or for any other reason).
1984 Johannes kohr 51 1/2 
