34" scale 5 or 6 strings?

[rickr]

Are there any 34" scale 5 or 6 string roscoes that are "readilly"
available or is this a special order?

[Gard]

Rick, it's available as a special order, and it's a $350 retail upcharge.

Typically, we can get something in your hands in 6 months or less (usually less) on a custom order.

[rickr]

thanks man

[T. B. Player]

34 scale - I was going to do it (since it's a 34 and since I'd want all black and it's not a trans black), but I can't get what I need to do it out of my original StingRay fretless + another bass. Would love to do it out of surplus funds but payment #2 of college tuition for two is due.

[otto B]

I have a 34" scale Roscoe SKB 5 stringer and that bass is awsome. I recomend the 34" scale.

[Blake Bass]

I have a 34" and a 35" Roscoe ..I prefer the feel of the 34" and the B string sounds just as good as the 35".

[rickr]

Yep, Roscoes are great basses. I have had several in the past but just can't stick with a 35" scale.
I am quite convinced that if Roscoe made 34" scale basses as "stock" they would fly off the walls. I would buy one now but will not do the 6 month wait thing.
I currently have a older 34" 6 string warrior that just kills.

[otto B]

be side my Roscoe SBK5 I also have a Warrior custom signature NT6. and yes that bass it also great. Each bass is unique on its owns way

[kerrycares]

Yep, Roscoes are great basses. I have had several in the past but just can't stick with a 35" scale.
I am quite convinced that if Roscoe made 34" scale basses as "stock" they would fly off the walls. I would buy one now but will not do the 6 month wait thing.

i agree with rickr.......... i saw Jimmy Haslip play, went and checked out a Roscoe, can't do the 35" scale and i'm not motivated enough to pay $350 extra or wait 6 months. great basses but im not into buying special order w/o a return policy..... and nobody stocks em 34" so if you order it "special", wait 6 months and don't like it...you're sol...... too bad .i want something different than my Ken Smith, Fodera, Pavel, Tobias, Fclef basses. please advise if someone out there has a possible work around...

[lwrthnwhalepoop]

Originally Posted by Blake Bass

I have a 34" and a 35" Roscoe ..I prefer the feel of the 34" and the B string sounds just as good as the 35".

I believe you, but putting aside individual bass-to-bass comparisons and looking at the physics, a 35" scale will increase the string tension for a given note, which gives a clearer pitch center and (debatable here) greater sustain. And the longer string will be better at producing lower frequencies. That's why Roscoe, and most other builders, use a 35" scale for anything with a B string.

Coming at it from the other direction, I guess if for whatever reason I had to play a 34" B string, I'd want it to be a Roscoe.

I understand, though. If you have one or more basses you really love that are 34" scale, it can be an issue playing other scales. Even with basses of the same scale, if one "hangs" differently (with its center to the right or left on your body relative to the other basses) that also forces one to pay extra attention.

[Addison]

Originally Posted by kerrycares

Yep, Roscoes are great basses. I have had several in the past but just can't stick with a 35" scale.
I am quite convinced that if Roscoe made 34" scale basses as "stock" they would fly off the walls. I would buy one now but will not do the 6 month wait thing.

i agree with rickr.......... i saw Jimmy Haslip play, went and checked out a Roscoe, can't do the 35" scale and i'm not motivated enough to pay $350 extra or wait 6 months. great basses but im not into buying special order w/o a return policy..... and nobody stocks em 34" so if you order it "special", wait 6 months and don't like it...you're sol...... too bad .i want something different than my Ken Smith, Fodera, Pavel, Tobias, Fclef basses. please advise if someone out there has a possible work around...

If they had a huge demand for 34" scale basses and they would "fly off the shelves" as you say, then I'm sure they'd simply build them that way.

But, my guess is that they don't, so that's why they aren't.

And sorry... with all due respect, I don't feel bad about your problem with having to wait or paying more. I'm a lefty and have had to special order and wait for every bass I have ever owned that wasn't used.

I waited almost 18 months for my Lakland Joe Osborn 5-stringer... and I never even played one in my life.

Some things are worth waiting for, IMO.

[JOME77]

Originally Posted by Addison

If they had a huge demand for 34" scale basses and they would "fly off the shelves" as you say, then I'm sure they'd simply build them that way.

But, my guess is that they don't, so that's why they aren't.

And sorry... with all due respect, I don't feel bad about your problem with having to wait or paying more. I'm a lefty and have had to special order and wait for every bass I have ever owned that wasn't used.

I waited almost 18 months for my Lakland Joe Osborn 5-stringer... and I never even played one in my life.

Some things are worth waiting for, IMO.

+1

It always amazes me to hear players make the comment, "The 35" scale just isn't working out for me. I need to sale and go back to the 34" scale".
There is less than 1/16 (.056" to be exact) difference between the 35" & 34" scale 1st fret. And the distance gets less as you go up the finger board.

I notice more difference in the way a bass plays based on where builders vary the location of the center of overall scale length from the center of the body than whether a bass is 34" or 35" scale.

And on the wait issue.........at least if eliminates GAS during that time period!

[CrashClint]

Just because I am board I thought I would bring this back up.

I own a CS4+ in 34" scale 19mm spacing
A Century V in 34" scale 18.3 spacing
A LG2005 in 35" scale 18.3 spacing

The biggest difference I feel is the string spacing, I do prefer the 19mm mainly for messing around with slap. I really don't notice the scale. One thing I did notice, I took the Black Beauties off my 35" scale LG and put them on my 34" scale Century. I could see where the fret marks were on the strings from the LG and it look to be only about a 1/4" off of where the frets are on my Century.

[JOME77]

^^^ and because I'm bored and working out the frustration caused by repairing a dryer that wouldn't dry clothes .....

The distance from the edge of the nut to the 1st fret on a 35" scale bass is 1.964". The distance from the edge of the nut to the 1st fret on a 34" scale bass is 1.908". That's a difference of .056". The difference between the 35" & 34" scale 2nd fret is only .0456". And it the difference gets proportionally smaller with each additional fret.

As I've stated before, that ain't much difference.

The manner in the bass hangs on the body makes much more difference than the scale IMHO.

[CrashClint]

Originally Posted by JOME77

^^^ and because I'm bored and working out the frustration caused by repairing a dryer that wouldn't dry clothes ......

Hey Joe, I think I figured out your problem. You Georgia boys shouldn't put chickens in the dryer.

[JOME77]

Originally Posted by CrashClint

Hey Joe, I think I figured out your problem. You Georgia boys shouldn't put chickens in the dryer.

That would explain the feathers on my pants yesterday morning!

[Jeff Moote]

I am completely in agreement that 34" vs. 35" scale is a minor if not imperceptible difference in playability when one considers all the other variables in body style and neck placement. I can certainly tell the difference between different basses with shorter or longer horns.

On the other hand, I think that 1" in scale length can have a large impact on the tone. While true that I've heard a great B string on 34" Roscoes (and other 34" basses) I find the bigger difference is on the upper strings. As much as I love my 35" basses the G string (and C string if on a 6) sounds very different on 34" basses.

They both have their merits, and this is one reason I'm interested in having one or two Roscoe 4 strings at 34" scale.

[CrashClint]

To bad you can't make it to the Roscoe GTG because all 34" scale of this baby will be there.