34" Stringthrough length

[Bassman316]

Hey guys... I have a question that would help put some peace to my mind if answered. I'm in the market for a six-string bass and have been looking at the Douglas models on Rondo music (money is a bit tight right now). I noticed that most of them have 34" scales. Now I've read and heard that a 34" scale B string doesn't necessarily mean it's going be floppy, that a lot of it has to do with setup, strings, etc., but the particular model I'm looking at features a string-thru-body design. I don't want to someday (soon hopefully) have this bass, need a string change, and not know what scale string to have. All my other basses have the standard bridge design (not string thru body, I know "standard bridge design" isn't the correct terminology), so I've never had to worry about string length. I don't want to possibly go too short with the long scale but I don't want to pick up a set of extra longs when regular long scale strings maybe would have worked. Am I making sense? Wow, I need a day off.....

[mikezimmerman]

Depending on the bridge, you may be able to string it "top loaded" as well as string-through if the strings are too short. As a rule of thumb, I'd say add another 1-1/2" for string-through, but it really depends on the bridge design.

Mike

[Jaco who?]

In my limited experience, I've found the "XL" in D'addario strings doesn't really mean extra long, and you need to order the specific extra long sets with string through bodies. I think their other models of strings are the same way.

TI, DR, and SIT all seem to come long enough to get away with it.

[Parabolic Box]

With the exception of D'Addario (whose windings making it BARELY past the nut), all long scale strings I've used have worked fine (as in usable winding length) with stringing through the body.