short scale basses

[jIvan]

do i need special short scale strings, or can i just cut regular strings further down to fit the bass?

[iamchipsmith]

I've got the same question. I recently bought a Bronco to fool around with. I think I want some flatwounds or at least nickels to kill some highs. What do you guys suggest?

[Baleen]

When I tried long scale strings on my EB-3 they were too loose and did not sound good. The length affects the tension, so using a 34" string on a 30" neck is like playing a detuned string.

Using short scale strings definitely cured that. I did also have good luck with TI flats that are made for 32" on my 30 1/2" EB, so there some wiggle room.

[acleex38]

The scale length of the string (the resonating part between nut and bridge) affects (make that "defines") the string tension. That isn't about the length of the string - it's about how tight you have to make ANY string to get a particular note.

I'm running long scale (34") D'Addario chromes on my Birdsong (31.5") and have no problems - yes they're looser than they'd be on a long scale, but shortening the string length won't change that. That said - IF I was playing a 30" scale instrument, I'd probably got to medium or short scale strings out of convenience (not have to clip as much and not have as much thick string wrapped around the tuners.

But hey - my short scale experience is relatively recent (since August '06) so I may have missed something.

[TheApostlePaul]

Short scale basses naturally have lower tension than long scale basses no matter if you use long scale or short scale strings. However, using the long scale strings may be even sloppier, I am not sure.

BTW, don't cut down flats to fit a short scale. Doing so can cause a weak spot that will eventually break the string (or so I have been told).

[Baleen]

What I should've said is I think different scale strings can be designed differently to come to pitch at a given tension. Just the way that different .105 gauge strings can have different tensions at 34".
Example:
D'Addario Electric Bass EXL160 strings
Regular Long - .105 - 40.3 lbs
Short Scale - .105 - 40.3 lbs

If you string the Regular Long .105 string on a short scale bass, however, it'll come up to a lower tension when tuned to "E". Whereas, according to D'Addario, the short scale .105 string will tune up to "E" at the same tension as the longer string.

For example:
Play an F (1st fret) on the E string of a 34" scale bass. Then lower the tuning so that the F now sounds when fingering the 4th fret. Then again when fingering the 7th fret. You can feel the tension decrease dramatically as you tune the string to a given pitch at increasingly shorter lengths.

I'm not sure how a shorter scale string of the same gauge and material is made to tune at the same tension as its longer counterpart. Perhaps the core diameter and the windings' diameter?

And depending on the construction of a string, maybe some strings have a better tolerance for being used at different lengths than others, which could account for our differing experiences.

[slejhamer]

Originally Posted by Baleen

What I should've said is I think different scale strings can be designed differently to come to pitch at a given tension. Just the way that different .105 gauge strings can have different tensions at 34".
Example:
D'Addario Electric Bass EXL160 strings
Regular Long - .105 - 40.3 lbs
Short Scale - .105 - 40.3 lbs

I'm curious where you got those numbers. The D'addario site is a little screwy. On the page for the short-scale set, it lists tension for the 105 string as 31.4lbs, not 40.3

http://www.daddario.com/DADProdDetai...D=3&Class=ACBA

Note that is says "Medium" at the top of that page, even though that is the Short-scale set.

For the actual medium-scale set, it shows 34lbs as the 105 E-string tension.

However, in their own Tension Guide PDF, it shows 34lbs for the short-scale 105 string, and 35.7lbs for the medium-scale 105 string!

Nothing like consistency! Well, at least they show 40.3 for the long-scale set in both places.

But all else being the same, a cut long-scale string should have the same tension as a short-scale string when tuned to the same pitch on the same bass.

[Baleen]

I'm sorry. I guess I screwed up. I got the info from JustStrings.com. I had consulted their charts for D'Addario upright strings in the past and they proved accurate. A few years ago when I got my EB-3 and after having bad luck with long scale strings, I checked JustStrings for short scale and found the EXL160S's had the same tension as the regulars. I liked the strings for the most part. The tension was good - definitely better than the first set.

I've switched to the TI's recently for tonal reasons.

So perhaps I just got lucky with the EXL160S's. They felt good.

[bearfoot]

Flats are just right on shorties. Though now I'm using half-round.

[A9X]

I've been using the Ken Smith shortscales on my Alembics and like them a lot.

[solarpanelasses]

i have a dan armstrong bass which is short scale, the E string is the string you really have to worry about with the short scale, if you use a long scale string its really loose and sloppy and doesnt stay in tune. i use DR SMR-45 Hi Beams and it sounds great.

[Baleen]

Not to beat a dead horse, but I wrote D'Addario to confirm that I've been wrong all this time about atleast their short scale strings.

They said:
The strings of different scale lengths are the same construction-wise. The only difference is where the taper begins on the heavier strings. You would run into problems with cutting down strings in that the full winding of the heavier strings (namely low E and A) would not fit inside the tuning peg. It needs to taper down before the peg.

Hope this helps,

Best regards,
Consumer Support

I guess I should keep my ideas about strings like I should keep my bass lines... simple.