what determines scale - as in difference from 34" to 35"?

[glenn brady]

i know this is a beyond lame question, but i honestly don't know - is it determined from nut to bridge, or what?

[20db pad]

Originally posted by GROOVYGREGBRADY
i know this is a beyond lame question, but i honestly don't know - is it determined from nut to bridge, or what?

You got it. It's measured from nut to bridge.

The 34" scale is the classic length determined by Fender in the 50's. No big reason other than Leo Fender wanted a comfortable reach for guitar players switching over to electric bass, along with some ideas from his secretary's college physics book.

A 35" scale is one inch longer than that standard scale. It's most used on 5 string basses to lengthen the B string for a more solid feel and sound. Of course, the rest of the strings are also 35" scale. The frets are spaced a teeny bit wider apart to accomodate the longer string length.

[Hambone]

20db has it pretty much correct concerning scale. The only difference that I would point out is that taking a straight measurement from nut to bridge can sometimes yield confusing results due to the position of the saddles from intonating. It is very possible that you will see a measurement that is quite different from the actual scale. A more precise method of determining scale is to measure from the nut to the 12th fret. This is exactly 1/2 of the overall scale. Get that number and double it for an accurate scale measurement.

Hope this helps

[Obsolex]

It's just the strings tention. Also the fact that I prefer the spacing on a 34'' .