32" scale basses

[mellowgerman]

Standard Stratocaster body ???
Where did you got the neck from ?

If I recall correctly, it's actually a Squier bullet hardtail strat body. The neck is from an Ibanez GAXB, which was a cheap-o 32" scale, almost like a Les Paul double-cut body from around 2004/2005 maybe? Worked out surprisingly well! Just had to move the bridge back of course, for proper intonation. I cut a small black piece of plastic to cover the screw holes from the original 6-string hard-tail bridge, then covered it with the chrome Precision bass pickup cover. Also strung this one BEAD.

 

[ryan pate]

here’s well,my medium scale at the moment.I got the idea about two years ago to remove all the stickers and spray paint and maybe an exorcism.It’s a mid 80s MIJ Squier P 32”.the first bass I bought myself i think it was 99$

 

[Cutter8]

There’s always the Lowe Custom Guitars Medium Scale Conversion Neck option. Just bolt one onto any long scale bass body with a standard Fender neck pocket and you’ve got yourself a 32” scale bass. I’ve owned a couple and they are really well made necks.

Here’s the description from the Lowe website:

AVAILABLE | LOWE CUSTOM GUITARS

32″ MEDIUM SCALE CONVERSION NECK FOR BASS GUITAR

The Lowe Custom Guitars 32″ medium scale conversion neck for bass guitar is CNC-milled and finished in the USA and includes a logo and serial number.

The medium scale conversion neck concept is surprisingly simple. Our unique design moves the headstock and nut to the location of the first fret on a comparable 34” long scale neck. It also adds an overhang with an extra fret at the bridge end of the fretboard.

This innovative configuration yields a 32″ scale, 20-fret neck that will convert a standard long scale bass to medium scale without any additional modification. Imagine de-tuning a bass one-half step and putting a capo on the first fret and you’ve got the idea.

The Lowe conversion neck is a direct replacement for an American-spec 34” scale neck, and the process is 100% reversible. The neck fits any P-type or J-type bass body from manufacturers like Allparts, Guitar Mill, Musikraft, Rosser, Mighty Mite, USA Custom Guitars, Warmoth, WD Music, etc.

Features:

• CNC-milled and finished in the USA
• Roasted maple neck with roasted maple or rosewood fretboard
• Mother of pearl dots
• Satin urethane finish
• Flat black or embossed shiny chrome Lowe Custom Guitars logo
• Scary Creative silver ink dry transfer serial number
• Shiny chrome bullet headstock truss rod adjustment
• Carbon fiber reinforcement rods
• Installed Tusq nut
• Installed Hipshot Ultralite shiny chrome machines
• Installed Hipshot or Gotoh shiny chrome string tree
• Installed carbon steel inserts for 8-32 machine screws

 

[SaucyJackBass]

Here is my SD Curlee (Birdsong Manufactured). Love the 32".


Here is my Birdsong short scale.

 

[TapyTap]

I bought 2 lefty 32" scale SX basses just because it was so hard to find back then. Unfortunately, they are Gypsy Rose basses in purple and pink.

Haha...I had a purple Gypsy Rose a while back.

 

[lug]

Haha...I had a purple Gypsy Rose a while back.

 

[TapyTap]

View attachment 4577147

That photo almost gave me flashbacks!

 

[lug]

That photo almost gave me flashbacks!

Now I'm thinking of taking the purple to next band practice just to see guitardist blow a gasket.

 

[TapyTap]

Now I'm thinking of taking the purple to next band practice just to see gui****ist blow a gasket.

Definitely!

 

[RedHotFuzz]

Standard scale: too uncomfortable (for me)
Short scale: can get a little wonky with drop tunings
Medium scale: JUST RIGHT!

 

[WG Plum]

33" is perfect for my hands, but that's pretty much custom all the way.

 

[Protagonist]

I started on 30" short scale many many years ago and then jumped to long scale a while back. Then acquired a couple of 32" medium scale basses and they really do seem to offer the best of both worlds. GREAT sound and playing comfort. I now have an old Japan Squier P that is medium scale and have a Medium scale J bass on order. Sold the Aria II. Thinking of buying an Ibanez Mezzo P/J 32".

The biggest problem is that there are not a lot of Medium scale strings. Neither of my favs - the Sunbeams or the TI Flats - are offered in 32". I have seen a couple of medium scale basses where a second bridge (without saddles) was mounted behind the first one to anchor the strings 2'' further back so that 34" strings could be used! Very clever if the body is long enough. (See Below) You could also drill towards the end of the bass to do a long string-through to get the 2".

You can't just use 34" strings and cut them down because they will be at the wrong tension and sound a bit muddy. And you can't cut flats at all.

View attachment 4555536

Sunbeam short scales fit 32" top load basses. Mine anyway. As someone else said , TI short scales including their Jazz rounds fit medium scale also.

When trying to confirm I was remembering this correctly I found this thread about medium scale strings.
Medium Scale 32" Strings

 

[Bassamatic]

I have a set of TI Jazz Flats on my 32" P Bass. I was surprised that T.I. mentions this can be done. Anyway, they work and sound GREAT, but COMPLETELY DIFFERENT than the same strings on a short scale P! Please be aware that when you put SS strings on MS, because they are pulled much tighter, the sound is going to be "tighter" as well. Less low bass and stronger mids.