34 or35" scale for Five String

[Dave W]

I own and play both regularly. Just like anything there are good and bad of each.

I prefer the 35" scale if I had to pick, but only because every 35" scale bass I've owned has been awesome. I can't say the same for 34".

I'm also a heavy handed player and 35" seems to help better with that.

 

[Dr. Cheese]

I have always tended to favor 35", but there are many great 34" B strings like Music Man. Last week, I played a Sadowsky that made my jaw drop, I had never heard a 34" B string rumble like that before.

 

[AdamR]

35", especially if your down tuning

 

[lomo]

There are good B strings available in 34" or 35" scale, but the longer the scale length, the less the likelihood the B will be floppy. IME the ultimate B for clarity and feel is the 37" Dingwall, and nothing else comes close. However, you have to balance ergonomics and your playing style, and your budget. Between 34 and 35":if I was spending under 1500 on a 5er it'd have a 35" scale. If I planned tuning below B, I'd go 35" scale. If clarity was particularly important to me or I wanted to use a B string thinner than 130., I'd go 35". If I spent a lot of time in 1st position and 34" was more comfy for my fretting hand, I'd go 34". If I did not often use the lowest 5 notes on the B and never slapped the B, I'd go 34". It depends. However, in the end, for a given string gauge at a given pitch, tension will always be higher at a longer scale, period. That's not opinion; it's physics.

Also consider that there are high level pros playing 5ers from 33 to 37" B strings, so try not to over think it (as I have done and learned)

 

[Amplified]

I have 34, 34.5, 35 and 37 scale basses. The first thing I would look for is the comfort of playing the bass over an extended period of time. The difference in tone is negligible.

 

[Baird6869]

I own 34", 34.5" and 35" 5ers. A 34" with a tapered B string sounds as good as any longer scale to me.

 

[73jbass]

On a 34"scale,string selection is critical. Depending on what tuning you will use,your right hand technique,and several other factors will influence string choice. Personally I play nothing but 34" with a non tapered .130 B. Tried 35" years ago and didnt like the extra tension on the other 4 strings. I used to use .135's on all my Music Man 5's and 6's,but I lightened up my right hand technique,so I was able to drop down to .130 with no problem. With a 34 you can use a standard length string set. Not so with a 35.

 

[ii7-V7]

I prefer the 34" scale. The longer scale puts extra tension on all the strings. So what you gain on the B string, you're also losing some fatness on the D and G string plus, a little extra reach. I owned a 35" 5'er I the past and didn't like it. It was less like playing and more like fighting.

 

[Adam Wright]

33" scale

 

[Bill Whitehurst]

35 has a slight edge, but really, the string tension is key.
I like Circle K / Kaliums.
.136 B tapered on a 34 works for me.

 

[wrench45us]

I would think it would be more about what you're comfortable playing.
Some of us just don't fit well with 35 inch scale.
A local shop has a nice selection of Laklands -- feel great, but I can't play them -- too much of a stretch.

There are tradeoffs either way.
Based on my experience I would agree that string selection with 34 inch is critical and have gone to .125 lighter gauges on some basses, but .130 works well on another.
Since it all depends I'd go with what feels like the best fit. Some have no difficulty with 35 inch scale and some can even switch between.

 

[zachbass02]

Brian Barrett, who makes LowEnd basses, makes a 33" scale 5 string that will blow your mind. It's not necessarily about the scale length as it is about the quality of the parts and manufacturer of the instrument. The 33" works on the LowEnd bass because the neck is rock solid, the woods are top notch, and all of the other bits are the best you can get. Same holds true for Lakland 35" 5 strings. They sound awesome because of the quality of parts. Sadowsky 34", same principle. I don't think you can just say "because the scale is 1" longer, the B string will sound better". If the parts are crap to begin with, you can have a 100" long scale and the B string will still sound like crap.

Personally, I'd grab the Ibanez. Spectors are great, but only after a certain price point, IMO of course. The Ibanez stuff seems to be more consistent at their price points and the B strings are usually very usable and fairly well defined.

 

[KickingBass]

My Jazz V didn't have as solid feeling a B string as my Ibanez and they both have 34 in. scale so it depends on the brand too I guess.

 

[Dan Bass]

Im looking at getting an Ibanez SR 505 or a Spector Legend Classic 5. The Spector has the 35" scale the Inanez 34. I heard 35 is better as it Gives the low B better tension. I own a Spector Legend Classic 4 currently and love it. Is the 35 inch scale 5 string my best bet????? Thanks

Yes it is, 4 string 34" scale, 5 string 35" scale, also depends on Bass guitar and strings..

 

[StuartV]

Tried 35" years ago and didnt like the extra tension on the other 4 strings.

It doesn't matter what scale length it is. If the strings you are using are too tight for you, you can get different strings with lower (or higher, for that matter) tension. That is really a silly reason to discount any bass.

@OP: The difference between 34" and 35" is that the reach from fret 1 to fret 4 is 4mm longer on a 35" scale bass. If you play using a 1-2-4 fingering style (like Double Bass players typically do), this probably won't matter. But, if you play using all 4 fingers and it's normal for you to span 4 frets, then the difference in scale might matter to you.

I have 34" and 35" 5 strings. I have pretty much quit playing the 35" because that extra distance to span 4 frets is just enough to cause me occasional problems. And my 34" 5 strings (G&L and EBMM) have perfectly fine B strings.

 

[StuartV]

Yes it is, 4 string 34" scale, 5 string 35" scale, 6 string 35" to 36" scale....

Huh? Why would you say that a 6 string needs more scale than a 5? Unless you are assuming that a 6 string would be strung F#-B-E-A-D-G, that makes no sense at all. Adding a High C string is no reason to need a 36" scale.

 

[raventepes]

I'm with everyone else. There are good 34's and bad...good 35's and bad. 34 vs 35" scale is an empty debate that'll go on for longer than we're alive. Much of it's in the string itself. There are good B's and bad B's.

Buy what feels good and right to you. If you like the Spector, grab the Spector. If you like the Ibanez, buy the Ibanez. I'm not one to give a one way or another over either brand. I own or have owned both, and more than willing to buy another(or few) of each.

 

[iriegnome]

I have both. From what I know in my own personal experience, it all depends on the bass. The point can be argued either way for 34 or 35 pros and cons. Play the bass. The one that feels better to play is the one to go with. Doesn't matter 34 or 35. If it feels good, go for that one.

 

[StuartV]

Brian Barrett, who makes LowEnd basses, makes a 33" scale 5 string that will blow your mind. It's not necessarily about the scale length as it is about the quality of the parts and manufacturer of the instrument. The 33" works on the LowEnd bass because the neck is rock solid, the woods are top notch, and all of the other bits are the best you can get. Same holds true for Lakland 35" 5 strings. They sound awesome because of the quality of parts. Sadowsky 34", same principle. I don't think you can just say "because the scale is 1" longer, the B string will sound better". If the parts are crap to begin with, you can have a 100" long scale and the B string will still sound like crap.

I definitely agree that the quality of the neck is the main factor in whether a 34" B string will sound good. If it's not stiff enough, I think it will flex (too little to see with the naked eye) just enough when you pluck a B string to dampen the string at it vibrates. I definitely think a multi-piece neck (which is stiffer than a 1-piece) is preferable, really for any bass with a low B - 34" or 35".

 

[iriegnome]

Hey, since you're after an Ibanez SR you don't have to choose between them anymore, you can choose both by now!! Hooray! Ibanez has gone fanned frets with their SRFF805, from 34" on the high g-string and 35,5" on the low B! PERIOD! And all of them are available right now :

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Dingwall uses a 34" scale on the G and a 37" on the B.. The fan's on the 805 are 34 on the G and 35.5 on the B