34" scale 5 string bad? help please

[Awkwardturtle!]

Alright so I'm a recently converted 5 string bass player (gotta love that low B ) and I hear a lot of people say that 35" scale is best for a 5 string

why is that? i heard its something about the B string but I don't understand how an inch can really effect the whole bass

can any 5 string veterans help me out?

 

[dpbass613]

personal preference really...the longer scale adds tension to the string, making it have greater sustain and prescence...i personally haven't heard or felt a drastic enough difference to persuade me one way or another. If it feels good, and it sounds good...than its good to me.

 

[Darkstrike]

The quality of the bass matters more, as does personal prefrence.

 

[spade2you]

Depends on the bass and your ears. Take any advice on TB with a grain of salt, because we all know it's possible for an SX to outplay a Fedora.

For the longest time I was a 35" scale guy, but I've since purchased a killer 34" scale 6 string. My "rule of thumb" is that it can be done, just not cheaply.

 

[lowfreq33]

35" scale isn't necessarily better. The neck material(s), construction method, and attachment method all play a part. I have a 34" scale 6 string, and the B string sounds just as clean and tight as any 35" neck I've played.

 

[Double Agent]

Generally, a great 35" scale B string will feel tighter and more like a regular bass string than a great 34" B string.

However, I dislike what 35" scale tends to do to D & G strings (can make them sound a little thin) and they are a little tougher for me to play due to the extra reach. I can manage, but 34" is much more comfortable to me. Also, there are MANY examples of very good 34" scale 5ers. I've played some bad 35" scale 5ers, so 35" scale is not some magic formula that automatically makes a B string better. Still, if you are going to use the B string a LOT in your playing, you should make it a point to check out some 35" scale basses and see if you like them or not. Just know that if you don't like them, there are some things you can do to make a 34" low B better (string choice, technique, setup, etc.).

 

[CapnSev]

The quality of the bass matters more, as does personal prefrence.

+1

 

[JAUQO III-X]

I use a .110 B string on my 34" scale 5 strings and people are shocked at how it sounds and plays.

 

[Adam Wright]

no, total myth at this point. 34" works fine.

 

[Staccato]

35" scale isn't necessarily better. The neck material(s), construction method, and attachment method all play a part. I have a 34" scale 6 string, and the B string sounds just as clean and tight as any 35" neck I've played.

There's lots of great 34" 5 string basses, play them and you'll find plenty that please... Ask yourself why the Sadowsky 34" is so popular-he doesn't offer a 35".

 

[SanDiegoHarry]

I have two 34" five sting basses and they both sound great. True, they Zon's, so they aren't cheap basses... But 34" vs 35" is more a matter of comfort than anything else - at least to me.

 

[Kael]

However, I dislike what 35" scale tends to do to D & G strings (can make them sound a little thin) and they are a little tougher for me to play due to the extra reach. I can manage, but 34" is much more comfortable to me. Also, there are MANY examples of very good 34" scale 5ers. I've played some bad 35" scale 5ers, so 35" scale is not some magic formula that automatically makes a B string better. Still, if you are going to use the B string a LOT in your playing, you should make it a point to check out some 35" scale basses and see if you like them or not. Just know that if you don't like them, there are some things you can do to make a 34" low B better (string choice, technique, setup, etc.).

Bingo. If you find your low B to be a little on the low side tension wise, use a different low B string. Making the entire instrument a little more difficult to play by adding an inch to it and thinning out the G string to boot strikes me as using a hand grenade to kill a mosquito.

 

[spade2you]

Bingo. If you find your low B to be a little on the low side tension wise, use a different low B string. Making the entire instrument a little more difficult to play by adding an inch to it and thinning out the G string to boot strikes me as using a hand grenade to kill a mosquito.

I still beg to differ that ALL 35" scale basses have a bad D, G, and C. Mine are fine.

 

[ric stave]

I've owned and played 34" scale Status, Warwick (6 string) and G & L (5 string) basses, and 35" scale Laklands - the low B's have sounded great on all of these.

And I never had a problem with the upper strings on a 35" scale Lakland.

 

[SanDiegoHarry]

My #1 reason for playing 34" exclusively is that I found that swapping between 34" and 35" screwed up my fretless intonation. I played *only* 35"s for a number of years, but I started really wanting a nice 4 string for some gigs, and we all know that 35" four string basses are not the norm...

so now I play only 34"s - - and I've found my hands aren't nearly so tired after gigs. That little extra reach in the lower registers was taking a toll - not to mention the bit of extra weight that 35" basses have... So I'm a happy camper.

 

[rpsands]

37" scale is the best

 

[Aspidites]

All of my 5's and my 6 are all 34" scale and they all have great B strings. It is more about the quality of the bass and your comfort in playing it than anything else.

 

[t0t0m]

It is more about the quality of the bass and your comfort in playing it that anything else.

+1

 

[anonymous101511]

34 is the way to go; 35 compromises the tone of the d and g strings, making for an imbalanced sound; big, fat loud b string; wimpy and thin d and g. Terrible compromise in my book, though some people like that twangy 'banjo' vibe apparently.

 

[Sijjvra]

I prefer 35" AND string-thru myself, but maybe I've just been unlucky with the 34" scale basses I've tried :/ most of them had a pretty floppy, weak B.

Though I'm sure good ones are out there.