6 string bass players a question for you

[el murdoque]

If confronted with the choice, I'd also prefer multiscale.

My 6 is a 35" and my 5 is a 34". I play both and have no transition time.

 

[David Jayne]

I played a 35' for more than ten years. I hated it. But it took that long to notice.

 

[scuzzy]

my bongo 6 has shown me that an extended range 34" scale instrument can excel in every way. I vote 34" scale.

 

[Thumpin6string]

Before I built my 6 string I tried a friend's 35, but It was too much neck for my stubby fingers. So I went with a 34" scale and have no regrets. My 5 string fretless, however, is a 34.5" and I notice no difference as to the scale length or the tone or feel of the B string. I say do whatever scale feels best for you. Otherwise you may not want to play it, and that would be a shame.

 

[reverendrally]

I've got 2 6 string bass... 31-33" multiscale fretted; 39" super long scale fretless. Both play and sound great.
So in summary, it's not about the scale, it's about string gauge and setup.

 

[Rumbledore]

Six string you ask?... 25.5" scale length is the answer.

 

[Wulfensteiner]

35 any day of the week. I'm big on punch and clarity, and tension isn't always a positive IME.
I've owned and played mostly 34s and none of them speak to me like the lone 35 I've been privileged playing.

 

[tjclem]

Thanks all for the feedback. Interesting to see how close teh results are to the pole. I don't have the ability to slot multiscale.

 

[el murdoque]

my guess is that 6 string players are a bit more open minded than those who own 4 J's and three P's and look at basses in PJ configuration when they feel wild.

If I was confronted with two similar basses, one in 34" and one in 35" scale,
I would try both and pick the one that feels better. I'd have no preference pulling me towards one or the other, purely based on string length. I've played basses in 34" that hat a massive, pumping B string that felt tight.
I've played basses in 35" that had floppy B strings that did not deliver much in terms of low end rumble.

 

[bongostealth]

35" scale for me. I have no problem with the tension or C string "brittleness" as I tune all of my basses down one whole step and it does not compromise the clarity and bounce of the B and E strings under that tuning.

Most importantly, however, I have found that 34" scale basses tend to have intonation problems in that you might not be able to get spot-on intonation. If you are playing all over the fretboard, proper intonation is non-negotiable. Since a 35" scale is longer, you have more room to find that correct intonation.

 

[InternetAlias]

I play a lot of chords so my 35" 5 string made them harder to play than my 34" 4 stringers. Of all the 6ers I played, the most comfortable ones were the 34" scale ones (didn't play lower) and I always bought a fatter B for my 34" fiver back when I had it. No problems there, a 130 B will sound very very tight on virtually any 34" scale instrument, a 120, not so much.

As others have said, 34" scale is easily compensated by a fatter string, and in my case, a 35" is uncomfortable to play because some chording shapes become much harder.

 

[Nakoatron]

I can't vibe with 35. Sold and traded many great basses due to that fact alone.

 

[Jrussblues]

33

 

[Arthur U. Poon]

I personally prefer 35" scale.

 

[Nakoatron]

I've played 2 33s and both were completely awesome. I didn't expect to like it as much as I did.

33

 

[kittywithabanjo]

The C strung is never right to me on a 35". Agree multiscale makes a lot of sense on a 6 string.. But otherwise to me I would want a 34".

 

[tfer]

The C strung is never right to me on a 35". Agree multiscale makes a lot of sense on a 6 string.. But otherwise to me I would want a 34".

Making the frequencies of the C string (and to a lessor degree, the B string) match the rest of the bass, is the biggest reason that I use a compressor pedal. Compressors are dumb as rocks, and don’t recognize the difference between dynamics and spiking frequencies, and a good multi-band comp does a great job of taming ringing and muddiness.

 

[ll Rip ll]

34". There is just something more satisfying about that scale length and the feel of the string tension is massively better on a 34". Furthermore, 34" scale doesn't not mean that the low B will be compromised in tone over a 35" bass. My Pedulla Pentabuzz has the most amazing low B I've ever heard (on a wooden bass) and it's a 34".

+1
My pedulla thunderbass is tight and punchy on the B. 34" scale should be a consideration for technique, not sound.

 

[Brother Goose]

35" unless you can afford a Smith. The high C is a little too tight however

 

[ole Jason]

34" for me as long as it is constructed well. Not a big fan of how the high C sounds at 35" but there are exceptions. I could be happy playing either as long as the instrument is great.