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Am I "wrong" for wanting a short-scale bass?

#41
I came from drums so a 34" bass was painful and I took the route of guitar to bass. I tried a P bass but eventually made my way to a Mustang shortscale. Now that I have time on it, a full scale is fine. I have no need to swap my Mustang for a P or J but often feel like the Mustang is small, toy like. Clearly isn't sound wise, just a feel thing.

All that to say, short scale basses are a great starting or ending point. Really up to you and your wrist ;)
 
#43
lfmn16 said:
And Stanley Clarke, who I believe had long fingers, played a short scale. I could never figure that one out. I had a hofner for a short time and just never got comfortable on it.
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I read an interview with him years ago in which he said that he originally learned to play standup bass and guitar. He found 34" bass guitars kind of weird because they don't feel the same as a standard guitar but they don't feel like a standup bass either. He liked short scale bass guitars because their scale length felt closer to that of a guitar.
 
#44
SC is a full-grown man with big hands, he could palm a basketball no sweat. One of the few that plays a 7/8 or full-size upright . . . . . . which does seem to make it surprising that his Alembics are not only short-scale, but the necks are shaved, almost down to Hofner or ultraslim Jazz Bass profile. Incidentally, Alembic made him his first five-string SC (E to C, as you'd expect) that he's experimenting with. It's comforting to know even a giant player like him is feeling just a little anxiety as to how to account for an extra string !

Guys prefer all kinds of things you might not expect, but it always makes me giggle when I remember Stanley's axes when I read the 'geez, I need a WIDE fingerboard to slap' posts, takes all kinds to make a world.

Alembic will make you any scale you want, but they sell quite a few 'medium' scale (32") as an in-between choice, but they will be the first to tell you that the old short-scale wives' tales were a product of inferior axes rather than some intrinsic deficient physics involved for a 30" scale.
 
#46
I had a medium scale. Always felt like a toy in my (very large) hands. If I wanted to play it out, I had to practice on it for a week in advance, so it'd feel sorta normal. Just wasn't my thing. So I donated that one. I don't even like J width necks - they feel cramped. My J has a P width neck on it

So, a full scale P width neck is what works for me. What works for you? Use that, whatever it is.
 
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#47
First up, welcome to TB! Being a guitarist is no sin in this family. If you play or want to learn to play, or just like bass, that makes you one of us. Welcome to the low end. You’re among friends here.

Use whatever works for you as a bass player and don’t get too bogged down by somebody else’s opinion of your gear.

It’s not like we here don’t all do the same. :thumbsup:
 
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#50
mike1123 said:
Yo. I'm a guitarist (10+ yrs) trying to get the hang of bass. I also happen to be a pretty small dude.

I want to play bass, and have found short-scales (Ibanez Mikro) super easy to play, even compared to really nice 34" basses. If I had to do a last minute gig, I'd definitely feel MUCH more confident playing a short scale bass.

Should I just suck it up, and get used to a normal bass? Or should I embrace the short scale?
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I have very small hands and short fingers (save the jokes). I was thinking of going short scale also. However, my wife surprised me with a long scale bass for Christmas. It took a little getting used to and I was struggling with it for a little while. But now, I really enjoy playing it. I think if you practice, practice, practice, you will acclimate to the neck and eventually find ways to compensate for some of those long stretches. Anyhow, to directly answer your question; no... nothing wrong with playing a short scale.
 
#52
40Hz said:
Being a guitarist is no sin in this family.
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blaspheme.gif


Sorry! :sorry:

I could not resist! :laugh:

greetings

Wise(b)ass
 
#53
Kipp Harrington said:
I have very small hands and short fingers (save the jokes). I was thinking of going short scale also. However, my wife surprised me with a long scale bass for Christmas. It took a little getting used to and I was struggling with it for a little while. But now, I really enjoy playing it. I think if you practice, practice, practice, you will acclimate to the neck and eventually find ways to compensate for some of those long stretches. Anyhow, to directly answer your question; no... nothing wrong with playing a short scale.
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I'm in almost the exact same situation... small hands (still save the jokes :p) anyway, I'm playing a full scale bass now but found one with a thinner neck (Ibanez soundgear) and I really like it - I can't speak to a short scale bass, as I've never played one, but if you decide against it for whatever reason - be sure to try out a bunch and find one that feels good in your hands
 
#55
Play what sounds and feels good. I got back into music after 15 years off with cigar box guitars. The 34" scale felt HUGE to me. I bought an Ibanez Mikro because it felt better after all the guitar scale playing. Now that I'm back on bass fulltime, my fingers like the stretch and I play mainly 34" scale with jazz necks. I do also have a couple 32" scale basses that make the rotation on a regular basis. If I were to play a lot of chords, I might pick up a Mikro again. There are no rules. Only music.
 
#56
It depends on what sound you are looking for. If you want thuddy, muddy sound go short scale. If you want a bright round wound tone get a 34" scale bass. Your hands will get used to it in a short time. The only short scale bass that I heard that I liked is Stanley Clarke's Alembic. I have a Gibson EB-0 and it is a bassy mudd monster.
 
#57
I don't believe I've seen it in this post yet. (Just saw it. Beat by 2 minutes.)

Shorter scale length = less tension, fatter tones (or muddier depending on perspective). I prefer this for most of my casual listening. IMO, less tension is easier to play.

If you want piano like clarity in your tone, you increase the scale length / tension. Different strings can bring tension to the game. I prefer this for my bedroom sound, or shall we say soloed. I like the bounce feedback in the feel.

Just saw it. Beat by 2 minutes.
 
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#59
aprod said:
It depends on what sound you are looking for. If you want thuddy, muddy sound go short scale. If you want a bright round wound tone get a 34" scale bass. Your hands will get used to it in a short time. The only short scale bass that I heard that I liked is Stanley Clarke's Alembic. I have a Gibson EB-0 and it is a bassy mudd monster.
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You're over-generalizing. The EB-0 is muddy because it has only one pickup, a mudbucker, and it's placed up against the end of the neck. The scale length isn't the main issue there. An Ibanez Mikro has an even shorter scale length than an EB-0 (28.6" compared to 30.5") but it doesn't sound muddy.

There is an inherent difference in tone between different scale lengths, since a shorter length tuned to the same note will either have less tension than a longer length, or will use a thicker string. But for the scale lengths we're talking about here (34" vs 30.5"), it's a pretty subtle thing. This is not like comparing a full-size grand piano to a console model with bass strings half as long.
 

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