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Bought my first real short scale bass.

magic8161

magic8161

Supporting Member
Mar 4, 2003
1,545
1,709
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Milwaukee
www.jimmyprinceshow.com
#1
Ok I just bought a Lakland hollowbody-30. OMG I love short scales. I May never go back to a regular bass again. I barley have to move my hand. I wish I tried theses years ago. Am I alone or do others feel the same about short scales? I have big hands but it makes it even better for me at least. The smaller frets are Awesome.
 
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#5
magic8161 said:
Ok I just bought a Lakland hollowbody-30. OMG I love short scales. I May never go back to a regular bass again. I barley have to move my hand. I wish I tried theses years ago. Am I alone or do others feel the same about short scales? I have big hands but it makes it even better for me at least. The smaller frets are Awesome.
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Besides the comfort of the short scale, what are your other impressions of the bass? I have been thinking about getting one of these for awhile.
 
#7
Joe Nerve said:
I now have a sweet collection of short scales, and no intentions of ever going back to long scale.
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I'm in the same place at the moment. It's only been a few months, but I have a lot more fun and feel much more comfortable playing the shorties at the moment.

Never say never, but I'm just not picking up my long scale basses at the moment. Might sell a few off, and maybe drop one to BEAD so I can give myself a good reason to play it. They're just gathering dust at the moment.
 
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#8
magic8161 said:
Ok I just bought a Lakland hollowbody-30. OMG I love short scales. I May never go back to a regular bass again. I barley have to move my hand. I wish I tried theses years ago. Am I alone or do others feel the same about short scales? I have big hands but it makes it even better for me at least. The smaller frets are Awesome.
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Welcome to the short bus! We have cookies!

I'm slowly phasing out my long scales, except for a P, a J, and a 'Ray. (all clones, not the real deals) Gotta keep my "long scale chops" in play just in case I ever have to pick up someone else's bass and play.
 
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#9
LetItGrowTone said:
If all else is equal the shorter neck is stiffer, which might give tighter, clearer bass and much less chance of dead/weak spots (because the neck isn't vibrating as much). This is my opinion.
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Exactly, the stiffer neck can make quite a difference.

I've played a combination of long and short scales for about 50 years.

The short scales started to get more and more use until I started using them pretty much exclusively. I haven't used a long scale for a long time. My main reason for using short scales is I find them to be much better at controlling dead and hot spots.

My first short scale was an early '60s Silvertone 1444 "dolphin nose" by Danelectro and I still have one in my stable. My main basses right now are a Hofner Ignition Club, Kay K5195 and a recently DIY'd mashup of a Bronco body with a Hofner neck scavenged from a Icon violin bass with a damaged body.
 
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#11
mongo2 said:
Exactly, the stiffer neck can make quite a difference.

I've played a combination of long and short scales for about 50 years.

The short scales started to get more and more use until I started using them pretty much exclusively. I haven't used a long scale for a long time. My main reason for using short scales is I find them to be much better at controlling dead and hot spots.
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Thank you @mongo2.
This had been on my mind for a long time but I settled it recently.

Long story short: A too-flexible neck undermines lows, adds high-mid trash, and is reportedly much more likely to have dead or weak spots, and this seems to be true. Now that I recognize the sound of this I can't accept it.

So for me at this time, it's 34" with a baseball bat style neck, or short scale. I'll make one exception, for my Ric (whose neck is thicker than the ones they made fifty years ago, and 33.25").
 
#13
magic8161 said:
Ok I just bought a Lakland hollowbody-30. OMG I love short scales. I May never go back to a regular bass again. I barley have to move my hand. I wish I tried theses years ago. Am I alone or do others feel the same about short scales? I have big hands but it makes it even better for me at least. The smaller frets are Awesome.
Click to expand...

Congratulations and welcome to short world. Man it's nice to see more options and manufacturers of shorties these days. The Lakland 30 is a great looking and sounding bass, but.... PICS! We need 'em. Come on man... do it:D

I switched to short/med scale (due to hand surgery) almost two years ago and not going back. So easy and fun are the short ones. I also got the 5 string bug at the same time, so now it's short 5s all the way for me. I still have two long scale basses. An old Fender I'll keep for sentimental reasons, (bought used 1970), and a Spector 4 string that will go. The generic long scale P bass has become a donor body for a 32" 5er that I had a neck made for.

Long live shorties. :woot:
 
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#16
Yep playing a short scale is like a vacation compared to long scale,its not the reach but the smaller distance between frets for me.
I switched because of an injury 6 months ago.
Got an american mustang after 30 seconds of trying it in a shop it was that fun.
Not giving up on a long scale(I got one PJ) cos it does have that piano thing going short scales dont have.
 
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