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changing a 35" scale 5 string neck to a 34" scale?

#41
Double E said:
I figure that if the OP wanted to commission a complete custom build, this conversation would never have been started in the first place. Having a custom neck built could be less than $800...a complete custom build could be triple that.
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Yep, and the neck will be locally done so I won't have to pay shipping either way. Then I can recoup some funds by selling the original necks.
 
#43
No worries I will....if I do.....but I plan to do a lot more noodling before moving forward...playing the same riff in 1st position and comparing how it feels to 2nd...
sometimes it feels like it'd be worth it, and at other times not so much...
 
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#45
spade2you said:
I thought they have done that before. Even if they didn't, it's not like you couldn't get that kind of result from another company. Laklands are nice, but not using an impossible formula.
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Nino Valenti will make you a fiver with Lakland/Hanson pickups and preamp and most importantly apparently a 34 inch scale.
news7.jpg
 
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#50
Not trying to be a jerk or anything but imo this would be a huge waste of money, the difference between 34" and 35" scale is very negligible. For instance the distance from the nut to the fourth fret on a 34" is 7.014", the distance from the nut to the fourth fret on a 35" is 7.220", that's less than a 1/4" difference across the longest stretch you make on the instrument. I could understand if you were downsizing to medium or short scale, but at 34" I doubt you"ll feel any difference.
 
#51
scourgeofgod said:
Not trying to be a jerk or anything but imo this would be a huge waste of money, the difference between 34" and 35" scale is very negligible. For instance the distance from the nut to the fourth fret on a 34" is 7.014", the distance from the nut to the fourth fret on a 35" is 7.220", that's less than a 1/4" difference across the longest stretch you make on the instrument. I could understand if you were downsizing to medium or short scale, but at 34" I doubt you"ll feel any difference.
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For something you feel is so trivial, there's an awful lot of strong feeling/opinion among bassists. If I am playing a fast rhythm down low I can easily feel the difference. Whether or not it's a "huge waste of money" is a completely subjective assessment, not an algebraic equation with an absolute answer.
 
#52
lomo said:
For something you feel is so trivial, there's an awful lot of strong feeling/opinion among bassists. If I am playing a fast rhythm down low I can easily feel the difference. Whether or not it's a "huge waste of money" is a completely subjective assessment, not an algebraic equation with an absolute answer.
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Like I said, not trying to be a jerk.
 
#54
scourgeofgod said:
...the difference between 34" and 35" scale is very negligible. For instance the distance from the nut to the fourth fret on a 34" is 7.014", the distance from the nut to the fourth fret on a 35" is 7.220", that's less than a 1/4" difference across the longest stretch you make on the instrument...
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True, but also consider this:

In a seated position, that low F (or C for a 5) will be an inch closer than it was (assuming the bridge is not moved) and that could and would make a very big difference in how the instrument feels.
 
#55
Marcus Willett said:
True, but also consider this:

In a seated position, that low F (or C for a 5) will be an inch closer than it was (assuming the bridge is not moved) and that could and would make a very big difference in how the instrument feels.
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Not a whole inch since a fairly large portion of the scale is sitting beneath you in your lap and even to the opposite side of your plucking hand, the extra inch isn't simply tacked on to the ended of the fret board or isolated to just the neck but distributed through out the entire length of the instrument's scale meaning from nut to saddle. Imo any perceived differences are some what of a placebo effect, but I'm not seeking to start an argument, so whatever you guy's feel is fine, that's your opinion, if you say you can feel the difference so be it.
 
#57
scourgeofgod said:
Not a whole inch since a fairly large portion of the scale is sitting beneath you in your lap and even to the opposite side of your plucking hand, the extra inch isn't simply tacked on to the ended of the fret board or isolated to just the neck but distributed through out the entire length of the instrument's scale meaning from nut to saddle. Imo any perceived differences are some what of a placebo effect, but I'm not seeking to start an argument, so whatever you guy's feel is fine, that's your opinion, if you say you can feel the difference so be it.
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I believe that the OP said he was getting the shorter scale neck done by an experienced luthier; whoever that is should know how to handle the scaling so that the intonation is correct. That said, if the bridge isn't moved, then the difference will indeed be all at the other end.

That said, if it were my bass I would leave well enough alone.
 
#58
scourgeofgod said:
Not a whole inch since a fairly large portion of the scale is sitting beneath you in your lap and even to the opposite side of your plucking hand, the extra inch isn't simply tacked on to the ended of the fret board...
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Yes it is, in this case. Since the bridge is not moved, the nut will be 34" away from the bridge instead of 35", so it will be one inch closer. There's no other possibility.
 
#60
ggunn said:
I believe that the OP said he was getting the shorter scale neck done by an experienced luthier; whoever that is should know how to handle the scaling so that the intonation is correct. That said, if the bridge isn't moved, then the difference will indeed be all at the other end.

That said, if it were my bass I would leave well enough alone.
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You're right, I was thinking of a 35" scale vs 34" scale rather than a 35" with a 34" conversion neck. If I were in the op's shoes I'd sell the bass in question and pick up a 34" 5-string, I believe he said he has 3 Lakland 35" 5-strings counting the bass that would be converted.
 

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