RedLeg
Supporting Member
d'addario is notoriously known for having a short B. You must get super long for 35 or string thru
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D'Addario B string not long enough for 35 scale?
- Thread starter Mola Ram
- Start date
I hate to question D'Addario's own statement, but for the past 16 years, the B strings have ALWAYS been too short for my bass, and I don't think it's a mistake.
If they simply lengthened the wrap on the Long Scale strings, it would rebound on them: Anyone with a 34" scale fiver that had a nice, compact bridge, would be trying to wrap the fat part of the B string around the post on the machine head. Do that with a .125" or larger string, and you're asking for trouble.
If you think how many more customers are in that camp (ie; anyone playing a Fender or a clone), it's pretty easy to see why they would bring out a separate string length for those of us with more exotic tastes.
BTW, this issue is NOT unique to D'Addario. Most brands of long scale strings don't fit my bass, thanks to a topload Gotoh bridge with a long baseplate, and the 35" scale.
That's why they make the SL's...
I used Chromes on my Lakland 55-94 but had to put the B through-body becasue the bridge access hole wasn't large enough. Didn't seem to hurt.
+100000
this is the kind of answer i wish i would get
informed, unbiased, and exact
why would we want a standardized string taper length? with all the fanned fret and extended basses, we need exact tools to complete our jobs. just like you dont want to attach a 6 string bridge on your 4string just because a four fits in it.
I dont normally troll
but it sounds like he's mad that he bought the wrong thingMad I bought the wrong thing? Um, more like annoyed that something the people I bought it from and the company who makes it said should work.
I don't see how I would need to know that something labled a Long Scale doesn't work on a 35 scale.
And really, if you need to do digging to find out that ONE string in a pack of FIVE doesn't work then there is an issue with the product. They need to make it clear and call it a 34 scale set if thats the case.
But there's no reason there needs to be this much confusion about something this simple.
I don't see how I would need to know that something labled a Long Scale doesn't work on a 35 scale.
And really, if you need to do digging to find out that ONE string in a pack of FIVE doesn't work then there is an issue with the product. They need to make it clear and call it a 34 scale set if thats the case.
But there's no reason there needs to be this much confusion about something this simple.
Well, the way I see it is that the "standards" for decades have been that a 30" scale is short scale, a 32" scale is medium, and a 34" scale is long scale. I'd be upset (and was, BTW) if I bought a set of long-scale strings and they didn't fit a 34" scale bass. Especially as the sets I'd used from the same manufacturer for over 15 years before HAD fit. But, the 35" scale is a relatively new option (compared to the electric bass' history going back to 1951), and assuming a standard long-scale set would fit a 35" scale bass might be an unsafe assumption.
And that doesn't even take into account the various differences in ball-end to saddle length.
John
And that doesn't even take into account the various differences in ball-end to saddle length.
John
And I don't want to sound like a broken record here, but I would understand that I just bought the wrong set if all of the strings fell short.
If the strings were designed for 34 scale then why do 4 of them fit a 35 scale? A 4 stringer using a 35 scale (very rare I know) gets to use the Long Scale but if he likes those strings and gets the five string set for his other bass he's SOL? That makes zero sense.
If the strings were designed for 34 scale then why do 4 of them fit a 35 scale? A 4 stringer using a 35 scale (very rare I know) gets to use the Long Scale but if he likes those strings and gets the five string set for his other bass he's SOL? That makes zero sense.
I tried a set of Chromes on my 35" scale BTB and had to get the Super Longs, but I had a set of Nickel XL's laying around in Long Scale, they fit just fine. The also fit my G&L L-2500 strung through the body.
i just ordered a long set of chromes tonight. i plan on putting them on my pbass, thru body.
did i order the right set?
i saw the way to measure, but had a set of long round wounds i knew fit, so i ordered the long set of chromes.
let me know, thanks
did i order the right set?
i saw the way to measure, but had a set of long round wounds i knew fit, so i ordered the long set of chromes.
let me know, thanks
Actually, it makes perfect sense.
The B string is different from the other four, in that it has more wraps. Look at a B string, and you'll see that it tapers somewhere between the nut and the machine head. Look at an E, A, D or G, and you'll see that they don't. It's because the B is so damn big. It has an extra wrap (or wraps), and you can't wrap the fat part of the string around a normal machine head, or in many cases, it will break. You can't leave the whole string skinny, or it would be too floppy.
Ditto for the scale length issue. Long scale strings have always been for long basses, defined as having a 34" scale. It's been an industry standard for decades. Extra-long basses from people like Alembic and Dingwall, are a relatively recent development. Thus the sale of Super Long, or Extra Long sets by various companies, and the smaller variety of brands and models available. Only a few years ago, 5-strings were just as exotic.
The OP can be forgiven for not knowing this, but it is pretty common knowledge.
To give a little historical perspective, when I bought my first 5-string bass (around 1985 or so), I couldn't buy five-string sets in Toronto, Canada's largest city, with a population of 2.5 million people. I had to buy four-string sets, and then buy individual B-strings, in the only brand and style available: La Bella nickel rounds. When I built my own 35" fiver in 1994, the ONLY strings I could find to fit, were D'Addario and Ken Smith nickel rounds.
On a 4-string P-bass, you shouldn't have any trouble going string-through-body with Long Scale strings.
The problem discussed on this thread, only happens on B strings, because the outer wrap can stop just short of the nut on some basses. Even if your P was a 5-string, it's only a 34" scale, and the bridge is placed well forward, and is fairly short front-to-back.
E strings are also too thick to wind around a tuner post, so they also must taper between nut and tuner.
'A' strings can be wound around a tuner at their full gauge but very often taper too since there is no reason to continue 2 layers of wrap wire along the entire length of the string when 1 layer will do, less wrap wire means less cost. For this reason any string with 2 layers of wrap wire usually tapers to 1 layer between nut and tuner
this mirrors my experience.
up until a couple years ago, regular "long scale" d'addarios would not fit on any "super-long" scale instruments, nor would they fit regular long scale basses with through-body bridges like american standard fenders.
the newest batches now seem to just reach the nut, when before they didn't.
i have to ask, it sounds like the company immediately acknowledged an error and took steps to replace the too-short string, so why is the OP still complaining?
I can't use D'Ad's long scale on my Cirrus 4 string, their B,E, and A are too short. The bass measures a little over 37" ball to nut on a 35" scale.
Ken Smith 5 and 6 string metalmaster heavy's are all 38" windings- save a single, too short, 36.5" wound E string. Figure that logic.
Ken Smith 5 and 6 string metalmaster heavy's are all 38" windings- save a single, too short, 36.5" wound E string. Figure that logic.
D'addario long scale B strings were never long enough for my bass. I now use DR, better tone last longer and the strings are long enough.
I'm sorry if I'm coming off as if I'm "complaining" I'm just trying to the bottom of this and find out what the actual answer is.
It's jsut a bit confusing that after D'Addario tells me its an error other people respond saying D'Addario is incorrect about their own product and their B strings have always been like this. I'm actually still working with D'Addario on this and they recently asked for the comments people have been making about the short B string so they can look into it.
