Wife wants to learn and my SX P/J bass seems kind of big for her. What difference in sound between the two?
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Do girls usually play short scale basses?
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Your sexism is showing... But only a little.
Yes, there is the obvious advantage to a 30" scale bass as opposed to a 34-36" scale; between four and six inches less reach required. Short scale also makes the fret spacing smaller so small hands can span the same number of frets. Both guys and girls use them, and even big guys with long arms and big hands sometimes prefer them; Les Claypool of Primus is not a small guy, but he preferred a Carl Thompson 4-string short-scale bass before Carl built him his signature 6-string fretless monster.
The disadvantage is tone. A string on a shorter scale, tuned to the same pitch, has less tension than a longer scale. That's why most fivers are 35" scale. The increased tension gives a cleaner, less flabby sound.
Yes, there is the obvious advantage to a 30" scale bass as opposed to a 34-36" scale; between four and six inches less reach required. Short scale also makes the fret spacing smaller so small hands can span the same number of frets. Both guys and girls use them, and even big guys with long arms and big hands sometimes prefer them; Les Claypool of Primus is not a small guy, but he preferred a Carl Thompson 4-string short-scale bass before Carl built him his signature 6-string fretless monster.
The disadvantage is tone. A string on a shorter scale, tuned to the same pitch, has less tension than a longer scale. That's why most fivers are 35" scale. The increased tension gives a cleaner, less flabby sound.
Jim Carr
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Very few of my female students have short scale basses. Sound? Hmmmnn...I think that depends a lot on the individual bass.
Look, small people (male and female) play upright. The scale is 41.5".
Scale is in your head and in your technique, IMHO.
More important is to find an instrument she likes: for it's feel, sound, and look---the total package that you and I look at....oh yeah, there is the mojo/bass hero factor, too.
Let her pick a bass, with the assumption that if she keeps at it (we all hope so!), she will be moving on to something more refined and attuned to her style of playing later.
BTW, P/J's are great, IMHO!
I know it's not uncommon to see females playing short scale, but I've seen just as many play standard scale. A female friend of mine, who is not all that tall, plays a Fender Jazz (as do I) just fine and her hands are a good deal smaller than mine. I really think it depends on the person.
If you mean this bass: [Invalid or Expired Link Removed] according to the Carl Thompson site, it's a 32" scale bass.
Weird, I'd always had it in my head that it had a longer than usual scale. This video makes it look like the neck goes on forever...
It's more than just size for some. I have a Hofner Shorty that has the most ridiculous tone...super low tension; because of its very short scale. You can easily bend notes up a full fifth!!
Yes, a shorter scale instrument can be a benefit to women and children with small hands...but there are also legit reasons why full grown men like them; tone, low tension.
Yes, a shorter scale instrument can be a benefit to women and children with small hands...but there are also legit reasons why full grown men like them; tone, low tension.
haha, my little sister plays a full scale 5ver, and I still only ruin songs with 4. But she has access to a teacher, I haven't been able to find one. Point is, I think she's laugh, get indignant, or both, if anyone handed her a shortscale.
Point is, I think she's laugh, get indignant, or both, if anyone handed her a shortscale.So guitar is out of the question, huh? Mandolins are clearly unthinkable!
Listen, I play what makes the sound I wanna hear, for the music I wanna hear it in. Would I use a short scale as my main bass? I have previously in an effort to ease touring hassles...but I didn't like it. I prefer long scale as my main instrument...but my Hofner Shorty? You'll hafta pry it from my dead hand for certain things.
So guitar is out of the question, huh? Mandolins are clearly unthinkable!
Listen, I play what makes the sound I wanna hear, for the music I wanna hear it in. Would I use a short scale as my main bass? I have previously in an effort to ease touring hassles...but I didn't like it. I prefer long scale as my main instrument...but my Hofner Shorty? You'll hafta pry it from my dead hand for certain things.
Like toy basses.
I started with a full scale bass and wasn't doing so well with it. Switched to a short scale and now love it!
But part of my difficulty with the full scale may have been that I already knew a little guitar, and the scale of the bass was just too different than what I was used to with guitar. Trying to play the full scale was like learning an entirely new instrument, what with all the left hand movement required to cover even four frets.
The short scale is way more similar to my guitars' fret spacing, and that makes the transition seem much easier for me.
The short scale also balances on my body better.
But part of my difficulty with the full scale may have been that I already knew a little guitar, and the scale of the bass was just too different than what I was used to with guitar. Trying to play the full scale was like learning an entirely new instrument, what with all the left hand movement required to cover even four frets.
The short scale is way more similar to my guitars' fret spacing, and that makes the transition seem much easier for me.
The short scale also balances on my body better.
I'm curious if your wife decided it was too big for her or if you did.
The answer to your question (IMO) is a definate NO.
Female players are not any more likely to prefer short scale basses than male players are.
I had a male friend who was 6'3 with huge Jaco hands and he could not stretch the first 4 frets on my bass if his life depended on it. To be fair, he was not a bass player, and had never practiced any technique.
I am only 5'2 1/2 and have no trouble at all reaching over the frets of my 34' basses. It took practice, just like anything else.
I think the bottom line on this is that the bass often feels big at first for many people of whatever gender. The bass is a big instrument, and like any other instrument, it takes practice to feel comfortable getting around on it.
Look at Tal Wilkenfeld. She's about my size and tears her bass UP!!
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If you want to see a bad @ss (and small) female upright player, check out Nedra Wheeler.
http://www.allaboutjazz.com/php/article.php?id=21053
http://www.pasadenasymphony.org/clazzical_bios15.htm#Nedra Wheeler
There are many examples of great female players who play full scale instruments.
Gender has nothing to do with it.
Like toy basses.
Uh-huh. Toybass? EeeehhYeaaaaaah.
Listen, when you can do this on a longscale, fruitcake...call me, OK?
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Rhonda Smith and Gail Ann Dorsey are both pretty tiny and clearly don't have any trouble with full scale basses.
I do giggle a bit that Rhonda (and Prince) make a Fender Jazz look enormous.
I do giggle a bit that Rhonda (and Prince) make a Fender Jazz look enormous.
I used to date a girl who played a short-scale Squier Bronco. She was about 5'9". As far as tone goes, she used a screwdriver as a slide in one hand, and a screwdriver as a pick in the other hand (the band made Sonic Youth sound like the Boston Symphony) - so tone was kinda beside the point.
