Does anyone find shortscale basses MORE uncomfortable?

[iualum]

After playing string bass for 50 years, short-scale is too short; I keep overshooting the frets and making horrible, non-musical noises.

Shoot, I do that all the time with any bass that's in my hands !

 

[Emanuel Apascaritei]

Timely post for me. I built a short scale Warmoth recently and love it immensely. It just feels good. Tonight I was driving past GC and thought I'd stop in and try a 34" again just to see what I was "missing." Turns out I'm missing nothing at all. 34" feels ungainly. Fret span at the low end is awkward. Not to mention neck dive a'plenty. I tried a Squier P, a Squier J and a Fender MIM P. None impressed me. On a side note, for those who tout Squier's supposed quality these days I say nope. My Warmoth looks and feels like a world away from the Squiers and the Fender MIM I tried.

That´s not a fair comparison.

If I compare my 34" scale Adamovic it will blow your Warmoth neck out of the water, but that it wouldn´t be a fair comparison either.

 

[Zooberwerx]

I use a lot of 1-2-4 up to the 7th fret. Even the 32" Kubicki cramped my style a bit. For me, it has to be 34" or 35".

The sense of discomfort frequently comes from the weirdly shaped, less-than-ergonomic bodies mated to the short scale. I would give a Birdsong a shot but, IMO, it appears to have a fairly normal shaped body.

Riis

 

[BassHappy]

Yeah, I think you need to do your homework as many of you have - and play what fits you. I wouldn't play a full scale 34" or longer if Fodera, Alembic and Fender gave me one each of every model they make - or even made my dream model. 34" scale isn't right for me - it doesn't fit me or feel good to me in any way - and perhaps more importantly - I can't play with my usual dexterity, intensity, aggression and well yes, chops in the lower registers. But, Fender 32" medium scalers play like a dream and I have eight of them. I also have six handmade custom medium scalers by luthiers from Paul Reed Smith (#11), Keith Roscoe (2), Andrew Drake and Rob Allen - and a custom viola bass I designed and had built for me.

I have adapted to my short scale Rob Allen "Mouse" but I find it cramped and not as comfortable for me in the upper registers. It's great for long writing sessions or drilling parts for multiple hours - the combination of the tape wounds and the shorter scale I find really comfortable and so easy on the wrists, hands and fingers. When I switch over to the mediums after a long session, I actually find it easier to play the parts I was drilling on the "Mouse". I am 5'9" and my fingers are short and fat - I play up top a fair amount.

It's really no big deal - there are more and more high quality instrument choices available every day off the rack or from incredible luthiers in all shapes and sizes. And of course, for the handy ones there are great selections of style and scale from Warmoth. Just find what feels right to you. Play what fits you.

For me - it's medium scale 32" all the way. Like coming home.

BassHappy

 

[sunfighter]

I kinda understand both sides. Im 5'6", im 42 and I have some hand issues. Up until a few months ago I never thought of getting a shortscale. Even after trying an SG bass and liking it, I just never thought id play one. Recently I started having some issues playing my jazz. I was getting sloppy and slower, and I practice/play a lot and it seemed to just be getting harder which was really frustrating. I got an SG, changed out the bridge, upgraded pups and really got it set up well. Now, while I certainly dont swear off 34", I dont see a reason for me to go back. I will also say I understand that a lot of peoples first experience with shortscales is usually with a subpar instrument and it certainly seems to color their opinion of the scale length. There just arent enough quality off the shelf shortscales, even the SGs need work, in my opinion, before they really shine.

 

[Moving Pictures]

Better change your avatar then

That's one of my 5-strings

It's funny, I have such GAS for one of the Ibanez Prestige basses, I always have. But the pencil thin neck and active electronics just aren't my thing.

The electronics on the Premiums with the Nordstrand Big Singles are better sounding IMO. But yeah, the 4-string necks kill me, making my fretting hand cramp. I seem to prefer a slightly more chunkier neck like the one on my SG (relative to the Ibby's).

 

[investario]

Also, 5'11" dude with average-sized hands, no reported hand issues, and can't hack 34" scale? You need to do some push-ups or grow a mustache or something...

I'm indonesian, and my fingers are short compared to causcasians. But practice makes me able to dance fluently in a 35" 6 string bass and DB. Practice more dude

My basses range in scale from a 41+" upright to a 18" '80's Guild Ashbory including 35, 34, 30, 28.6, 25.5, 23 and 20 inch scales. I've gotten used to swapping between them. It didn't take long. Lately, I've been mostly playing the 30" to 20" scales.

How does a Guild Ashbory feel and sounds compared to regular bass? I always curious to play a traveller-scale bass like Kala UBass or kinda!

 

[tuba_samurai]

I don't find it uncomfortable but I do find it takes a few minutes to get used to when switching on the spot.

 

[smperry]

It's fine to talk about how your experience differs from someone else, but please don't insult posters that have trouble playing certain basses. Thanks.

 

[skwee]

While waiting for my bass to come up from the shop's basement after a setup, I inadvertently picked up a short scale to jam on. Took me a minute to figure out what was wrong. It felt so tiny.

 

[nshuman]

For me - it's medium scale 32" all the way. Like coming home.

BassHappy

I wish bass makers took medium scale more seriously. Not a lot of affordable options out there.

 

[RedHotFuzz]

So, to sum up: based on your extensive 1/2 hour research at Guitar Center, your tiny-child-scale Warmoth is the best production bass ever made; all 34" basses have horrible ergonomics and neck dive; and the widely-acknowledged quality improvements to Squiers' products are a sham. I admire your decisiveness, but you lose points for research methodology.

I never said any of that.

Also, 5'11" dude with average-sized hands, no reported hand issues, and can't hack 34" scale?

I never said that either.

But, um, keep the straw men coming I guess?

 

[RedHotFuzz]

I will also say I understand that a lot of peoples first experience with shortscales is usually with a subpar instrument and it certainly seems to color their opinion of the scale length.

There's also this obnoxious attitude that "Anything shorter than what I play is a toy for kids/girls."

I assume these are the people who ride something like this around. Cause it's like manly and stuff:

 

[klejst]

Oddly enough yes because I have bigger hands and longer fingers not to mention I am 6' 4" tall with a pretty big "wing span."

 

[totallyfrozen]

My 5 string is a 35", I think. After playing that exclusively for a year now, when I pick up my 34" p-bass, it feels small. I've never played a shorter bass than 34" but that length is very comfortable for me.

 

[Hank Scorpio]

I had a VM Mustang up until yesterday, it was a comfortable bass, but I never picked it up. I think I didn't like the way it sounded more than the way it felt, so I sold it.

I wouldn't mind trying a 32" bass, though. It'd probably be right in the best range for me, having played 30" & 34" scale lengths. Just don't see many around.

 

[Rocktometrist]

I never said any of that.
I never said that either.

But, um, keep the straw men coming I guess?

Fair enough, and I apologize for my humor fail. I will say, though, that the technical virtuosos on the instrument I can think of (guys like Vic Wooten or Michael Manring) all play full-scale basses. World class players don't appear to be attracted to the superior ergonomics of short-scale basses (at least as far as I'm aware). From a sheer getting-around-the-instrument perspective, 34" scale or longer doesn't appear to slow these guys down--even the guys who are just straight up chops-hound shredders don't seem to use short scale basses that often. Hipsters and smaller people (and others) obviously love 'em.

So while my non-funny attempt at funny was misconceived (again, sorry), I do think you'd be doing yourself a favor by truly exploring full-scale instruments and their pros and cons--and maybe even practicing on one--before writing them off as unergonomic and neck-divey. Happy music-making!

 

[Fat Steve]

When playing a slab, 32" scale basses are far more comfortable to me, as the horizontal playing position makes it a challenge to avoid tendinitis in my fretting wrist trying to stretch the long spans of the first few frets. I understand that folks smaller than myself have no trouble playing the 34" scale basses, and that is cool. It just isn't comfortable to me.
Now, 41 3/4" scale DB, no problem. The vertical playing position makes it makes it much more comfortable to make the big stretches for octave double stops and such on the lower positions.

Also, whats with the jock douchebags in here making fun of the "toys". Sounding like some nü metal guitards up in here.

 

[RedHotFuzz]

Fair enough, and I apologize for my humor fail. I will say, though, that the technical virtuosos on the instrument I can think of (guys like Vic Wooten or Michael Manring) all play full-scale basses. World class players don't appear to be attracted to the superior ergonomics of short-scale basses (at least as far as I'm aware). From a sheer getting-around-the-instrument perspective, 34" scale or longer doesn't appear to slow these guys down--even the guys who are just straight up chops-hound shredders don't seem to use short scale basses that often. Hipsters and smaller people (and others) obviously love 'em.

So while my non-funny attempt at funny was misconceived (again, sorry), I do think you'd be doing yourself a favor by truly exploring full-scale instruments and their pros and cons--and maybe even practicing on one--before writing them off as unergonomic and neck-divey. Happy music-making!

No problem, no hard feelings. Yes, I would like to spend some quality time on a full-scale bass and will likely buy/borrow one at some point. But I question the benefits for me if a short scale holds certain advantages health-wise. If I get great sound from my short scale, if it feels good in my hands, if it's fun to play, and if in the long-term it might help prevent bodily trauma (e.g. the reason I read some players on this forum switching to short scale as they age), what would I gain from a full-scale instrument?

I guess when I tally up the pros/cons of full vs short scale, the only clear advantage *for me* I see in full-scale is market availability.

 

[bassbenj]

My 5 string is a 35", I think. After playing that exclusively for a year now, when I pick up my 34" p-bass, it feels small. I've never played a shorter bass than 34" but that length is very comfortable for me.

Well, I played short scale for years and found it more comfortable (especially because I could reach double stops etc. that I couldn't on a standard bass). (and my hands are not especially small)

But, I must say I tried an Ashbory bass in a store and found the VERY short scale uncomfortable as well as the "sticky" strings a pain in the butt.

But my big whine (and why I haven't played short scale since I switched to 5 and 6 strings) is that the short scale E string is just at the limit of good tone and a B string is out of the question. So I find I'm going the other way GASing for something with fanned frets and a longer scale B string.

I suppose theoretically it should be possible to build a short scale 5 string with great tone, but I just haven't played one like that yet.