Extending Scale length

Moving your bridge will cause all of your frets to be misplaced and your bass will not play in tune. Remember that a 34" scale bass is 17" from the nut to the 12th fret, and then doubled to the bridge saddles. If you move the bridge saddles, it's not to scale and won't intonate correctly.
Installing string through ferrules and a through body bridge might add a bit of tension, but it's debatable whether it will be noticeable.

 

Well..technically you could move the bridge ....as long as the saddles stayed in the same position they were to start with.

But you still need some real estate on the bridge for intonation, adjustment for different brand/type strings etc.

Most bridges you've only got so much room like that to play with.

They make bridges that are individual pieces for each string. Some are fairly long and you have more latitude to work with.

You can mess around with moving the bridge...but if you move the saddle locations much it will, as said above, throw the existing scale out of whack totally.

 

You have to change the neck as well, to change the scale, otherwise moving the bridge will do nothing more than mess up all the geometry of the 34" scale.

 

Can be done on fretless but still leaves the side markers in the wrong spots. Better to just get one (or have one) made that way.

 

No. Because the distance from the nut tothe bridge is longer, the incremental distance from fret to fret has to get wider, too.


34.000" fret scale

fret from nut fret to fret
1 1.908" 1.908" (nut-1)
2 3.709" 1.801" (1-2)
3 5.410" 1.700" (2-3)
4 7.014" 1.605" (3-4)
5 8.529" 1.515" (4-5)
6 9.958" 1.430" (5-6)
7 11.308" 1.349" (6-7)
8 12.581" 1.274" (7-8)
9 13.783" 1.202" (8-9)
10 14.918" 1.135" (9-10)
11 15.989" 1.071" (10-11)
12* 17.000" 1.011" (11-12)
13 17.954" 0.954" (12-13)
14 18.855" 0.901" (13-14)
15 19.705" 0.850" (14-15)
16 20.507" 0.802" (15-16)
17 21.264" 0.757" (16-17)
18 21.979" 0.715" (17-18)
19 22.654" 0.675" (18-19)
20 23.291" 0.637" (19-20)
21 23.892" 0.601" (20-21)
22 24.459" 0.567" (21-22)
* octave

35.000" fret scale

fret from nut fret to fret
1 1.964" 1.964" (nut-1)
2 3.819" 1.854" (1-2)
3 5.569" 1.750" (2-3)
4 7.220" 1.652" (3-4)
5 8.780" 1.559" (4-5)
6 10.251" 1.472" (5-6)
7 11.640" 1.389" (6-7)
8 12.951" 1.311" (7-8)
9 14.189" 1.237" (8-9)
10 15.357" 1.168" (9-10)
11 16.459" 1.102" (10-11)
12* 17.500" 1.041" (11-12)
13 18.482" 0.982" (12-13)
14 19.409" 0.927" (13-14)
15 20.284" 0.875" (14-15)
16 21.110" 0.826" (15-16)
17 21.890" 0.780" (16-17)
18 22.626" 0.736" (17-18)
19 23.320" 0.695" (18-19)
20 23.976" 0.656" (19-20)
21 24.594" 0.619" (20-21)
22 25.178" 0.584" (21-22)
* octave

 

as you can see...there are problems...

yep: and the side dots can be dealt with. but it's a hassle for the inexperienced.

 

yes, once we figure out how to apply quantum theory to luthierie.

 

Sell the bass and buy a 35" scale bass. That's the easiest way. Second easiest way is to buy and install a 35" scale neck and then move the bridge. There's no easy way to alter the laws of physics. Alchemists have been trying for thousands of years. No success so far.

 

You would have to adjust it right back to where it is now.

If you mean "tighter" as in more string tension, you could change string gauge and/or brand.

 

To make it intonate correctly you would be moving it back to 34" scale.

 

This. How tight you wanna go? Like heavier gauge tight? Hex-core tight? Or or all the way to Jamerson La Bella tight?

There are a lot of ready-made conversion necks available for guitar, but you don't see many for bass, so you'd probably have to have one built.

But don't do that.

There ARE a few 35" 4s out there, though they're not terribly common. If you're super keen on playing one, that's for sure the smart route.

Modding a 34" by moving the bridge will NOT make it a 35".

But if you're just trying to get increased string tension, start with the STRINGS.

 

Time for a Dingwall.

 

Just buy a new 35" scale neck with one more fret (two more if it has an overhang) than the previous neck. Then intonate with your saddles. Don't move the bridge.

 

The east way is to change the strings. Just but thicker gauges. As these folks recommend.

 

If you do this with an unlined fretless neck without side dots you'll be fine, even if it's just something to practice on. Many other TBers have advised you change to a stiffer string. That's the best place to start.

 

Yep... Fanned frets addresses exactly what your trying to do