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Full Scale or Short Scale?

#41
zontar said:
I have both & play both and like both.

The main downside to a short scale bass is that I find it difficult to find short scale bass strings.
I have a set to put on the next time I change strings, but after that I may have to start ordering bass strings online.
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This, pretty much. Years ago, I made a list of basses I wanted, and have been acquiring them ever since (since I'm a lefty, it's taking a while; lefty Gretsch basses, for example, are very scarce!). The basses I want simply are what they are; the scale really doesn't concern me. I do find 34 inchers a tad more comfortable to play, though. Just the way I'm built, I guess. :)

As for string availability, I have to order SS strings online. Sam Ash is the only place that has them here, and you have a choice of D'Addario EXL170S'.. or ordering strings online. I'm sure they're nice strings, but D'Ad's make my fingers itch for some reason, so I don't use 'em. :hmm:
 
#43
I have a '66 Hofner 501 and love it, but with light strings the action feels a bit rubber bandy compared to my Jazz Bass.

I can go back and forth with no issues, but what works for me may not work for you.

Best to just try a bunch and see which bass feels easiest to play.

I think of a short scale bass as more of a "specialty bass"
where my Jazz is my primary, "go to" bass.

Action, bridge & saddle design, intonation accuracy, general feel of the instrument, weight of the instrument and how it balances on the strap are all factors to consider.
 
#44
yodedude2 said:
neither full nor short scale.

i prefer medium scale. it suits me.

Any other scale lengths i must adapt to. it's like wearing someone else's shoes that don't fit you properly.
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Sadly, unlike shoes, it can be hard to find different bass sizes to "try on" locally. Of course everyone carries a truckload of 34-inchers. 32" and 30"? Not so much. I ordered a 30" as my first bass. We'll see how well it fits me. My Strat seems to fit me just fine, so I don't know why a 30" bass wouldn't work.
 
#46
RedHotFuzz said:
Sadly, unlike shoes, it can be hard to find different bass sizes to "try on" locally. Of course everyone carries a truckload of 34-inchers. 32" and 30"? Not so much. I ordered a 30" as my first bass. We'll see how well it fits me. My Strat seems to fit me just fine, so I don't know why a 30" bass wouldn't work.
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ain't it the truth. however, there are so many 32" and even 30" scale factory-produced bass guitars on the market right now, more than I ever remember seeing before.

i think that, in the u.s. at least, it's the 'bigger is better' stigma.
 
#51
yodedude2 said:
however, there are so many 32" and even 30" scale factory-produced bass guitars on the market right now, more than I ever remember seeing before.
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Still a bit of a rarity though. Does Fender (not Squier) have anything aside from the Mustang? I know G&L has nothing. Lakland has the sub-$1k (barely) Hollowbody 30 (visually not my cup of tea) and then quickly jumps into the stratosphere with the Decade SS, which in the $3k realm (I think?) is well beyond the reach of many. The Gretsch solid bodies jump straight from the $300 entry-level (Junior Jet) to the $2k (Thunder Jet) with a huge price gulf in between. There's just not a lot to choose from in the $1k-$1.5k "pro quality" arena.

Having ordered the $300 Gretsch, I don't know what my upgrade path will be if bass turns out to be "my thing." Sadly I won't have much to choose from. :(
 
#53
RedHotFuzz said:
Still a bit of a rarity though. Does Fender (not Squier) have anything aside from the Mustang? ...
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the fender reverse jaguar bass is 32" they say; i haven't played one yet myself. (the original fender urge models are 32", albeit long discontinued.)

also current warwick rockbass models and certain hollow/semihollow bodied basses (ibanez, d'angelico) seem to be 32".

and warmoth for the kit builders.
 
#56
Having received my first bass - a short scale - only last week, I was curious to get my hands on a full scale just to see what I was "missing" (?). So I spent a little time at the local GC (ugh). I had read all these forum comments about lowered string tension on the short scale that made the strings "floppy." To be perfectly honest, I couldn't tell any difference in "floppiness" between the P Bass at GC and my short scale at home. The low E seemed equally loose to me. I don't get it. Overall the P felt burdensome in size. I'll stick with short scale. Now if only we could see more products in the marketplace...
 
#57
Here's my dream short scale that no one seems to make:

Pro-level build under $2k ($1k-$1.5k ideal).
Solid body in a traditional shape (P, J, LP, etc.)
Body contours for comfort (goodbye Mustang and Gretsch).
Pickups that can tonally fill the ubiquitous P category. Ability for additional tonal variations even better.
At least a couple of color options, including solids.
Under 9 lbs.

Is there anything other than build-your-own (Warmoth) out there that I'm overlooking that meets these criteria? In 34" I'd have hundreds of options. :(
 
#58
Always played long scale Ps & Js.... but picked up a Dano '63 shortscale recently and it's become my favourite "noodling" bass and also swiftly found it's way into a couple of my live projects. Love the fact that I can use frets 5-7 on the G string ;-)
 
#59
I've always liked short scales, but it took a while before I got one, and even then it took a while before I started using it (mainly because it needed some work with the set-up that I never bothered to do). Now that I do play it I almost never play my long scale basses. My shorty is now my main bass, it's just so fun to play. If it wasn't for their sentimental value I'd get rid of my long scales and replace them with short scales!
 

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