Go short? Go long?

[BadGround]

Good evening fellow low enders,

Im relatively new to bass or musci playing in general. I started taking lessons in between work and other life things ( the older you get the tougher it can be to cram some fun in)

The first bass i bought was a 34", then i got curious(GAS) and got a 30" shorty

When i started practicing scales i found my fretting hand got fatigued quicker making the 4 fret stretch on the lower frets(1-8)

Its been a few months. i do play with all four fingers. My hands dont have a giant span. So i guess im looking for some advice on if i should keep hammering on the 34" or give the 30" more of a chance

 

[dreamadream99]

There are pros and cons to each. Short scales are easier to navigate for the short armed or small handed, but tend to lack depth and sustain on the lower strings; long scales sound awesome, and are far more common, but do pose challenges and possibly injury to small framed players.

 

[Johnny Crab]

You might also try out a medium scale.
Been playing 34's for 50+ years but the medium scale SX I got and setup for my grandson felt perfect and sounded very good.

Shorts:
There are a few shorts here for back-relief at the end of a long gig(i.e. last night was an active Ibanez SRX that works in the horrible acoustics of the place we played along with a Gibson SG bass for "mud" songs and a bit of weight relief). Shorts are the only basses used(3 or more go) when we get double-booked with 2 shows on the same day. I'm sort of past the age of wanting to set up and tear down twice PLUS have an 8 to 14 pound weight hanging off of me for 8 hours in the same day. It can be done but why when one doesn't have to?

NOTE: when you play different scaled basses, going from one to the other causes reach errors at first but after a few months and 20 or so gigs, you get used to it and make the adjustment automatically.

 

[fearceol]

Good evening fellow low enders,

Im relatively new to bass or musci playing in general.
When i started practicing scales i found my fretting hand got fatigued quicker making the 4 fret stretch on the lower frets(1-8)

IMO the problem lies not in the scale length, but in your general technique. It is generally accepted that a four fret stretch on frets 1-5 is too much, and the ring and pinky fingers should be used together. Stretching on the lower frets can not just cause fatigue, but can also cause injury problems. Granted, some people can do this stretch, but my advice is to listen to your body.

Check out this clip :

 

[MalcolmAmos]

I have a 24 fret P bass, no idea if it's length, and it's not here right now so I can not measure it. I use the four fret major scale box pattern. In the past I did not worry about what my wrist was doing. It was comfortable with what I was doing so I did not give it a lot of thought. Well carpal tunnel just slipped up on me and has reached the point that I have an appointment next month to discuss surgery.

My point; wrist angle is more important than I gave it credit for and should enter into which length is best for you. The greater the angle the more likely carpal tunnel will enter your life.

IMO and FWIW

 

[fearceol]

I have a 24 fret P bass, no idea if it's length, and it's not here right now so I can not measure it. I use the four fret major scale box pattern. In the past I did not worry about what my wrist was doing. It was comfortable with what I was doing so I did not give it a lot of thought. Well carpal tunnel just slipped up on me and has reached the point that I have an appointment next month to discuss surgery.

My point; wrist angle is more important than I gave it credit for and should enter into which length is best for you. The greater the angle the more likely carpal tunnel will enter your life.

Sorry to hear this. Hope the surgery goes well Malcolm.

OP, people think that because they are experiencing no pain now that all is well. The problem is that the likes of CTS can take maybe years to become apparent, by which time the damage is done and remedial treatment is the order of the day. It is a definite case of...prevention is better than cure.

Bottom line...dont neglect technique.

 

[MalcolmAmos]

Sorry to hear this. Hope the surgery goes well Malcolm.

Every one I have talked with say the surgery is not that bad and after a short period I will be able to resume playing.

On another subject; after my by-pass surgery the Doctor told me; "You took 69 years to plug them up, I've cleaned them out, go have fun." Not sure CT surgery works this same way.

I guess I should change my way of playing.

 

[fearceol]

Every one I have talked with say the surgery is not that bad and after a short period I will be able to resume playing.

On another subject; after my by-pass surgery the Doctor told me; "You took 69 years to plug them up, I've cleaned them out, go have fun." Not sure CT surgery works this same way.

I guess I should change my way of playing.

I'm sure you still have many years left to rock it out..!!....Malcolm. Just take it easy after the surgery and don't try to play again too soon. It's never too late to revisit your technique in the name of safety and comfort.

Best of luck..and let us know how it goes.

 

[ZenG]

There are pros and cons to each. Short scales are easier to navigate for the short armed or small handed, but tend to lack depth and sustain on the lower strings; long scales sound awesome, and are far more common, but do pose challenges and possibly injury to small framed players.

I don't know where people get the idea that shortscales lack depth and sustain on the lower strings/notes.

Currently all my shortscales have tons of bottom end/depth and just as much sustain as any longscale I've played.

I think that the entire gamut of negative things one reads on the net about shortscales are erroneous.

I laugh when people say that shorts are for people with smaller hands. I have big hands. All my basses are shortscale.

A longscale generally is only about 3 inches longer than a short..if you take the first 3 frets off a long it's essentially the same as a short from thereon up the neck as far as navigation goes.

A shortscale isn't a bass that 's a "toy" or a "beginner's bass". It's simply a bass that isn't the same scale as a long or medium.

I've seen people that aren't as tall as me with much shorter arms and smaller hands prefer a longscale.

I think it comes down to technique and just preference for personal likes really. Many people seem to only have trouble bouncing around the first 3 or 4 frets of a long scale. You don't hear any whining about how difficult it is to play the upper register/notes.

Depending on the way a bass is built determines comfort and playability. Some longscales feel much longer than they actually are to play.

Ditto for shorstcales. Every Beatle Hofner/viola clone I've ever played has felt as if the neck is much longer than it is actually is.

Also number of frets on the neck on any bass is a factor and how the body is cut to access those.

Personally I prefer shortscales over longs all day. But that's just me. I say buy whatever you are totally comfortable with in all aspects.

If you buy a longscale where I live you will have no trouble getting strings locally for it. They don't even sell shortscale strings though ( and almost zero shortscale basses for that matter). So I have to order them all.

But I accept that as part of owning a short.

 

[BassmentPlayer]

If short scales were good enough for the Rolling Stones in the 60's and 70's then they are good enough.

Period.

Personal preference is a different thing.

Play what makes you want to play more.

 

[Orangeclawhammr]

I don't know where people get the idea that shortscales lack depth and sustain on the lower strings/notes.

Currently all my shortscales have tons of bottom end/depth and just as much sustain as any longscale I've played.

I think that the entire gamut of negative things one reads on the net about shortscales are erroneous.

I laugh when people say that shorts are for people with smaller hands. I have big hands. All my basses are shortscale.

A longscale generally is only about 3 inches longer than a short..if you take the first 3 frets off a long it's essentially the same as a short from thereon up the neck as far as navigation goes.

A shortscale isn't a bass that 's a "toy" or a "beginner's bass". It's simply a bass that isn't the same scale as a long or medium.

I've seen people that aren't as tall as me with much shorter arms and smaller hands prefer a longscale.

I think it comes down to technique and just preference for personal likes really. Many people seem to only have trouble bouncing around the first 3 or 4 frets of a long scale. You don't hear any whining about how difficult it is to play the upper register/notes.

Depending on the way a bass is built determines comfort and playability. Some longscales feel much longer than they actually are to play.

Ditto for shorstcales. Every Beatle Hofner/viola clone I've ever played has felt as if the neck is much longer than it is actually is.

Also number of frets on the neck on any bass is a factor and how the body is cut to access those.

Personally I prefer shortscales over longs all day. But that's just me. I say buy whatever you are totally comfortable with in all aspects.

If you buy a longscale where I live you will have no trouble getting strings locally for it. They don't even sell shortscale strings though ( and almost zero shortscale basses for that matter). So I have to order them all.

But I accept that as part of owning a short.

I agree with everyone who says to get what you're comfortable with. I have a Squier Short Scale Jaguar, a Gold Tone Microbass (23" scale) and recently had a set of Savarez 640R Lower Octave NT Guitar Strings on my Ibanez GA 35 classical guitar, which basically turned it into a six string 25.5" scale bass.

As far as short scale stirngs are concerned, you can find a great selection at bassstringsonline. The owner is a TB member. I have no affiliation with this merchant, but AM a satisfied customer.

 

[1stnamebassist]

It isn't necessary to play 1 finger per fret. It's how I learned and still play that way the majority of the time. Sometimes I utilize shifting. I don't really think about it, I just do it. Play whatever way works best for you. And short scale basses are just as much basses as a full scale. I played short scale for a few years 95% of the time and enjoyed it and it sounded great!