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Guitar Scale Acoustic Basses
- Thread starter SBassman
- Start date
any answer on this? also just curious if anyone had found something besides the CB40s that work. thanks! tried to read through the thread.
From the information in our disposal the Ibanez Parlor basses have a scale of 628.65mm/24.8" which is within the safety margin of this strings both the Flat and Round Spiral sets are designed for scale lengths of 59-64 cm / 23-25". I hope this is useful as an indication.
Regarding availability of the Rounds. StringsByMail will be carrying them as soon as they reach Aquila U.S. Distribution.
thank you, the string length carried on websites for 24-26” so it’s good to have a forsure answers.
This was posted on the Short Scale Club. You might find this helpful.
Belmar (NJ Shore) Porchfest 2024: 15 or so locations on beach house porches, with 3 acts per house. 45 acts over the course of an afternoon. People bike around to watch or neighbors come out with chairs, beer, pizza etc. Folk, bluegrass, pop, reggae, rock, jazz and you name it.
We had the one bright sunny day in a week.
And... if you can make it out, my Ibanez PNE played through my little Line 6 110. Perfect sound and perfect look for this kind of event. Big fun (and beer and pizza...).
We had the one bright sunny day in a week.
And... if you can make it out, my Ibanez PNE played through my little Line 6 110. Perfect sound and perfect look for this kind of event. Big fun (and beer and pizza...).
I just fitted a set of Round Spirals to my Guild Jumbo Junior bass which is 23 3/4" / 603mm scale, and after all of 6 hours I'm very pleased already. They appear to be very similar gauges to the OE strings (which are the same brand and type as the OEs on the Taylor GS Mini bass). But, to my ear the Round Spirals have a lot less finger noise and sound a lot more musical acoustically than the OEs (haven't played them amped yet). They appear to be almost settled in/stretched already, and the 4th string now sounds well balanced with the others. Aquila says they'll sound optimal after 2 days. They make me want to play the instrument for itself rather than just as a short scale convenience.
String length - the Guild has a 2 a side tuner arrangement. The A string (std EADG tuning so 3rd) is about 30" long from the ball end (down a peg bridge hole) to the tuning post center. There's enough string to knot the tuner end on the A like Aquila suggest, but I feel the length could be a bit tight on the A string with a 25" bass with 2 tuners a side - the other strings on my set have a lot more spare.
Thanks for the update!
My Guild gets pretty much equal stage time with my far more expensive Dingwall and more than my NS Design 5-string electric upright (that's not a judgment on the NXT-A, I just suck on upright), but I get such a good tone from the La Bella CB-40's that I was on the fence about ordering a set of the Round Spirals.
I think I'm going to have to pull the trigger on a set.
It happened again!!! PTSD from my childhood at amusement parks. 
I got kicked out of the short scale club, and they won't let me play there! ☹
I got kicked out of the short scale club, and they won't let me play there! ☹
You’ll always be welcome here! GSAB’s are a blast.It happened again!!! PTSD from my childhood at amusement parks.
I got kicked out of the short scale club, and they won't let me play there! ☹
View attachment 6972565
With a small FRFR speaker like the little 8” Headrush or even better, a battery-powered rig like a Bose S1, you can sneak into a lot of acoustic gigs. At music camp and open mic’s, I quietly park the S1 under my chair. It only takes a touch of amplification to fatten it up and lift my volume up to match a group of acoustic guitars and hand percussion. To date, no-one has ever complained about my “cheating”…
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That is a cool lookin' little instrument.It happened again!!! PTSD from my childhood at amusement parks.
I got kicked out of the short scale club, and they won't let me play there! ☹
View attachment 6972565
Ooooh wow ... This is eye opening. I've learned three things, in 30 minutes of playing this Traveler's Redlands.
If my arthritis gets too bad in my shoulder, there is still a bass future for me.
It REQUIRES my right hand play with a "proper" technique, pertaining to most smooth, standard finger techniques. Less of my attacking style. Which us great correction for me as I'm playing.
And for some insane reason, why I couldn't guess, if played with a certain left hand technique, it really mimics a fretless mwah sound well, albeit with obvious fret noise.
If my arthritis gets too bad in my shoulder, there is still a bass future for me.
It REQUIRES my right hand play with a "proper" technique, pertaining to most smooth, standard finger techniques. Less of my attacking style. Which us great correction for me as I'm playing.
And for some insane reason, why I couldn't guess, if played with a certain left hand technique, it really mimics a fretless mwah sound well, albeit with obvious fret noise.
I originally bought my first GSAB during a crippling bout of sciatica. I couldn’t stand or sit for long, and definitely couldn’t lug my electrics or my amps around.
So I bought a little Ibanez on the strength of this video, to use as a couch bass.
It was only after I recovered, that I discovered what a great stage instrument it was.
@steve_rolfeca , I am sure you've mentioned this before, but if you don't mind my asking again, what types of bands do you play it in? With a drummer, a keyboard, etc., or just with acoustic string instruments?
I'm mostly a church musician these days, in a smallish multicultural congregation, about 70 people on a typical Sunday.
Our building is surrounded by housing that draws a lot of new immigrants, so we do our best to accommodate a lot of different musical traditions- CCM and Gospel, plus east and west African, Korean, , etc., even a bit of Russian. We also have a couple of indigenous members, including our music and arts leader. We also have a lot of young families, and their musical availability tends to be sporadic.
So the lineup is pretty variable - there's usually at least 3 vocalists, but the band can vary all the way from keys & bass or acoustic guitar & bass, to a 5-piece w/ acoustic drums, congas and other hand percussion, acoustic guitar, keys, and bass.
We only have 2 drummers at the moment, and they both have outside commitments, so I'm only playing with a full kit about twice a month these days. One has a very gentle touch and plays with a distinct afro-beat feel. The other is an old ex-rocker like me, so he's got a heavier touch, but tries to rein it in as best he can. We've also been without an electric guitarist for ages...
The Guild holds up fine with a larger group as long as the drummer doesn't get too energetic, but I find that its advantages are most obvious as the group size gets smaller. It sits particularly well in the mix when our backing is piano-dominated.
I attend a music camp for a week in the summer, but that tends to be mostly folk and stringed instruments. I use the Guild for all the mobile and spontaneous stuff, and my Dingwall for the concert band.
I haven't gigged out in a pop or rock situation since before COVID, but back then I did use my previous Ibanez GSAB with loud drummers a few times. It worked, but it was pretty precarious, even on silent stages with the guitars going direct. I had to use a volume pedal, and be very conscious of my muting technique in order to avoid feedback.
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Thanks Steve, that's very helpful info. I have continued to consider one of these basses off and on, for the past couple of years, so your perspective helps a lot.
