having a 34" and 35" scale .. switching between..

[IAmTheDood]

does anybody find going back to a 34" scale bass seem weird?

I've got a Fender 5 string Jazz that's 34" that I love the tone on .. and I've got a Schecter Custom - 5 that's 35" that's my main bass now .. I absolutely love the Schecter and see that as my main gigging bass .. but I don't want to get rid of the Jazz..

but when I go to it .. I find it weird switching back and forth .. I find myself down on the 3rd fret a lot instead of the 5th if I'm not paying attention to what scale I'm on ... say A or E .. I like to play on the 5th fret .. I'll find I sometimes want to reach as far down as the 3rd ..

it's annoying!

 

[SGT. Pepper]

I tryed 35 inch scales they just don't seem right to me. too much of a stretch I guess. I prefer 34's and a heavy B string on a five string 34. .135 to .140, I can't play a 35 as fast or accurate as a 34.

 

[T-MOST]

I like 35" (on 5 string bass) because I feel it helps the B. I had a Fender J5 which is a 34 " scale and I can't say I really noticed any difference in playability.

 

[dave64o]

I have a Stingray 5 and a 55-02 and I can go back and forth without too many problems. However, I do find I'm much more comfortable on the Stingray (34" AND narrow string spacing). Like SGT. Pepper, I don't feel as fast or as accurate on a 35" scale bass. I can get by, but fast passasges and long reaches can cause me problems. I also notice my fretting hand can get sore after playing the 55-02 for a while.

EDIT - For what it's worth, I don't think the 34" scale on my Stingray adversely affects the B string. It's just as solid as the B on my 55-02 (35").

 

[Piedro]

it's worst when i tried to play my MM since i mostly play my Lakland...

the switch from 34 to 35, when i got my lakland, was easier than now when i play the MusicMan...

and i prefer the 35, i dont have big hand but i felt like my hand was made for 35 inch scale... i got less fret noise now... weird, but i love it!

PO

 

[Quadzilla]

I've gotten rid of all of the my 35" scale basses except for one (my LeCompe, which is hard to part with). I feel more at home on 34" scale basses....

 

[Chef]

I own several of both.
I think part of what makes switching feel awkward isn't the difference in scale length; it's very small in terms of percentage...but rather how/where the instrument hangs/sits.
Different body styles and strap pin locations place the neck in different locations.
Spend more time switching back and forth, and you won't even notice.
I spend so much time moving between 4 and 5 bangers, 34", 35" and 42.5" scale double bass I just don't notice much of anything anymore.

I did sell my 30" scale Bronco tho; that was just too different!

 

[Fuzzbass]

does anybody find going back to a 34" scale bass seem weird?

I've got a Fender 5 string Jazz that's 34" that I love the tone on .. and I've got a Schecter Custom - 5 that's 35" that's my main bass now .. I absolutely love the Schecter and see that as my main gigging bass .. but I don't want to get rid of the Jazz..

but when I go to it .. I find it weird switching back and forth .. I find myself down on the 3rd fret a lot instead of the 5th if I'm not paying attention to what scale I'm on ... say A or E .. I like to play on the 5th fret .. I'll find I sometimes want to reach as far down as the 3rd ..

it's annoying!

I'm not familiar with the Schecter Custom... that said, my hunch is that the reason for your trouble isn't scale length, it's that your basses balance differently.

For example: for me, the difference in playability between a Jazz bass and a Thunderbird is enormous. Scale length and neck size are similar, it's just that the T-bird has the funky body shape.

Heck, I had trouble adjusting to the Spector NS-2 I owned. This was because it had 24 frets, and the bridge was towards the middle of the body rather than near the butt end as on Fenders. I had to reach farther out for those lower frets.



Anyway: I had no trouble alternating between 34" and 35" basses. The 35" basses I owned (Modulus, MTD, Lull) all had nice top horns and balanced similarly to Fenders.

 

[spade2you]

I mostly play 35" scale basses, but also own a 34", 32", and 30" scale. I prefer the low action I get out of my 35" scale basses, but I don't have too many problems switching to the other scales.

 

[ldiezman]

I have both and play switch around with them regularly... never seem to really have a problem with doing so..

 

[chaosMK]

When I slap on a 34" now it's like holy crap- explosive!

 

[juanete]

I play 34" and 35" basses and I actually don't feel a difference switching back and forth.
I personally like 35" basses better.

 

[DougD]

I own several of both.
I think part of what makes switching feel awkward isn't the difference in scale length; it's very small in terms of percentage...but rather how/where the instrument hangs/sits.
Different body styles and strap pin locations place the neck in different locations.
Spend more time switching back and forth, and you won't even notice.
I spend so much time moving between 4 and 5 bangers, 34", 35" and 42.5" scale double bass I just don't notice much of anything anymore.

I did sell my 30" scale Bronco tho; that was just too different!

+1. I had to adjust my straps so that my 34" and 35" hang the same. Now I have no problems at all going back and forth

 

[Altitude]

I had a Yamaha TRB5II for years before I realized it was a 35" scale. It's just an inch. If you don't force yourself to think about it, I suspect you may not even notice.

 

[buzzbass]

I have both and swtich back and forth quite often. I don't even notice the scale length difference. What throws me sometimes, is the different string spacings.

 

[God of Rapture]

I have stupid huge hands and 35 is the way to go for me.

 

[brian v2.0]

i played primarily 35" basses for about 10 years before i bought my benavente (34") and now i'm so used to the 34" that 35" feels wierd to me. it's actually one of the reasons i'm selling my mtd heir. moving from a 34" fretted to a 35" fretless makes for some major intonation problems for me.

b.

 

[Wyatt]

Noobie question here. How do I tell what scale my bass is? I have two cheepos that I play on, A Johnson Jazz and a Samick Fairlane. This thread got me wondering what mine are.

 

[Altitude]

Noobie question here. How do I tell what scale my bass is? I have two cheepos that I play on, A Johnson Jazz and a Samick Fairlane. This thread got me wondering what mine are.

The measurement is from the nut to the bridge.

 

[chunkstyle]

i've got a handful of basses and they are all different enough that i take a different approach to playing each of them. so scale length is but one aspect i deal with when switching basses.

with that said, when i close my eyes, my Modulus Quantum 4 is the bass that literally tells me where my hands need to be. so perhaps i'm more in tune to 35" scale than i'm willing to admit to myself...