There ain't any explanation for it. People just refuse to be what we think they ought to be.
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There ain't any explanation for it. People just refuse to be what we think they ought to be.
I think the main reason is - just to confuse you. Seems to have worked, too...
I believe for most people it's a matter of ergonomics. I can do things musically on a medium or short scale bass I simply cannot do on a full scale bass. Because of the size of my hand, I cannot do one finger per fret on the first four frets of a 34 inch scale bass without causing pain. Of course, my technique suffers, as well.
I've found my perfect bass is a medium 32 inch scale with a 7.25 fretboard radius, but who is mass producing that? No one!
The truth is, there aren't enough companies building for this under-served demographic. Partly because 30 inch scale does affect tonal quality in some measure. Also, the typical Fender Mustang/Musicmaster design really isn't all it could be for various reasons I won't go into. But Fender is in the business of selling a metric ton of full scale basses, so why should they care?
I've found my perfect bass is a medium 32 inch scale with a 7.25 fretboard radius, but who is mass producing that? No one!
The truth is, there aren't enough companies building for this under-served demographic. Partly because 30 inch scale does affect tonal quality in some measure. Also, the typical Fender Mustang/Musicmaster design really isn't all it could be for various reasons I won't go into. But Fender is in the business of selling a metric ton of full scale basses, so why should they care?
i never liked them because i have a pretty heavy attack and the higher tension of the long scale felt better. But recently i injured my hand and bought a bronco just to get through the gigs. Its not bad, and i had fun pimping out the bronco. its a nice bass now
My first bass was a short scale.
Thought I might be missing something, so I bought a 34" fretless.
Didn't work for me at all. Sold it and I've bought many more short scales since then.
I don't consider getting anything other than short scales now.
Thought I might be missing something, so I bought a 34" fretless.
Didn't work for me at all. Sold it and I've bought many more short scales since then.
I don't consider getting anything other than short scales now.
I'd like to see that without the cover. Also, how about a closeup of the headstock? What's going on up there?
And they sound better.....
They sound different, but even as someone who appreciates short scale lenght I'm not so sure it's better.
Think of it like cooking - short-scale basses simply offer a different feel & tonality (a.k.a."flavor"), and variety - whether you're cooking or playing bass - is never a bad thing. 
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I wish my short-scale was lighter, but it's a 1970 Dan Armstrong/Ampeg, and the body is solid lucite. Wear it for a gig and your shoulder will know it. Man, does it have a fat sound, though.
Better is in the ear of the beholder.....
The ear of the behearer!
I'm not surprised you feel you need to share this photo. There are people around here who will actually berate you for suggesting anything hand related could inhibit your playing of a full scale bass.
And how much you wanna bet the people who suggest this either play a style which in itself is relatively limited technically, or their hand is actually big enough ergonomically to handle a full scale bass.
I like what a 30 inch scale did for the Jazz bridge pickup's tone in my Mustang PJ.
I normally play full scale 34" but I will play a 30" bass every now and then. I use my Mustang bass as a couch player and for portability because it's the most ergonomic bass I have for that. Also it gets a great sound so I don't feel like I'm sacrificing anything.
The pickups in my Mikro are the same size as the ones in a regular size P/J bass.
But the Mikro body is smaller.
Which means I have a bigger engine in my Mikro per capita than most of you Fender-huggers.
The Fender P only has one pickup. Small potatoes,Lewis.
That's right. Now go run to mommy.
But the Mikro body is smaller.
Which means I have a bigger engine in my Mikro per capita than most of you Fender-huggers.
The Fender P only has one pickup. Small potatoes,Lewis.
That's right. Now go run to mommy.
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Comfort, I think. if I could find some short scale strings for my custom fifths tuning, I'd gladly do it!
Same with my Fender P Junior. Same pickup and electronics as the full sized P bass. Get more bottom end thump though because of the 28.6" scale and that's a good thing IMO
I like how the short scale contingent stands up for itself. It's not the size of the dog in the fight, it's the size of the fight in the dog.
