How short can you go?

[JohnEdward]

I’m very new to building basses, and I’ve since gotten into focusing on short scale fretless basses…These might be stupid questions, but I’m ignorant in areas.

1. I’ve seen Kala U-Basses get short, and the strings accommodate that build. Are there bass strings in the 28” scale category that would work on an electric, solid body…

2. Why don’t we see more basses below 30”? Is there an actual, physical reason for this? Strings too floppy?

*I have a neck that would do well with below 30” scale basses (too short for 30”, imo, but would work) too long for a guitar. Can I get a 29” scale out of this? 28”? Does 28” best serve swapping strings and becoming a baritone, at that point? How do fretless baritones sound?

 

[JC BASS 91]

This is the Glarry "Kid's bass"....comes in at 25.5" scale, just like a Fender guitar. Strings are next to impossible to find for it, though. There are some odd solutions out there to use short scale or even regular scale strings on it, but it's SHORT SHORT. I really struggle with playing it, especially the upper registers, because muscle memory is a thing and where my fingers land are at least one fret off from where they should be.

 

[JohnEdward]

Thanks again for the replies, everyone. I’ve read them and gained quite a bit of information. I just started building and am curious.


I’m going to probably take my next build to 28”. Seems like there are more options for strings (may need to try the Gold Tone La Bella’s, though…I’m a La Bella fan boy. I’d need to buy another U Bass but so be it). It seems like string choices would dwindle the lower you go. Kinda like with the availability of bullets with the more niche calibers. And, if I don’t like what it is at 28” as a bass…then baritone. Win win.

 

[JohnEdward]

There have been basses in the 25” range in the past. It was likely an attempt to further attract guitar players who doubled on bass. The original P-bass let them get rid of their uprights, the Danelectro 6 string bass in the 50s gave them a bass that played even more like a guitar. But that style of 6 string disappeared once Fender stopped making the Bass VI in the early 70s. Gibson’s EB-6 basses lasted for even a shorter period of time and Danelectro and Supro both went under in the 60s.

I owned a 25” scale bass for a while, a Supro made Airline “Pocket Bass”. It was impossible to get whatever strings Supro used, but the typical 30” scale strings were so floppy that I could bend notes just by fretting with too much pressure.

Carvin sold 25 1/8" scale basses in the 60s. Notice the double neck and the catalog cover. They kept making these up until 1970 apparently, with the necks and some bodies bought from Hofner

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Obviously you could buy strings from Carvin and Supro, I have no idea if any third party strings were ever made in that length. I have seen some acoustic bass guitars (not uke style) with such short scales, someone is making strings for those. Ibanez sells strings for the 28.6” Mikro basses.

In 1970 Carvin switched to a 30” scale. You had to order them by mail, no phone orders and no webpages back then. I got their catalog back in 1973 a bass was about $175 compared to about $300 for a P-bass. In 1976 they finally switched to a 34” scale and I’m guessing started making the instruments 100% in house. I’ve actually never seen any Carvins in the flesh earlier than about 1980.

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FWIW in the 1950s, Carvin only made amps and steel guitars, so they sold Fender P-basses in their catalog!

Thanks for this history. I definitely see the value in looking at this history to figure out what worked and what didn’t.

 

[John Worrell]

I’m very new to building basses, and I’ve since gotten into focusing on short scale fretless basses…These might be stupid questions, but I’m ignorant in areas.

1. I’ve seen Kala U-Basses get short, and the strings accommodate that build. Are there bass strings in the 28” scale category that would work on an electric, solid body…

2. Why don’t we see more basses below 30”? Is there an actual, physical reason for this? Strings too floppy?

*I have a neck that would do well with below 30” scale basses (too short for 30”, imo, but would work) too long for a guitar. Can I get a 29” scale out of this? 28”? Does 28” best serve swapping strings and becoming a baritone, at that point? How do fretless baritones sound?

I've been thinking of doing a 12 string mandocello. E, a, d, g, c and low f ( all double course). The low f would be the same as the f ( 1st position) on the bass " e string". I'm curious if I can build it to 25.5" scale myself.

 

[tutubass]

Anyone tried fretless with tapes or flats 28,6” or under? Does the e string work well?

 

[pcake]

This is the Glarry "Kid's bass"....comes in at 25.5" scale, just like a Fender guitar. Strings are next to impossible to find for it, though. There are some odd solutions out there to use short scale or even regular scale strings on it, but it's SHORT SHORT. I really struggle with playing it, especially the upper registers, because muscle memory is a thing and where my fingers land are at least one fret off from where they should be.

View attachment 7428671

you can order custom strings from newtone - length and gauge.

Custom String Configurator – Newtone Strings

newtonestrings.com