• TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
    Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
    Join free Log in
    Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.

How should I know if I should only use short scale basses?

TheIndieKid

TheIndieKid

Feb 26, 2016
952
666
26
Birmingham, UK
#1
Hello there,

I own a Fender FSR Reissue Mustang Bass. I absolutely the comfortable feel in my hands, and I'm looking to get rid of my Thunderbird bass, which I find unwieldy and uncomfortable. However, I'm looking at Lightwave VL Sabre bass in the future, which is full scale. I have quite weird proportions, so I feel comfortable with a short scale. However, I don't have much experience with basses in general, and I have quite weird proportions (long arms, short body, etc :D), so I was wondering whether it's good to stick with short scales, or is it okay to have a mix, with it possibly being that the long scales may be uncomfy?
 
Last edited:
#6
TheIndieKid said:
Do you feel more comfortable with the short scale, though? Since I don't have a lot of experience with basses, I don't know what kind of tension in your body would be classed as 'overly uncomfortable' for using a long scale bass.
Click to expand...
I'm actually comfortable with both. My short-scale is a 4-string, the 35" is a 5-string. The extra string was the biggest adjustment to me between the two. The length never seemed to matter.

When I decided to get a 5-string, I knew that it would probably not be a short-scale, so I tried as many 5's as I could find, until I found the one that felt right to me. I didn't go into it with the thought that I must have 'X' bass.

I found that string-spacing, neck profile, balance, etc. had a lot more to do with it than the actual scale length of the bass.

If you can find the Lightwave somewhere that you can try it, do so. If not, just go to your local stores and try different basses, just to see how different basses feel to you.
 
  • Like
Reactions: andruca, 40Hz and TheIndieKid
#7
TheIndieKid said:
Hahaha I like that. As I say though, I don't mean for this to come across as a stupid question. It's just that because I have quite long arms compared to my body, yet I have smallish hands and I'm under 6ft, I didn't know whether I should stick with a short scale because of the dimensions.
Click to expand...

Unless you're under 5 feet tall or have some kind of physical disability there's no reason you can't play any or all scale lengths you feel like playing.

There are lots of people, myself included, who switch back and forth as needed for tone or comfort. I regularly use a 34" and 30" bass on the same gig.
 
  • Like
Reactions: el_Bajo_Verde, hrodbert696, Buster Brown and 2 others
#8
TheIndieKid said:
Hahaha I like that. As I say though, I don't mean for this to come across as a stupid question. It's just that because I have quite long arms compared to my body, yet I have smallish hands and I'm under 6ft, I didn't know whether I should stick with a short scale because of the dimensions.
Click to expand...

Hands is one reason, but there are others. My hands are not small. In fact my piano teacher used to tell me they were long "artistic" hands (I still suck on keys). But back when I played 4 string I played short scale a lot of the time. The reason was that i could REACH things on the short scale bass I couldn't quite make on a long scale one or was rather uncomfortable on a long scale. But then I switch to 5 and 6 string basses. I know that back when I played short scale the tone of short scale was fine but pushing the edge of things. Well, the B string is the problem. I haven't found a short scale with a decent B string that I can afford. The Dingwall spells it out for you. Longer strings are just better suited to bass notes. Back in the day getting strings to fit short scale (especially E strings) was a hassle. Today with online string ordering it's not. Also today I think bases are a lot better for a given amount of money than they were so getting a decent short scale is not so hard to do.

Personally, I don't think arm length has a whole lot to do with it. Finger reach, however, does. So if you are playing 4 string then why not short scale?
But if you are playing 5 or 6 string or are looking for absolute killer low notes well, then in that case just go start trying basses until one of them really
speaks to you regardless of scale.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Andre678, ak56 and TheIndieKid
#9
How a bass feels often has to to with neck profile. The Lighwaves have very thin, fast necks, and to me are very comfortable ( I have stubby hands) . Most short scale basses have similar profiles because of the nature of the size of the scale. I think you'll be fine with the Lightwave.

My two pennies.
 
  • Like
Reactions: ak56 and TheIndieKid
#11
TheIndieKid said:
Really appreciate the advice, guys. Maybe it is down to finger reach. There again, I'm unsure whether my finger reach is actually small. It sure feels it :hyper:

With a Dingwall, are they arguably as easy to play as a short scale because of the fan fret system?
Click to expand...
Well, I had an AB1, and ultimately the reach to the lowest notes on the B string was too much for me at 37" (I'm about 5'7", pretty "average" proportions...). It just wasn't comfortable--tweaked my shoulder, but other folks have no problem.
Now if you're talking 4-string, that's a different story--the low E on a Super P for example is 34.25" just a smidge longer than the scale of a regular 'ol Fender bass, etc., but the scale shortens on the higher strings--for example the G string comes in at 32" scale, which is kind of...medium. So, if the T-bird seems too big, than even a Dingwall 4 string might too, but hard to say. They are super playable basses, that's for sure!
Anyhow, I have a mix of 34" scale basses and also 30" shorties. I love both, and choose which one to use based on the sound, not on how big it is!
 
#12
JimmyDean breakfast sausage fingers have I. Most of my 34s play fine, my 30s are just as good, maybe a bit easier, my 33s feel fine and my 32s are perfect.

Neck width and shape matters to me. My 34" Jack Casadys neck is uncomfortable and more difficult to play, but my Fenders are fine. Depends on the package.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Rabidhamster
#13
If you don't have any medical issues and don't have the body proportions of a circus freak, you should be able to play any scale. That said, I find I'm playing my Mustang more than anything else lately. Everything is closer together and I can get around the fretboard easier than my 34 inchers. It's just more fun to play.

Anyway, no one on here can tell you what's best for you. There's no right answer. Play what feels good.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Rabidhamster
#17
i can't see a reason to play only short scale unless you have an injury or physical condition that makes long scale basses painful or you just REALLY like playing short scale basses. lots of people on TB have more than one scale of basses in their collection - including me.

i'm 5' 3" and i played only long or extra long scale basses for years, till i tore my rotator cuff (unrelated to bass playing) in several places. after that, i was unable for years to play a 34" scale bass for more than a few minutes without pain that would sometimes last for weeks. so i ended up with a stable of short scale basses including a u-bass. but even though i have short arms and have had limited improvement in my shoulders, i now have a long scale bass in my collection and also a medium scale bass.

during my recovery, i found that some long scale basses are more comfortable than others. for me, lower bout size and shape is a large contributing factor to comfort and so is how much body there is under the bridge. and the only way to be sure a bass is comfy is to play it for a while.

and keep in mind that if you're very used to a single bass or single scale of bass, it takes a little while to get used to playing different scales. what may feel unwieldy at first may feel totally comfortable to play after playing that bass for a week.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Son of Wobble
#20
You have tried out a variety of full-scale basses, right...a dozen or so?
Does a full-scale feel comfortable?
Does it still feel comfortable after 15 minutes, half an hour, etc?
Don't feel you have to buy a full-scale bass. There's absolutely no reason anyone has to own one for mere aesthetics. If a short-scale bass can get the job done, stick with it. There are so many good short-scale choices today that I'd have no problem finding three or four gig-worthy ones...if I wasn't comfortable with full-scale basses, that is.
It wouldn't make sense for me to buy one just because I liked the color.
 

Latest posts

Top Bottom
Back