Ibanez BTB multiscales…sheesh

[A9X]

I couldn't care less about longer B strings, my B string sounds like a grand piano and is 34" on my 6 string bass, but I'd love to have a shorter scale C, and potentially G, if I did want to try a multiscale.

I'm the same. My most used 6s are a 33 B-C and a 30 E-E and much to the disgust of those that insist that really long scales are all you should use for a B, I think mine sounds fine. I play with a gentle touch and will likely lower the 130 to a 125 on the next change.

I've been GASing over the new EHB1265MS but I think if I were to define my perfect 6MS, it would be 33-30.5". After I finish the guitar build I'm just about to start, I might look at doing just that.

 

[TTA]

It’s an odd scale spread I don’t think I’ve seen before, starting at 37” as longest and dropping .5 inches per string. You still end up with a quite tight C and G, which many complain about on longer scaled (35”+) fives and sixes.

I’ll likely give one a try at some point, but suspect I’ll mostly keep sticking with Dingwalls.

i am guessing this was a very deliberate design choice. If you look at fanning in a dingwall vs the ibanez, there is more fanning in the bridge side of the dingwall fretboard. So although the ibanez will have more issues with string tension… it will also be easier to adapt to for the higher notes.

less fanning… easier chording up top… but longer spread and higher string tension. Vs more fanning, equal sting tension… shorter reach.

Either way… 37 and fanning was not a big deal for me to adapt to. But then i play 4-5-6, short scale, 34, 33.75, and now 37. So i adapt. A guy who only plays p basses might not like 37 and fans.

 

[TTA]

I'm the same. My most used 6s are a 33 B-C and a 30 E-E and much to the disgust of those that insist that really long scales are all you should use for a B, I think mine sounds fine. I play with a gentle touch and will likely lower the 130 to a 125 on the next change.

I've been GASing over the new EHB1265MS but I think if I were to define my perfect 6MS, it would be 33-30.5". After I finish the guitar build I'm just about to start, I might look at doing just that.

many b strings do fine with 34 or shorter. But when i a/b compared a 37 dingwall b to a 34 scale b… it was an easy sell for me. The improved clarity was there… and i am far from a “golden ear.”

but where the 37 really shines is in the drop tunings like f#. Thus their popularity in modern metal… where bassists are going ultra low to match the 8 string guitars.

yeah it can be done with thicker strings, lighter touch, etc on a scale shorter than 37. But… all other things equal… you will get a better performing string on the longer scale when you go really low. It is just physics. Call it extra design “headroom” for clarity in low tunings. But not everyone actually goes that low…. So not everyone NEEDS the 37.

i love my ng3 5er. But i have a 6 string dingwall on order with gdaebf#. So my b will be operating on a scale less than 37. And many dingwall players find that just fine… cause with a low F#… chances are you wont need to to much lower tuning on the b. The f# is a 0.170 gauge string give or take.

But if i drop tuning on the b in the shorter scale position on the six… i accept i will need thicker strings (some do not like)… or take the slight clarity hit. On the flip side… some players prefer the b on the slightly shorter scale… for the closer spacing.

All about evaluating your needs and the design tradeoffs they present.

 

[A9X]

but where the 37 really shines is in the drop tunings like f#.

Which are of no interest to me.

 

[Selta]

but where the 37 really shines is in the drop tunings like f#. Thus their popularity in modern metal… where bassists are going ultra low to match the 8 string guitars.

I kind of disagree. The low B on a 37" is just a different experience and animal than on 35" or 34". Yes, of course, you can run a fatter string and get similar tension on those short scales, but, that is a game of tradeoffs then. Wolf tones, clarity overall, having to play with lighter touch (which has compounding changes/effects on things), setup, and so on. Again, as you point out, it's just physics at that point - I just feel that even a B benefits a large amount from it, not just down-tuned.
Anytime I pick up a shorter scale - doesn't matter from who, I've owned 'the best' from Zon, Roscoe, Status, etc - it's just different overall, and in a bad way. I like to play how I play, and I don't want to have to have fat strings on there to get it either. Dingwall and other 37" B's excel at that, and there just isn't a 34 or 35 that does it the same way with the same excellence.

 

[castlev]

Why does everyone keep talking about 37" B? The real people interested in this are bass and guitar players nuts about 37" F#.

 

[TTA]

I kind of disagree. The low B on a 37" is just a different experience and animal than on 35" or 34". Yes, of course, you can run a fatter string and get similar tension on those short scales, but, that is a game of tradeoffs then. Wolf tones, clarity overall, having to play with lighter touch (which has compounding changes/effects on things), setup, and so on. Again, as you point out, it's just physics at that point - I just feel that even a B benefits a large amount from it, not just down-tuned.
Anytime I pick up a shorter scale - doesn't matter from who, I've owned 'the best' from Zon, Roscoe, Status, etc - it's just different overall, and in a bad way. I like to play how I play, and I don't want to have to have fat strings on there to get it either. Dingwall and other 37" B's excel at that, and there just isn't a 34 or 35 that does it the same way with the same excellence.

Maybe a better way for me to say it is… a b on a 37 will be better (ignoring reach issues), but a b on a 34 will be “ok” for many. But that “ok” quickly can become suboptimal if you try to go any lower.

 

[Selta]

Why does everyone keep talking about 37" B? The real people interested in this are bass and guitar players nuts about 37" F#.

I think your question answers itself. Obviously your second sentence is incorrect.

 

[TTA]

Which are of no interest to me.

100%. All depends on your needs. I like metal… and the super low modern stuff. So i have a bass for that. My other basses have other musical roles cause i play rock, Motown, etc. But i do enjoy the Dingwall for it all. It is not a one trick pony… even if it does that one trick well.

 

[A9X]

but a b on a 34 will be “ok” for many.

You mean like that fool Tony Grey who just specced out his new $13k Fodera 6 B-C on a 30.75" scale?
I'm not new at this y'know, and I understand physics.

 

[TTA]

Why does everyone keep talking about 37" B? The real people interested in this are bass and guitar players nuts about 37" F#.

Performance and physics. 37 does a b better. And can handle lower tunings far far better than a shorter scale.

so if your style of music requires the tuning… it becomes and asset.

it is part of why i never do drop tunings on my short scale basses. Sure i can do it… but i have better tools for that job.

 

[TTA]

You mean like that fool Tony Grey who just specced out his new $13k Fodera 6 B-C on a 30.75" scale?
I'm not new at this y'know, and I understand physics.

Not a fool. It probably works for him and his play style just fine. If you like it, it is the right choice.

 

[Selta]

Not a fool. It probably works for him and his play style just fine. If you like it is is the right choice.

Exactly. If it works for them, awesome! People seem to be intimidated, <edit> defensive (was the word I was looking for here originally) </edit>, or having some odd sense of feelings because a lot of other people like something they don't. There's no need to lash out about it... if it aint for you (not you, TTA, "you" in a general sense), just move along and find a thread that is for you. Plenty of them out there. No one's a "fool" for liking what they like, and, as far as I can see, only one person throwing that out there in this thread...

 

[TTA]

I play with a gentle touch and will likely lower the 130 to a 125 on the next change.

i think this detail is very important. I naturally developed an aggressive finger-style and pick attack. It just works for the music we play/write as my writing interests lie primarily in rock/alternative/metal.

So i gravitated to higher tension as i am also not a fan of thicker strings if it can be avoided. I think i learned to prefer thinner gauge from my vintage rics.

But I was just never that impressed with my short scales in drop tunings. So my 34’s got that role. But as soon as i tried 37… my other fives disappeared… cause for me and my playstyle… the 37 just blew the rest out of the water. My face on the day i a/b’ed the 37 vs 34 fiver was a massive smile and it was a “omg where have you been all my life” moment.

but i would love to a/b compare the 30 fodera six to a 37. It seems like a really cool bass.

 

[castlev]

My question is more about the detractors who say why the need for a 37" B it's blasphemy? There is very good reason I say. If your happy with 34 or 35 inch B then great. I love 34" B and do it regularly. I do 34" F# with my Warwick and a .165 tapered. Some of us want 37" F# however.

 

[Selta]

Some of us want 37" F#.

Indeed. One of my Dingwalls has been tuned to F# for about 6 years now, and I helped a small string manufacturer develop their F# for 37" basses

 

[CoarseBass]

I'm always amazed at the guys that run short scale Foderas with detuners going E to B - physics is physics, and a well made instrument helps but literally masterful technique, especially in the right hand, make it work.

I'm a hack, so I'm really digging my D roc.

I've got the blue 5 on pre order. My second bass was a BTB 4, and I've got a BTB7 I really love. This is 90% of the bass I've been hoping Ibanez would make for years.

 

[edthebass]

You mean like that fool Tony Grey who just specced out his new $13k Fodera 6 B-C on a 30.75" scale?
I'm not new at this y'know, and I understand physics.

Wow, why doesn’t Ibanez come out with something like that!! A toy length bass that costs as much as a Mazda! I can see people lining up right now

 

[TheOriginalName]

Why does everyone keep talking about 37" B? The real people interested in this are bass and guitar players nuts about 37" F#.

For me, E0 . Still, some just want more clarity in a low B, I think that’s the debate happening right now.

 

[TheOriginalName]

I'm always amazed at the guys that run short scale Foderas with detuners going E to B - physics is physics, and a well made instrument helps but literally masterful technique, especially in the right hand, make it work.

I'm a hack, so I'm really digging my D roc.

I've got the blue 5 on pre order. My second bass was a BTB 4, and I've got a BTB7 I really love. This is 90% of the bass I've been hoping Ibanez would make for years.

What’s the other 10 percent?