Unless you play Gibson product. With them, you're stuck with 30.5"My apologies for starting it.
30" scale - always and forever. It's where I started and where I'll end.
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Is the short/medium scale craze over?
- Thread starter Green Knight
- Start date
My only good bass is a Tobias short scale that sounds really articulate. Unpopular opinion 2: I really do feel the E strings on standard scales sound way better than on short scales. The Bart pre on my Tobias makes up for it with the EQ, but I never felt my passive short scales sounded as full in the bottom of the register. The Gibson “Triumph” is another exception. Flame me not, my brothers and sisters.
I'm seeing more new entrants in this space - Offbeat comes to mind. Serek's are doing great. Mike Luil kicks our a few fantastic options (not enough).
It's a tough buying/selling market which I think is reflected in the classifieds. There's just fewer basses there overall and they're sitting longer. Maybe people are just holding on to their shorter scales and offloading their longer scales (that's what I've been doing the last two years).
I have a medium scale 5 string jazz in the queue to be built. I'm also going to dabble in multi scale with a Dingwall SP1.
It's a tough buying/selling market which I think is reflected in the classifieds. There's just fewer basses there overall and they're sitting longer. Maybe people are just holding on to their shorter scales and offloading their longer scales (that's what I've been doing the last two years).
I have a medium scale 5 string jazz in the queue to be built. I'm also going to dabble in multi scale with a Dingwall SP1.
I think this is largely to do with either the string gauge or how you play. With standard strings, they're floppier and benefit from being played very lightly which will get you a very warm, round low end. If you're like me though and like to play hard, it's worth going with heavy strings. I have 49-109 La Bella flats on mine and the low E sounds great
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What in the name of all that is unholy is this short scale Tobias of which you speak?!?!? I demand pics, stat!
Passinwind
I know nothing.
- Dec 3, 2003
- 23,045
- 45,909
- Disclosures
- Designer/Toaster Tech @ Passinwind Electronics
I pretty much never bother looking at the TB classifieds, but I've been seeing more shorties on local stages recently than at any other time in the last 35 years.
The resale market having dried up, if it has, can be an indication that the opposite of the OP's hypothesis/question is true.
Maybe it's because people are keeping them after they buy them.
I'm currently looking at picking up an Ibanez ehb1000s. Short Scale AND headless! What's going on here?!?
Oh for sure but like I said earlier I feel like there was more discussion/interest in them just a few years ago.
I think the market is really finite. There are still a ton of options. But you may be right, not as many nice used shorties out there.
Exactly. It could very well mean more people are happy with their short scales and are keeping them.
If the marketplaces were flooded with used short scales, then you'd say they were out of favor.
Passinwind
I know nothing.
- Dec 3, 2003
- 23,045
- 45,909
- Disclosures
- Designer/Toaster Tech @ Passinwind Electronics
True, but to me 34” is already very short…
Edit: this is coming from a long time AUB/EUB player…
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When I started in the eighties shorties were student basses (or Gibsons), and they weren't generally taken seriously for working musicians.
I think the "craze" is really just the fact that a large variety of serious, professional-grade short-scale instruments are available now.
I think the "craze" is really just the fact that a large variety of serious, professional-grade short-scale instruments are available now.
Short scales (disclaimer: I have two of them) are not as, erm, "versatile" as longer scales. The lower tension does cause the lower strings to tend towards "thuddy" more than "firm". As well as having a greater tendency towards wobbly intonation. Why aren't drop tunings as popular as good old GDAE, by the way? That said, I do love my short scales, but I am of the opinion that short scales really prefer flats to rounds (which may tend to sound a bit floppy, whereas the lower harmonic content of a flat complements the shorter scale better). My Guild Starfire is sporting Cobalt flats right now and they are far too bright, the fret noise and buzz is not as... pleasing? as on a long scale, and in fact I am going to install LaBella LTFs as soon as I have some time to do so. I'd go as far as to say, in fact, that shorter scales did have a resurgence *together* with flatwound strings. Note that this may not apply, or apply less, to short scales that apply more modern construction choices (such as laminated necks, neckthrough builds, etc.) since the added rigidity may compensate somewhat.
I am of the opinion that medium scales (32-33") may be a more versatile compromise, and in fact a nice sweet spot. Or, for that matter, fanned frets (but they're not to everybody's liking - although I suspect that a large part of that is their almost exclusive adoption by more modern styles of bass).
I am of the opinion that medium scales (32-33") may be a more versatile compromise, and in fact a nice sweet spot. Or, for that matter, fanned frets (but they're not to everybody's liking - although I suspect that a large part of that is their almost exclusive adoption by more modern styles of bass).
