Kay K-5920 Strings

[carsonchilders]

Hello!

This is mostly a self serving thread for anyone who happens to get a Kay K-5920 "short scale" bass and are looking for strings. I'd love to prevent anyone from going through the run around that I have.

The scale length of this bass is 33.75 inches roughly. If you are like me, you would measure from the bridge ball end to the nut and assume that the La Bella Hofner set would fit (34inch scale length bass). It does not. It is very very close, but it does not work.

The La Bella Deep Talkin Medium Scale that are specifically 34.25 WILL fit. And in additional, other brands make medium scale length strings that are all 34inches and NOT 34.25.

I hope someone years from now finds this helpful

 

[michael_t]

The scale length of this bass is 33.75 inches roughly. If you are like me, you would measure from the bridge ball end to the nut and assume that the La Bella Hofner set would fit (34inch scale length bass). It does not. It is very very close, but it does not work.

The La Bella Deep Talkin Medium Scale that are specifically 34.25 WILL fit. And in additional, other brands make medium scale length strings that are all 34inches and NOT 34.25.l

GHS "medium scale" = 35.5" in winding length (ball end to taper/silk).
Rotosound "medium scale" = 35.25" in winding length.
TI "short scale" = 35.5" in winding length.

 

[HaphAsSard]

Hello!

This is mostly a self serving thread for anyone who happens to get a Kay K-5920 "short scale" bass and are looking for strings. I'd love to prevent anyone from going through the run around that I have.

The scale length of this bass is 33.75 inches roughly. If you are like me, you would measure from the bridge ball end to the nut and assume that the La Bella Hofner set would fit (34inch scale length bass). It does not. It is very very close, but it does not work.

The La Bella Deep Talkin Medium Scale that are specifically 34.25 WILL fit. And in additional, other brands make medium scale length strings that are all 34inches and NOT 34.25.

I hope someone years from now finds this helpful

Every time you write "scale length" you really mean "winding length" (for which "length from ball-end until edge of full-diameter section at the headstock end" is intended).

The "scale length", aka "speaking length" or "mensure", is the longest possible actively-vibrating section of the string: in other words, the distance from nut to bridge. It is a measurement that determines the position of all the frets (if present), but it is nominal per se, because bridge saddles are positioned so as to compensate for the inherent stiffness of the string, as well as the extra tension added when stopping the string on the board, for proper intonation ( = to ensure that fretted notes aren't increasingly sharp, by way of distributing the error throughout the board). This is why the correct method to measure it is from inner (board-ward) edge of nut to the crown of the 12th fret, times two.

Regarding the Kay K-5920, its actual "[ s ]cale length is 30 1/2 in. (775 mm.)"
Kay K-5920 Hollow Body Electric Bass Guitar (1964) | RetroFret

It is the winding length, then, that is 33.75" as you report (a much appreciated report, I hasten to add: the more this kind of information can be found on TB, the better).

 

[carsonchilders]

To add

GHS "medium scale" = 35.5" in winding length (ball end to taper/silk).
Rotosound "medium scale" = 35.25" in winding length.
TI "short scale" = 35.5" in winding length.

To add to this, Strings and Beyond has an exhaustive list currently:
Bass Scale Length - Short? Medium? Long?

 

[carsonchilders]

Every time you write "scale length" you really mean "winding length" (for which "length from ball-end until edge of full-diameter section at the headstock end" is intended).

The "scale length", aka "speaking length" or "mensure", is the longest possible actively-vibrating section of the string: in other words, the distance from nut to bridge. It is a measurement that determines the position of all the frets (if present), but it is nominal per se, because bridge saddles are positioned so as to compensate for the inherent stiffness of the string, as well as the extra tension added when stopping the string on the board, for proper intonation ( = to ensure that fretted notes aren't increasingly sharp, by way of distributing the error throughout the board). This is why the correct method to measure it is from inner (board-ward) edge of nut to the crown of the 12th fret, times two.

Regarding the Kay K-5920, its actual "[ s ]cale length is 30 1/2 in. (775 mm.)"
Kay K-5920 Hollow Body Electric Bass Guitar (1964) | RetroFret

It is the winding length, then, that is 33.75" as you report (a much appreciated report, I hasten to add: the more this kind of information can be found on TB, the better).

Thanks for the correction