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Longscale Stratobass

Gorn

Gorn

Inactive
Dec 15, 2011
17,698
62,684
Queens, NY
#1
This picture from the sub shortscale thread gave me terrible gas for a stratobass.
IMG_0320.jpg


I only play longscales, so I'm wondering if it's possible. I don't know anything about guitars but I'm guessing any standard longscale Fender type neck would be too wide at the heel to fit in a strat body. Would a cheapo Squier strat with cheapo Squier guitar pickups be good enough for useful bass tones? I'm assuming I'd need to put a bass bridge way down on the body, but would there even be enough room? Anyone ever try something like this?
 
#6
hdracer said:
The Strat body is to small to fit a bridge on with a 34" neck.
I would start with a un routed P body and go from there.
Click to expand...
Really? That answers my question. I'm sure there's lots of ways to go about it without using a strat body, but I was thinking an actual strat body being the size and shape that it is would make a cool bass. But apparently it's not feasible.
 
#12
Well, I took some pictures off the Fender website, scaled the Strat picture as best I could so that it was the same scale as a Jazz Bass picture and came up with this:

StratBass.png



The top two are the starting instruments, next one shows a Strat body overlaid on a Jazz Bass so you can get an idea of how the neck pocket would have to change, last one shows a Jazz neck, bridge, and strings overlaid on a Strat body which is more or less how the finished instrument would work. Looks like it could work out physically but the pickups don't end up where you might like them and I am not sure what you do about the Strat tailpiece. Filling it in with a photo editor (the humble Paint in this case) is much easier than filling it in in real life.
 
#13
khutch said:
Well, I took some pictures off the Fender website, scaled the Strat picture as best I could so that it was the same scale as a Jazz Bass picture and came up with this:

View attachment 466842


The top two are the starting instruments, next one shows a Strat body overlaid on a Jazz Bass so you can get an idea of how the neck pocket would have to change, last one shows a Jazz neck, bridge, and strings overlaid on a Strat body which is more or less how the finished instrument would work. Looks like it could work out physically but the pickups don't end up where you might like them and I am not sure what you do about the Strat tailpiece. Filling it in with a photo editor (the humble Paint in this case) is much easier than filling it in in real life.
Click to expand...
I've been sitting here ignoring phone calls and emails at work for the last 20 minutes trying to do what you just did on paint. You're a talented man. That fourth picture is exactly what I want. Not in red, but that's it.
 
#14
It would take some doing, but it seems possible. Like I said in the Subshortscale thread, if a regular 21 fret neck doesn't work, something with 22 frets or 24 frets that extends right to the heel of the neck (not just an overhanging fretboard) could get you where you need to be. It's just a matter of finagling the neck pocket (and finding a hard tail Strat body).
 
#18
Love the look of these things! Can't wait to see if someone pulls this off. Slightly off topic question, but that picture is making me think real long and hard about ordering one of these sx hardtail strats (Link Removed) and making it into a tenor or even a piccolo bass. I've been toying around with the idea of those tuning for a while and this thread is not helping my bank account! Besides ordering a new bridge, a blank nut, and the right strings, does anyone know what other modifications I should keep in mind? Will I be able to bore out the tuner holes a bit, or need new ones?
 

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