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Medium Scale 32" Strings
- Thread starter Stan_da_man
- Start date
DR Hi Beams and Sunbeams both come in "short scale" with 33.75" in winding length (ball end to taper), which is actually closer to most other manufacturers' "medium scale". So, they should fit most 32" scale basses.
D'Addario "medium scale" is 34" in winding length. There should be a few options there as well.
At the top of the strings forum, there is a list of manufacturer's string lengths. This includes companies that make "medium" as well as "short," which in some cases, like DR, they are closer to medium.
Jason @ Fretnation has a whole section of mid scale strings.
Now the fun part: no matter what they are called, on the bass on which they are to be mounted, you must measure from the ball anchor to the tuner side of the nut, and then from the ball anchor to the middle of the B string tuner of a 5- or 6- string bass and the E string tuner of a 4-string bass. Then choose a make, model and gauge of string where the "winding length" falls between these two measurements.
Jason @ Fretnation has a whole section of mid scale strings.
Now the fun part: no matter what they are called, on the bass on which they are to be mounted, you must measure from the ball anchor to the tuner side of the nut, and then from the ball anchor to the middle of the B string tuner of a 5- or 6- string bass and the E string tuner of a 4-string bass. Then choose a make, model and gauge of string where the "winding length" falls between these two measurements.
It depends on the bass construction and the gauge of strings being put on. Some medium scale basses which tuning machines, especially lower strings tuning machines, are located further away from the nut thus allow users to put on long scale strings. Also, a few not so heavy-gauge roundwound strings (up to .095 E1?) could survive being wound on some bigger diameter string post tuning machines.
As also commented on: it depends. Some items to remember:
1) G-string - since the G string is usually a 40-50, it doesn't matter what it is wrapped around. Remember that a standard acoustic guitar E string is @ 53, wrapped around the small post guitar tuner.
2) D- and A-strings: if the bass is 2+2, with an average long headstock, then there is enough back length from the nut to the tuner posts that most long scale strings will fit, especially on a medium scale bass.
3) E-string. To quote Hamlet, "Ay - there's the rub!" It is not optimal to have anything more than the silk, or if no silk, the taper, wrap around the tuner post, for increased risk of breakage. Yes, someone will post, "I've never had a long-scale E string break around the tuner post [of a medium or short scale bass]. Worse, Fender uses their long scale 9050L flats on one newer version of a string-through-body Mustang bass. Well, yeah, good for them. It is not recommended. Why else would string manufacturers make medium scale strings if it didn't matter? (rhetorical question) If that's all you have, take a length of steel 4mm i.d./6mm o.d. tubing and extend the anchor point to give room for the silk or taper to properly wrap the tuner post.
I always put standard long scale strings on my 32”. Never knew medium scale strings existed.
Seeing you're a fan of Ken Smith strings (based on your other thread), it's worth noting the KS Custom Balanced SS rounds 44-63-84-106 come in both "short scale" (34.5" winding) and "medium scale" (35" winding), both of which should fit most 32" scale basses.
(I'm not quite sure why they make both "short scale" and "medium scale" with only 0.5" difference.)
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Instead of thinking in terms of "scale length", it's always better to think in terms of "winding length" (ball end to taper/silk) when trying to find a set of strings to fit any bass. The most important question is "what winding length does this bass need?", not "what scale length?"
"Scale length" can mean different things depending on which manufacturer we're talking about.
For example...
D'Addario "short scale" = 32" winding length.
La Bella "short scale" = 32.25" winding length.
GHS "short scale" = 32.75" winding length.
DR "short scale" = 33.75" winding length.
TI "short scale" = 35.5" winding length.
They're all "short scale", but not the same length.
What do mean by winding length? All long strings fit a medium or short scale bass also as for as the tuning pegs. Or do you mean the side of the ball end of long scale strings might not fit a medium scale bass?
Winding length = from ball end to taper/silk. Having the correct "winding length" means two things... Make sure the main body of the string is, 1) long enough to clear the nut, 2) but not so long that too much of the thickest part of the string ends up wrapping around the tuner post. If you trying to fit a "long scale" string on a "medium/short-scale" bass, the chances are the main body of the string would end up going around the post. This may or may not cause issues depending on the type of string and the design of the bass, but it's always best to find a string that fits properly on any given bass whenever possible.
ok thanks for clarifying. Why is it bad that the thick part ends up around the tuning posts? what issues can it cause?
Thicker strings, low B and E in particular, can break if the main body of the string wraps around the tuning post. Also, on basses with smaller guitar-style tuning pegs, there is not enough room for sufficient amount of wraps if the string is too thick.
La Bella, for example, warns against having any of the main body of the string, especially with their flats, wrapping around the post for potential problems with breakage.
Here's just one example of what could possibly happen when the string is too long for the bass:
(Photo previously posted by @Killed_by_Death)
Ok good points. Never thought of it that way nor did I have issues when putting long scale strings om my short scales and medium scale. But maybe I was lucky. I only own a medium scale now. Fender USA Urge 1. That one has string through body. Maybe that makes a difference?
Yes, "long scale" strings can work on a "medium scale" bass when strung thru-body, just like some "long scale" basses need "extra long" strings for stringing thru-body.
This! I had to learn this the hard way. A few wasted sets given that the wording is often confusing. And not all brands posting wind length info.
Any options out there for basses that are 32" scale and through body?
I guess I should measure as iiipopes stated and maybe add the thickness of the bass body to the measurement so that way it accounts for the through body length, yes?
I guess I should measure as iiipopes stated and maybe add the thickness of the bass body to the measurement so that way it accounts for the through body length, yes?
