New bass help short arms

[mrcbass]

Before you make any hard decisions about what to buy (if anything) go find a bass instructor - even just for one lesson to get some critique on your playing angles and strap length. Plenty of people your size can play a long scale bass without pain. It's most likely a technique correction. You should at least post a picture or video of how you hold it so folks here can offer suggestions based on the actual issue, not on how we imagine it.

Re: 5 string - go for it - it doesn't take long to adjust especially if you don't have a lot of muscle memory on the four string. If nothing else, it will help you with your reach issues (can play most first position stuff on the 5th fret). But if you're considering it for jazz purposes, it may mean solo work and a lot of bass soloists types prefer the high C (EADGC) tuning to the Low B (BEADG) - and that won't help with your reach.

I really think if you fix your position on the bass, your pain issues will go away. And BTW don't keep doing something that causes pain - you could cause further damage that won't heal properly.

 

[Danny O Danny]

Someone may have already mentioned this, but in addition to considering scale length and strap length, are you positioning your left hand correctly (thumb in the middle of the back of the neck)?

 

[dbsfgyd1]

Hi guys new to this forum,
I've played six string guitar since I was about 13 and played bass for a couple of years in a band maybe four years ago, I've always played bass a bit to overdub onto my own stuff etc but looking like I might be starting a second band where I play bass and I wanna advance my skills and upgrade from the bass I got free that ive been playing for years.

I have a couple of questions, when I played live bass in a metal band I always found the angle of my wrist could sometimes hurt and some hand cramping issues. I have kinda short arms and was wondering if a short scale bass might be a better fit for me? is this right or am I barking up the wrong tree here?

Originally I was looking at five string varients as I'm into jazz and the next band I want to start would be a fusion/ prog band. Now I'm jus worried that bigger neck would worsen my original problem or is this a technique issue coming from playing lead guitar? My hands aren't massive and I have short ish arms but I'm not sure.

Can someone guide me here, I know pastorious n even claypool now uses four string so I know it can be a crazy technical instrument either way but do you think I'll miss out without that low b of a five string? And am I losing anything sound or fret count wise by buying a short scale bass?

Thanks in advance for your help, Josh

I assume it’s the fretting fretting wrist that is an issue. Not trying to discourage you too much from exploring a shorter scale, or a short scale bass, but My thoughts are it’s only 2” to go from a STD 34” neck to a 32” bass. true, the scale is smaller up the neck,
but I think you may find the easiest way to solve your problem is to play with the head stock elevated slightly above your head or with the nut of the bass at ear level, as opposed to playing the bass with the neck parallel to the ground.

 

[klyph]

Your shoulder and elbow should be used to keep your wrist reasonably straight while moving up and down the neck. Fretting with a bent wrist is bound to cause pain/trouble. Keep the pad of your thumb on the back of the neck and do not “collapse” any of your fingers. Your hand should be RELAXED and arched - you should have enough space to hold a ping pong or even a golf ball in your palm while playing, funny as that sounds. Please don’t start howling “everybody’s diffrunt!” at me people- these are pretty basic ergonomic concepts... take it for what it’s worth...

Nephilymbass has a great looking left hand, nice and relaxed. Try looking in the mirror while playing- if your hand looks like that but you still have pain you may want to learn a little about setup- playing bass guitar should not require a “death grip”.

 

[Nephilymbass]

Your shoulder and elbow should be used to keep your wrist reasonably straight while moving up and down the neck. Fretting with a bent wrist is bound to cause pain/trouble. Keep the pad of your thumb on the back of the neck and do not “collapse” any of your fingers. Your hand should be RELAXED and arched - you should have enough space to hold a ping pong or even a golf ball in your palm while playing, funny as that sounds. Please don’t start howling “everybody’s diffrunt!” at me people- these are pretty basic ergonomic concepts... take it for what it’s worth...

Nephilymbass has a great looking left hand, nice and relaxed. Try looking in the mirror while playing- if your hand looks like that but you still have pain you may want to learn a little about setup- playing bass guitar should not require a “death grip”.

Yeah the death grip thing is something I struggled with back in the day and have made a conscious effort to improve. It really does make a huge difference to avoid injury and fatigue as well. Especially when it comes to playing longer 4 hour cover gigs or even like 90 minute headlining original gigs. The guys in my band live up and down 95 here in NC. Singer lives two hours away from guitar player for example so instead of us getting together twice a week for an hour or two when we have band rehearsal it usually runs 4-8 hours to make the drive worth it. I figured out really quick that that was a problem I had after we starting doing the long marathon rehearsals.

 

[nnnnnn]

are you positioning your left hand correctly (thumb in the middle of the back of the neck)?

If you get this right then five- versus four-string shouldn't matter much unless your hands are really small, especially assuming the fifth string is a low B not a high C.

Maybe try some Ibanez basses, they're easy to find and usually have pretty slim and easy-to-play necks.

 

[Kmonk]

The first question I have is where do you "wear" your bass. Metal players typically have the bass very low. They get used to playing that way and even when they change to a different genre, they keep the bass low. If you wear your bass low, try raising it to your waste or slightly above and see if that helps.

 

[BadSanta1281]

I have a Yamaha trbx174 that is 34 scale but it feels like way less of a reach than my P-bass clone. I also have a short scale eb-0 and find it really easy to switch back and forth between that and the Yamaha.

 

[Whippet]

I am no expert but I noticed that the placement of the strap pegs means a lot. By this, does the upper horn go beyond the 12th fret or not. Short scale with the upper horn that ends at the 15th fret is probably not going to help you.

Someone correct me if I am wrong.

 

[Bald-N-Bassy]

Kiesel makes short scale 30" 5 strings.
This is my short scale Vader 5 I got recently.
It plays great and sounds excellent. I really like the mid sweep and the P pickup. The B string is nice and clear.
You can find some info on my NBD thread.
NBD: Kiesel Vader 5 Short scale 30"

 

[Stranger Danger]

Hi guys new to this forum,
I've played six string guitar since I was about 13 and played bass for a couple of years in a band maybe four years ago, I've always played bass a bit to overdub onto my own stuff etc but looking like I might be starting a second band where I play bass and I wanna advance my skills and upgrade from the bass I got free that ive been playing for years.

I have a couple of questions, when I played live bass in a metal band I always found the angle of my wrist could sometimes hurt and some hand cramping issues. I have kinda short arms and was wondering if a short scale bass might be a better fit for me? is this right or am I barking up the wrong tree here?

Originally I was looking at five string varients as I'm into jazz and the next band I want to start would be a fusion/ prog band. Now I'm jus worried that bigger neck would worsen my original problem or is this a technique issue coming from playing lead guitar? My hands aren't massive and I have short ish arms but I'm not sure.

Can someone guide me here, I know pastorious n even claypool now uses four string so I know it can be a crazy technical instrument either way but do you think I'll miss out without that low b of a five string? And am I losing anything sound or fret count wise by buying a short scale bass?

Thanks in advance for your help, Josh

Technique. There are very small females who play full scale basses. Go get some quality lessons. Then decide on a bass

 

[packhowitzer]

 

[JeezyMcNuggles]

Hi guys new to this forum,
I've played six string guitar since I was about 13 and played bass for a couple of years in a band maybe four years ago, I've always played bass a bit to overdub onto my own stuff etc but looking like I might be starting a second band where I play bass and I wanna advance my skills and upgrade from the bass I got free that ive been playing for years.

I have a couple of questions, when I played live bass in a metal band I always found the angle of my wrist could sometimes hurt and some hand cramping issues. I have kinda short arms and was wondering if a short scale bass might be a better fit for me? is this right or am I barking up the wrong tree here?

Originally I was looking at five string varients as I'm into jazz and the next band I want to start would be a fusion/ prog band. Now I'm jus worried that bigger neck would worsen my original problem or is this a technique issue coming from playing lead guitar? My hands aren't massive and I have short ish arms but I'm not sure.

Can someone guide me here, I know pastorious n even claypool now uses four string so I know it can be a crazy technical instrument either way but do you think I'll miss out without that low b of a five string? And am I losing anything sound or fret count wise by buying a short scale bass?

Thanks in advance for your help, Josh

A short scale could help you out. They're about the size of a guitar. Similar feel. Play a few and see if you like it. Hell even the cheap ones. It doesnt really matter. By the way, the Ibanez micros, and the Jackson shorties are actually pretty sicky dude.

 

[pellomoco14]

Technique. There are very small females who play full scale basses. Go get some quality lessons. Then decide on a bass

Finally a reasonable response(no i didnt read them all)
All you really need is a good teacher. "Good" in this case meaning the teacher refuses to validate this excuse.
Four foot tall children can easily be taught to avoid the issues you're experiencing on a 34" scale inst.
Anywhere close to 5' tall, plucking near the bridge while playing in 1st. position shouldn't be an issue anymore.
I promise you WILL have the same problems and pain or very similar with a short scale.

 

[johnson79]

Check out Serek Basses
Jake makes 30", 32" ad 34" necks in a variety of different styles.
he also makes a 5er short scale that looks pretty awesome!

Exactly who I thought of! His pricing is really good too. This is a 30.5" scale with narrow string spacing. Might be just the ticket.

 

[Jenra]

If ergonomics are a vital point, and economic isn't I'd suggest looking into Strandberg boden 5 - Their "square" neck really gives you alot of control in wrist position, and their fanned frets allow for better finger placement - With the added benefit of being a very light bass (Headless).
Either way, good luck!

 

[Salmankushdi]

Finally a reasonable response(no i didnt read them all)
All you really need is a good teacher. "Good" in this case meaning the teacher refuses to validate this excuse.
Four foot tall children can easily be taught to avoid the issues you're experiencing on a 34" scale inst.
Anywhere close to 5' tall, plucking near the bridge while playing in 1st. position shouldn't be an issue anymore.
I promise you WILL have the same problems and pain or very similar with a short scale.

Hi thanks guys i will certainly look at my technique. i guess it's mostly just discomfort in the first position and being a guitarist of twelve years and not experiencing any such pain I thought a short scale (which I'm told is similar size to guitar) would be for me. I worried perhaps its my wrists but you guys have given me loads to look into before and during trying out the new bass I am going to buy. As well as technique assessment, positioning and difference from bass to bass seems pretty important to focus on when looking at new basses. Thank you all for the advice and recommendations

 

[Mushroo]

I thought a short scale (which I'm told is similar size to guitar) would be for me.

You can test this with the easy experiment I mentioned above. Put a capo on the 1st fret of a standard 34" bass, and you transform it into a 32" medium-scale bass. Or put the capo on the 2nd fret, and you get a 30" short-scale bass. This is an inexpensive way to test whether a medium- or short-scale is right for you.

 

[johnson79]

If ergonomics are a vital point, and economic isn't I'd suggest looking into Strandberg boden 5 - Their "square" neck really gives you alot of control in wrist position, and their fanned frets allow for better finger placement - With the added benefit of being a very light bass (Headless).
Either way, good luck!

Strandberg is a great suggestion! I'm hoping they'll offer the basses in the lower-priced Asian import versions.
Guitars are about $1500.

 

[PJMustangFreak]

Cheers for the replies, Ahh right wow I defo don't mean that short I'm about 5'8 n only slightly shorter arms than average for my height probably, I guess just playing stuff around first frett position going from first too fourth frett feels a bit uncomfortable.

You sound just like me. Fender PJ Mustang is the answer. 30" scale and ergonomically fantastic. I'm 5'7" with tiny hands. Works!