Owning/playing basses of different scale lengths

[mcrawfordmusic]

I move between a standard 34" Fender P or J 30" EB3 or Musicmaster and a 21" Kala ubass. I'm most comfortable on the Musicmaster

 

[cdlynch]

It's make more of a difference if you play higher up the neck:

Yes, I realize this is for guitar scale, but take a look at the relationship of the low frets vs. the high frets.
At the higher frets the displacement becomes much more pronounced.

That's interesting! But the displacement looks more pronounced at the high end just because they chose to line up the charts by their left sides; if they'd lined them all up by the right side it would look like the nut side was off by the most.

I mean, if the nut is in fact your reference point for the location of every fret, then OK, but, for example, I think most people find high F on the E string by reference to the octave markers (or to a previous note), not by reference to the nut....

On the other hand it's true on a fretless that small mistakes matter more higher up, so if you were going to notice a problem it would probably there.

Frame of reference is everything

 

[Blake Bass]

Yep, I have 30", 33" and 35". Rob Allen, Muckelroy, and Lakland respectively.

 

[pingvuiini]

I've had a Ken Bebensee Deuce that was 35.25":

a Status Graphite S2 six string @ 34":

a Status Graphite S3 5 string @ 32":

and *just* received a Gold Tone MicroBass fretless @ 23":

Still getting used to the rubber strings and will try out flatwound steels on it.

 

[mikewalker]

I've had a Ken Bebensee Deuce that was 35.25":
View attachment 1199879

SCHWEET!!!! [cue: insert two thousand "Thumbs Up" icons here]

 

[jamro217]

When I first got my Rics (a 4003 fretted and a fretless 4001) I noticed a difference when I switched to a Fender of the opposite style (frets or not). The scales are so close that they throw off your intonation. After a while you get used to whatever instrument you're playing, though. It's like when you drive your wife's car.

 

[Stempelloos]

The switch from short scale (30") to long scale (34") took me some getting used to in the lower notes.
I learned to play short scale bass and electrical guitar together, switching between those didn't bother me much.

Nowadays I switch between short scale & long scale basses and guitar without thought.
It took me some getting used to a headless long scale Steinberger copy, because it hangs a bit different.
I have to stretch my left arm more for the lower notes.

 

[fretlessguy]

From octave mando through guitar to short, medium, and long scale basses, never an issue

Octave mandolin player here as well. Haven't messed with it for a while, but now getting the urge to put on new strings and have some fun again.

 

[Gully Foyle]

Octave mandolin player here as well. Haven't messed with it for a while, but now getting the urge to put on new strings and have some fun again.

They are insanely fun. I tune gdad to get lots of modal drony goodness.

Can't believe they are. It more widely known, actual mandos are so small, much too small for these bass hands

 

[Relsom]

It truly doesn't matter because I suck on all of them.

At least today I can suck in France. Landed in Paris a couple of hours ago. WooHoo!
The quest for tacos begins......