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Scale length poll: What and why?
- Thread starter austentaciousC
- Start date
34" because it's what' I'm used to. My RD has 35 and it's a little weird to play, but when I play it for a long time it makes my other basses feel like toys. 
34" because it feels right. I've only recently started playing bass from a background in guitar, where I prefer Gibson-type scale lengths to Fender. I also have small hands. By rights, I should prefer short scale, but it just doesn't feel right to me for bass.
Out of seven basses, five are 34", one is 35", and one is 18".
Why? Because that's what they are. I didn't consider scale length, I was playing the basses and listening to them.
John
Why? Because that's what they are. I didn't consider scale length, I was playing the basses and listening to them.
John
I've got a 30in, 32in, and 34in 4string, had a 35in 5string. I found that my hands are just too small to play well in the lower registers on a 35, I can play a 34 well but get some wrist and hand pain. So I'll put up with a 34 but I don't think I'll ever buy or build anything over 32 again.
34 is the standard. The 35 is better for downtuning since your string can be tighter relative to the 34, to the same note. I get a great action on a 35, down tuned to A, with a standard 130 B string.
30's mostly. I'd love to try a non-acoustic 32 out someday, though. I doubt I'll ever buy anything longer than 32". I saw on youtube last night that Birdsong is making a shorty 5 string. With all the great strings out there now that I can get shipped to my house the last reasons to buy a 34 or above is gone now. At least for me any way.
30" these days.
The only 34" i really see myself playing on the regular is my 5-er.
To be honest though, i've never played a 32"...
The only 34" i really see myself playing on the regular is my 5-er.
To be honest though, i've never played a 32"...
34 or 35. I'm six feet tall with largish hands and a 32 feels and looks like too much of a toy with me. I expect that'll be true of most largish men.
Beyond this, the firmness of the strings feels better to me with the longer scale length...maybe because I play upright so much of the time.
Beyond this, the firmness of the strings feels better to me with the longer scale length...maybe because I play upright so much of the time.
Though mostly a fan of 34 scale, I do like nice easy to play good fitting 35 scale basses. Which is what I own now. They give that tiny bit extra you get with 25 and 1/2" scale guitar compared to 34 and 5/8" scale guitar. The 35 scale being slightly better for chord work and best note difinition for dense stuff, etc like it is on long scale guitar to me. Key to me is just getting 35" scale basses whose reach to the nut isnt further away due to body ergonomics and wearing style. Ive owned some 34" basses whose reach to nut was more awkward then my 35". Lol.
You'd imagine so, but I haven't found that to be the case. I'm of a similar build and find a LOT of relief in my left hand going from 34" to 32". I haven't really found a "profile" for those who play shorter scale instruments - I think "size of the bassist commensurate with size of the instrument" is a bit too linear a gauge in this case.
I'm only playing 32s at the moment, but looking to add a 30 to the stable. As already posted, the wealth of string options now I feel has rendered most string tension concerns moot (not all, but most).
34". I don't use anything but EBMM five strings, an they have killer Bs. And it's just what's comfortable to me
I've owned basses with 34", 35" and 36" scales. I don't find the longer scales particularly hard to play, and some of my favorite makers (MTD, Modulus, Elrick, and Lakland) use 35" scales. That said, I feel just a little more at home on 34".
