Short scale basses....thumbs up? Thumbs down?

[JimmyM]

I think you ought to stick with whatever bass you're playing now before you buy another. You're looking to purchase your way out of a problem that will solve itself with practice and time, in my opinion.

Right. Shorties may be something he enjoys, but so may extra long or fanned. In the meantime, I think your advice should end the thread. Play what you have, then after you develop skillz, you can make a more educated decision not based on a poll of strangers.

 

[J Wilson]

For years, we somewhat dismissed them as 'not bassy enough' based on scale length, which was a mistake: Typically, most of them simply had cheapo pickups that did them no favors, which is the real reason guys thought that.

Technically, yeah, the shorter your string length, you lose a little, but with modern pickups, amps, and hardware, it's really down to you to make whatever it is fly. And for cats that aren't six footers wearing 44 long like me, it's the difference in having a bass they can handle vs. something that's simply too big for them. No one would expect golfers or competition long rifle or shotgunners to be measured for the same length, and it's a bit silly to expect shorter players to fight full scale or better instruments, which was always a problem for Carol Kaye. On the other hand, the NBA-sized Stanley Clarke only plays short-scale Alembics, so as always, it's the player, not the axe.

 

[JonathanPDX]

I was a working pro bassist for about 20 years before I finally got a day gig, in part due to a number of hand, wrist, and tendon injuries over the years.

I always played a standard 34" scale, and sometimes a 35" 5-string. But I have small hands and, while that's no excuse not to learn, some stuff just required big stretches or awkward angles to achieve. I'm a very technically proficient musician but I do know what it costs your hands to do that stuff, especially with small hands on a big neck.

Finally I took a chance and ordered a custom built 30" bass to see if that would relieve my hand pain and make it easier to play. I LOVE IT! It's so much easier to navigate, and I can reach further with less strain.

That being said, I don't think it's for everyone. I developed muscle memory on a normal bass, and most people without hand issues don't really need to invest in a smaller instrument. If it isn't very well made (IE expensive) you'll likely find it has other issues that your normal 34" basses don't.

I'm thinking about having my longtime workhorse bass replaced with another 30" bass just so both of my instruments match in scale and, should I start gigging again, I don't go back to straining my wrists every night.

So, yes, they can be fantastic instruments. But there are plenty of lousy short scale basses on the market that actually suck, so the craftsmanship plays a huge role in deciding what bass is actually a good investment.

 

[MultiScaleMale]

Your answer selection misses a lot. Not superior, just different. It depends on the band that you're playing with, but they can sound great and short scale is no longer synonymous with low quality.

 

[Inverstone]

I agree with the poster above who had his short scale custom built by a luthier.
I have a short scale Nordstrand single cut neck through six string. If the neck is stiff enough (5 laminations in my case) and I believe the additional support from the single cut's bout along the neck give me stiffer strings, low action and a decent low B string. The pick ups are Seymour Duncans.

Every Mustang, Bronco, EB3, etc. I've played over the years has MUCH looser string tension, (which has it's own zone of comfort, sound qualities and technique) and the pickups have never been what I was looking for. (The Mustang being the best of them). I also went with a Pope pre-amp so this thing is extremely versatile in the recording studios and on stage.

IF someone wants to go short scale (30") and choses a boutique luthier built instrument with all the factors a short scale needs in it's construction the string tension and sound will equal a 34" scale bass no problem. The low B being the partial exception. Picking nearer to the bridge with adapted technique-no one has ever noticed or commented on it's sound quality.

This is a more expensive option for sure, but once short scale is decided upon you can end up with a "life long instrument" that'll equal or surpass longer scale basses.

 

[superheavyfunk]

Weird choices in the poll… three of the four are basically anti-short scale (or at least, pro-long scale) and the other is all-in for shorties.

As for myself, I’m neither here nor there on the matter. I own both long and short scale basses and love them both for different reasons. I wouldn’t pick a bass based solely on the scale length - I’d pick it based on the tone and the performance that I’m trying to achieve in any particular situation.

 

[Fynn]

I've only ever played 34" basses, until recently. Now I have a 32" self built, and I gotta admit, it's quite a bit more comfortable to play in the lower register. However, the high stuff gets a bit finicky (above the 12 fret). I couldn't imagine playing something even smaller, unless it's solely for the first like 9 frets.
Though it might just be a matter of getting used to it.

 

[Rib 13]

You are overthinking it atm....and thats perfectly understandable if you are excited about your journey into bass - one month isnt long enough to be in the Honeymoon Phase yet - My advice is just play what you have now and make whatever necessary adjustments as you improve. Enjoy the ride for now

 

[Koshchei]

You tell me:

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All of these were recorded on a 30.5" Rickenbacker 4005XC.

 

[Rib 13]

For years, we somewhat dismissed them as 'not bassy enough' based on scale length,

Just opposite for me: My experience (back in da day) was that shortscales had this "woody" tone and not bright enough back in the late70s/80s when bass was trying to go as stringy and bright as possible. Technological advancements in bass design, nomenclature, and string technology has rendered a lot of those older tropes useless in our modern era and modern shorties can be tonally indistinguishable from their longscale counterparts

 

[evil dewars]

Got 124 of all kinds.
Play ‘em all.

Scale
4 35" Scale
93 34" Scale
1 33.25" Scale
12 32" Scale
....

Hold up. Seems like you might have a preference. lol

 

[micguy]

Short scales have a place but they're still a not very popular variation of an instrument that itself is not quite the "norm". Full scale bass strings can be (depending on what you want) hard to get; short scale strings are even tougher - there aren't that many different sets made for them.

 

[coy garcia]

I play 4st fretless from 35-30 1/2 scale. My #1 is the 30 1/2 just because it's a awesome bass in tone, weight, and looks (for my taste). They are not easier to play and you have to be even more precise with your technique for a good tone. That being said if you want one go for it.

 

[B-Mac]

Hold up. Seems like you might have a preference. lol

It's a reflection of what's out there really. Otherwise I'd have many of the same short scales.

1 30.75" Scale
4 30.50" Scale
5 30.25" Scale
2 30" Scale

12 Isn't nothing to sneeze at. Plus my 2 sub-short scales makes 14.

 

[BGroovy]

For lower tunings or a 5 string longer scale is where it’s at. I’ve been super happy with my move to 30” on the 4 string and don’t feel like I’m missing out on anything and they’re much more comfortable (I’m 5’7” with small hands)

 

[micguy]

That being said, I don't think it's for everyone.

Completely agree. I have ginormous hands, and I once made a medium scale instrument (with J neck spacing between strings at the nut). With the hands I have, I actually play faster and smoother on a full scale, P width neck - my fingers get all crammed together on a medium or short scale - part of it is scale length, but a lot of it is nut width (almost all short scales have skinny necks)

Anyway, the only way to tell is to try various scales and widths to see what fits you.

 

[hieronymous]

So....I've been playing bass guitar for about a month now. And as noted elsewhere, I prefer to read standard notation rather than tabs. I want to read the sheet music, think about how to finger the instrument, and make the proper sound. (I do not like tabs.)

Knowing that, I wonder if I should get a short-scale bass guitar. Here's my thinking:
Because of my limited ability, I tend to play on the first five frets. And those frets are really pretty far apart. Even though I have really big hands (fourteen keys on the piano), I prefer the frets that are closer together. They seem to be easier to play.

And when you're playing from sheet music, you can play it however you want. Contrast this with tabs, which seem to be written in such a way that don't make intuitive sense. For example, in Metallica's "Orion", one of the bass lines (as written in tabs) uses the A string, seventh fret. Then it jumps to open E, then to A string, fifth fret, then back to the E string, seventh fret. (Tell me if there's an easy way to annotate that using a keyboard.) But you can get away with using the top three frets.

So it seems to me (the guy who's been playing for a whole month now) that a short-scale bass will work better for me and my playing style. (If I were playing on frets 7-10, this wouldn't be a problem.)

BUT--I also recognize that most people play full-size basses. And if I get used to playing on the shorter neck, I'm afraid that I'd never be able to "step in" and play with the basses that most others use, because my muscle memory would be off. (And TBH, I'm also concerned that people would see the short neck and think that I'm some kind of loser. "I mean...he's playing on a child's toy.")

Thoughts? Opinions? (For the record, I'm looking into an Ibanez Mikro 5-string short scale. But I've heard that the low B-string can get really floppy and hard to control--especially on a short-scale.)

Given that you're tackling Orion, I would say stick with 34" scale for now. I believe Cliff Burton played that on his regular long-scale Aria Pro II, which he got after his Alembic Spoiler (32") was stolen. He also played a Rickenbacker 4001 - also closer to 34" than 30.5". Short scale might be easier in the short run, but in the long run I think you might want to try and stick with the 34" for a while.

Though it does depend on your goals. If you don't intend to play with other people then maybe a Mikro would be sufficient. To be honest, I have several short scales and I love them. But I also appreciate being able to switch back to 34" time to time.

And speaking of Orion, which part are you talking about? I've been working on that song this past few months, and I much prefer to play it at the 5-7th frets, not the open positions. Each section of the neck, the strings sound different, plus you have to learn how to mute strings. Don't wimp out just because you think you're going to spend more time down in the first 5 frets - explore the instrument and learn how it sounds in the various positions. Also, so much of the feel is affected by where you play it. It sounds like you want to learn, whatever music you are undertaking. So take advantage of the whole instrument - learn where the notes are all over the neck - that's something I didn't do when I was starting out. So you may end up in those upper frets more often than you thought!

P.S. I didn't vote, because I couldn't identify with any of the choices. Is that what carrots are for? My vote would be, short scale is great, but don't use it as an escape, unless you really need to...

 

[thrashingbass]

As a violinist, I understand the importance of learning to read music (also played piano and classical guitar as a kid.) However, I learned fretted electric bass much later (not double bass), and because I have dealt with reading music for most of my life, I honestly just play bass by ear and memory. Also do not like tabs much (with classical guitar, I used to just read notes to learn music, rarely ever tabs.) But my music journey is such that I need not see "reading sheet music" as a requirement to be a "real bassist/musician", and do not love it when a *very few* bassists put others down for not reading scores to play or learn their music, finding it a bit elitist, and not something that needs be stated. (Note that I am not saying you are guilty of doing this-do not feel attacked!) It can be very important perhaps for the recording bassist with zillion of projects-just think that *personally* I do not see it become my thing with bass (of course I still learn new violin works by reading music, though the goal is to memorize everything-orchestra work being the exception of course.)

Short vs long *can* sound different, but if you are a good bassist, you will make it work for you. And sometimes they sound so good the differences are more than fine. I only have one 30.5, but wouldn't mind having another-the only "problem" is that the market is saturated with long scale bass products, and sometimes it's a hassle to find equivalent accessories for short scale basses that are so readily available for 34 scale instruments. In many cases, the string options are limited, and one cannot always find a favorite string in a favorite gauge for shorter scale basses.

I wouldn't part with my shortie, that much I can state, even if I do not play it all the time!

The poll "kid" option has no votes (so far)-glad to see, as that would be utter nonsense in my view.

 

[nonohmic]

Imo buy a 32" Squier jaguar H for $300

 

[KidAmnesia]

If you have a long scale (34") it's really easy to try how a shorter scale would feel using a capo.
Drop the tuning to standard Eb (every string half tone down) and put the capo on the first fret. That's how a 32" scale (medium) feels and sounds.
Tune it to standard D and put the capo on the second fret, now you got a 30" scale. The difference in spread between a short scale and a long scale is not that much, the difference in string tension and reach is way more noticeable (at least for me).

Give yourself time, a month is not a lot. In a few months that tab, with that way to finger those notes, will probably make a lot more sense to you as you gain the coordination needed to move confortably along the neck.

That being said, playing a short scale is perfectly ok if that's what you like. But it's probably not really much easier.