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Short Scale Help Needed

MK1

MK1

Nov 23, 2009
836
20
Grand Rapids, MI
#1
Recently I've been having wrist pain after my longer sets. I'm fine with the shows that are 30-45 minutes, but its the 2 and 3 hour shows that are really killing me. I play a Fender Precision and I am a smaller guy at 5'5". I recently played a mustang bass and loved the feel of it. I can only afford to have one bass so I would have to sell the P bass to fund the Mustang. Would I be making a huge mistake in doing this? Would a short scale make that much of a difference in the long run? Is there something else I could do to help with the wrist pain? I really need your help, thanks.
 
#2
I was a die-hard P Bass guy but got myself a Mustang based purely on curiosity. Best decision ever! Liked the shorties so much that I sold the P and got myself a 70's Musicmaster to back the Mustang!

Though it lacks a bit of the bottom end, still sounds like a bass. Simple, no frills, light, and great round tone. You may need to play with your settings a tiny bit but it's not a big deal, amps have dials. And the new Mustangs have great necks. If you've ever played a Jazz, it's very similar in feel. The old Musicmasters are a little chunkier.
 
#3
You might want to check out the Short Scale Bass Club here to get some ideas. I don't think you'll regret it especially if it helps with your wrist pain. You might want to consider a (gasp) SX short scale P bass to try and it won't break your bank.
 
#4
Like you I have suffered from ailments due to years of making my 5'5" sized fingers stretch way too much. I have bought an SX fretless short scale Jazz and an Epiphone Allan Woody Rumblecat, both 30 inch scales. I play them when my fingers need a break from those 34 inch monsters.
I used to think that short scales were played by youngsters, women, and folks of lesser skill. Arthritis showed me how wrong and stupid I was to think such a thing. I have actually grown fond of both my shorties, and enjoy them even more now than my expensive ones, which I keep for recording.
When playing your longscales, use light gauge strings, simplify your playing, and think of different fingerings to decrease you problem with them.
It might be a good idea to go to a physical therapist to help show you what changes you need to make. It helped me a lot.
 
#5
Wrist pain is your body's way of telling you that something is wrong and it should be checked by a doctor. It could be from poor technique (maybe you changed something recently or adjusted your playing style for one reason or another), or from an unknown injury. While a short scale bass may help in the short term, if it's a symptom of poor technique, no bass will help. You'll have to figure out what you're doing incorrectly and change it. Either way, have it checked by a doctor. It's better to be safe than sorry.
 
#6
I love shortys, and your choice of a Mustang is a good one! But try it out before you buy. I have a 30 incher, and while I really like it, after awhile I feel a little cramped. I recently aquired a 32 incher with a slightly smaller body....BINGO!
 
#9
What Munji said. And he knows what he likes.

Get a doctor to check that out.

Outside of that - have no fear of the legitimacy of short scales. There are some very good options out there, and it Is more comfortable. For me, anyway. I only play short scales now.

My personal not-so-expensive current favorite:

Cort Action Jr. Short Scale:
cortactionjr1.jpg


And if you really want short And Super Light, you could try this Bassfish:
BlackBassfishFinal(500).jpg
 
#10
fretlessguy said:
It might be a good idea to go to a physical therapist to help show you what changes you need to make. It helped me a lot.
Click to expand...

My wife is a PT and she watched me play and she said the biggest problem is that I'm have to reach too far and thats casing my wrist to twist (it bends side to side as well as forward and back). When this is done for long periods of time it causes a lot of strain on my wrist. But of coarse she said all of this using terms I have never heard before.

If I do move to a short scale you guys know of any good flat wounds in short scale?
 
#11
A short scale was a God send for me. I dig the tone and love the ease with which it plays BUT if you insist on useing fingering that is too aggressive you will still hurt yourself. I can play all the Jaco stuff on my shorty if I work on the fingering enough. One finger per fret is the way to go.
 
#12
MK1 said:
If I do move to a short scale you guys know of any good flat wounds in short scale?
Click to expand...

I've only used LaBella DT 760FM's and TI JF324s lately, and prefer the LaBellas.

If you decide to try LaBella, you might need to get medium scale so they'll be long enough. I had a set of short scale strings and had to exchange them because they were too short for all my short scale basses at the time.
 
#14
MK1 said:
My wife is a PT and she watched me play and she said the biggest problem is that I'm have to reach too far and thats casing my wrist to twist (it bends side to side as well as forward and back). When this is done for long periods of time it causes a lot of strain on my wrist. But of coarse she said all of this using terms I have never heard before.

If I do move to a short scale you guys know of any good flat wounds in short scale?
Click to expand...

I use D'Addario and Labella shortscale flats on my Rumblekat and others but I use longscale Fender and D'Addarion flats on string through body like the Mustang RI, Musicmaster and some with a tailpiece and floating bridge.
 

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