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Shortscales sound thin compared to Standard scale?

Shortscale basses (30") will have less fundamental than a 34" bass.

  • Total voters
    190
#21
My first thought is what somebody else already mentioned.... Everything sounds thinner outdoors. I bet your Geddy woulda sounded thinner than normal too... (Geddy? thinner than normal? nothin' but hair and a shnoz... Love ya, Geddy...)

I also say it is all in the crafting... There are cruddy sounding long scales, and cruddy sounding shorties. I have a cheapo that sounds really thin, but my Epi Viola has tons of bottom, and my Birdsong? GREAT tonal variations and it'll rattle your teeth... It ain't a long vs. short thing...
 
#23
Anybody consider why pianos are shaped the way they're shaped? Bass strings being LONGER than the treble strings? Ever wonder why concert pianists DEMAND a grand piano? The longer scale length provides a more desirable bottom end. It's tighter, has a more defined fundamental and balances better with the treble strings. Long and short scale basses sound different and we all have our preference for one or they other. IMO, the longer scale basses I own have a bigger, tighter, stronger fundamental than my shorter scale ones. I know what I hear and feel when I have them in my hands. That said, I like both BECAUSE they are different!
 
#24
kayakbass said:
Anybody consider why pianos are shaped the way they're shaped? Bass strings being LONGER than the treble strings? Ever wonder why concert pianists DEMAND a grand piano? The longer scale length provides a more desirable bottom end. It's tighter, has a more defined fundamental and balances better with the treble strings. Long and short scale basses sound different and we all have our preference for one or they other. IMO, the longer scale basses I own have a bigger, tighter, stronger fundamental than my shorter scale ones. I know what I hear and feel when I have them in my hands. That said, I like both BECAUSE they are different!
Click to expand...

+1 on the grand piano...scientific proof
 
#26
If the electric bass was played with a hammer as is the piano then maybe your scientific proof would hold up but the EB, for the most part, is played with the fingers; therefore the additional tension can work for you or work against you depending on your individual technique. How many times has it been accepted in these threads that a great part of 'the sound' comes from the fingers?
 
#27
kayakbass said:
...The longer scale length provides a more desirable bottom end. It's tighter, has a more defined fundamental...
Click to expand...

True, but the question was not if the fundamental was less defined, but that there was actually less fundamental. I don't think that's the case - It's easy to mud up bigtime with a shortscale. Not well-defined, but definitely there. Desirable? If you want the definition of a Dingwall, then yes, longer is better, just like your grand piano example.

I have an SX shortie with Chromes flats. I would suggest that the poster's squier pickups and the stock sx harness have far more to do with any perceived thin-ness than the scale length or woods. The open E is really the only place where the shortie is lacking definition when listened to acoustically.
 
#28
On looking back at the initial post - anyone else think that the perceived tonal difference might also have a lot to do with his Warmoth Wenge/Ebony neck, as compared to the maple of his SX? OP, what's the fretboard?
 
#29
I didn't vote because I can't really tell about 30" vs. 34" but I can give an opinion between 32" and 34". I have 2 fretlesses, a 5-string Ibanez GWB-1 (34" scale) and a custom Manne fretless 6 Acoustibass 32" scale, with a piezo string thru bridge and reverse headstock. Despite the fact that I love the Ibanez GWB-1 and played it for the last 8 years, but the medium scale Manne it's a clear winner on everything, fundamental, sustain, B string, etc... With my basses I think that this difference belongs to the overall project, construction and quality rather than just the difference in scale length...
 
#31
I own a Fernandes Nomad and, believe me, it sounds great. Of course that there are differences between a short scale and a standard scale, but those are differences that start when you ask yourself: How I want to sound on this song/gig?
 
#33
I think it is false because to my ears the lowers strings / low notes on a short scale lack definition (at least Gibsons, not alembics), but the opposite is true of the higher registers, which to me out shine long scale.

The Dingwall fanned fret system addresses this concept.
 
#34
Mr. Ray said:
+1 on the grand piano...scientific proof
Click to expand...

Yeah, right.

jpicsfnDvwTZ5Dvv7zY4.gif
 
#37
kayakbass said:
Anybody consider why pianos are shaped the way they're shaped? Bass strings being LONGER than the treble strings?
Click to expand...
Yes, somebody brings that up every time we have this thread, which is like once a week if not more. Nobody has ever denied that scale length is one relevant factor. However it is not the only relevant factor.
kayakbass said:
Ever wonder why concert pianists DEMAND a grand piano?
Click to expand...
It's because the entire instrument is crafted differently than other types of piano. It is not just because of the longer bass strings--although again they are part of the equation.
kayakbass said:
The longer scale length provides a more desirable bottom end. It's tighter, has a more defined fundamental and balances better with the treble strings.
Click to expand...
Totally subjective stuff there. I'm not saying you're wrong, naturally in your experience you are right. But it is so subjective that saying it like it's a fact may not be constructive.
 
#38
Mr. Ray said:
+1 on the grand piano...scientific proof
Click to expand...
Not at all. It's a relevant anecdotal suggestion, but not in the least bit "scientific proof" of anything.

Oh, and another thing that a lot of people seem to misunderstand: "Fundamentals" occur across all strings and at all notes up and down the fretboard. The highest note on the highest string has a fundamental, and that fundamental is not a "low frequency". Fundamentals are not just "the lows". When people talk about the "fundamental" of a bass, nearly always what they should really be saying is something about the overall tone/feel (including all upper harmonics per note) of the lowest notes on the lowest strings, regardless of any fundamentals on any string.
 

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