Strings too close together?

[riprorin]

My son plays a MIM Fender P-Bass, but I bought him a short-scale Univox. He says that the Univox's strings are closer together and it's more difficult for him to play.

I don't play myself, but is the string distance something you can get used to, or should I just unload the bass since he doesn't like it?

 

[GeoffT]

The string spacing on my 5-string is much tighter than it is on my 4-string basses and I don't find too many issues with switching between them. Does he play a lot of slap and pop style stuff? I don't do it very often but I find it is very difficult with the tighter string spacing on my 5-string and would not use it for that kind of playing.

 

[riprorin]

No, no slap pop. He play in the pep, jazz, and pit band at school and occasionally in a church band.

 

[darkstorm]

P bass string spacing is much wider at the neck then many basses. Getting use to that can be difficult and depending on how its being played a very narrow spacing can be unuseable for some. Rule number one when buying a bass for someone: Have then try several and let them pick from those based on playability etc for them. Id say return the bass, take him with you and let him pick put of those in that price range if he can find one with better string spacing and good neck etc. Otherwise just get refund and go to another music store to try more basses.

 

[vin*tone]

String spacing is definitely a personal preference. He may get used to it but it's kind of unlikely.

 

[GeoffT]

darkstorm makes some very good points and suggestions. The more I think about it, it did take a bit of time to get used to BUT I picked out the bass, it was different from what I was used to but it still felt good in my hands and the reason the transition seemed relatively easy was because I played it a lot.

 

[riprorin]

It was the spacing of the strings on the body, not the neck that bothered him. However, he only played it for a few minutes. He wasn't happy that I bought him another bass, lol. He played his teachers Hagstrom short-scale and I thought he would like it.