I'm 6'3" and my favorite scale length is 32". I often see players of similar height say that shorter than 34" is too small for them. Anyone else here on the taller side who prefers shorter scale basses?
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Tall player, short bass
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I find the conversation senseless. There are people 6'3" playing guitars, mandolins, violins, etc ...
Right, and I agree with you. John Mayer is my height and has no problem. Same with Stanley Clarke who I think is 1-2 inches taller and plays 30" scale basses. What got me thinking about this is that I saw a classifieds posting where the reason given for selling the bass was that they were too tall for a 33" scale.
6’03” and i have a 10” handspan, and i loves my 30” Mouse…wait…that almost sounded like something else…
Lol I'm 5'3 way far from tall and love long scales just like thinner necks.
It's all preferences at the end of the day, tall friends I know prefer what they prefer. I seen some very tall people rock a short-scale and love it. I also think standing position can play a part, if you are Krist Novoselic I can see any bass being uncomfy sometimes how long he plays his...
It's all preferences at the end of the day, tall friends I know prefer what they prefer. I seen some very tall people rock a short-scale and love it. I also think standing position can play a part, if you are Krist Novoselic I can see any bass being uncomfy sometimes how long he plays his...
Mr. Clarke's 'Brown Bass' Alembics are 30" with slimmer necks than the production models, and he is a Full Growed Man with large hands, he could probably reach over and play double stops on the D and G strings with his thumb. Not a lot of guys have the size to play a full-size upright.
A lot of tall people play guitar at around 25” scale
6’2”, and I not only prefer long scale basses, I prefer wider necks. As it turns out, if you have ginormous hands, cramming your fingers together on a smaller instrument slows you down. For me, a thin neck is a slow neck, a thick neck is a fast neck.
Interesting. But perhaps I'm the opposite. Now 5'8" after some age related "shrinkage", but I have no interest in anything shorter than 34" and am really digging my 35" scale Ibanez and the one I had before. I'm a little surprised at how easily I can get around on a long/wide neck. In fact, my first 5er was an Ibby BTB675. I thought it was too big, so I got a Yammie TRBX605. But before the return period expired on the BTB I had grown into it. Kept both basses. I sold it, missed it and recently bought an 1825 to replace it.
I have a 40" waist and like 32" scale with a deep belly relief. 
A lot of people seem to focus on comparing hight/hand size with scale length… ‘shorter people find shorter scale easier’, ‘taller people find longer scale easier’…. But what I’ve found in practice is that string spacing is more important to the matching of hand size and comfort. Larger hands work well with wider spacing (traditional p bass, Rickenbacker) while smaller hands work well with narrow spacing (5 sting, Ibanez etc)…. Regardless of scale length. String spacing-to-hand size ratio seems to be the important factor… but honestly… everyone has differnt preferences and it comes down to what you’re used to playing.
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I am 6’9… and I already make a standard scale look almost like a guitar:
But I have always been drawn to short scales.
Maybe it’s time to take the leap.
But I have always been drawn to short scales.
Maybe it’s time to take the leap.
