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The Official Medium Scale Bass Club

#5,461
Jaya W said:
Hi. I'm fairly new here but actively looking to join in the fun! I'm especially excited to find a medium scale club because medium scale is a thing — and a good one! I was so perturbed when a dude at one of my local shops — an official Fender/Squier retailer with a 32" Squier CV Jaguar hanging on the wall — insisted that "it's a short scale. Anything less than 34" is a short scale." Uh, no. Have you read your own brand literature? Because I have, and this Jag is clearly labeled medium-scale. And besides, if everything below 34" is a short scale, why does D'Addario (whose stuff is also on the wall) sell a set of 32" mediums?! [I didn't say this out loud because I'm not like that, but man did it run me the wrong way. The guy's always like that about everything. Anyway…]

I bought the Jag as my second bass after having started on an actual short scale, the Gretsch G2220 Junior Jet. Now that I've played for a while (been on bass about a year and a half, previously played guitar, mandolin, banjo), I think I would feel comfortable playing a full scale, but coming from those other instruments I thought it'd be easier to play something not so dauntingly large.

I'd love to be an official member of the medium gang; until then, I'll poke around and catch up on some of the previous content. View attachment 5122432
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To some anything less than 34" scale is short scale.

To others anything less than 34" scale is shorter than 34".

I tend to follow manufacturers marketing labels.

I'd still consider a Ric 4003 as a 'full' scale even though less than 34".

Less than 29.75" (J & D) or so is getting into 'sub-short' scale

@BassHappy is a big proponent of playing what fits you and Medium Scale does it for him. He has an awesome section of his website devoted to Medium scale basses.

Why Not Play the Bass That Fits You Perfectly?

The sales person you're dealing with obviously doesn't understand.

The scale isn't just about length of the neck/fret board/fret spacing, but also about bass body size proportions.
 
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#5,462
New bass day, courtesy of the TB classifieds. :bassist:

Lowe fretless conversion neck w/ebony fingerboard + Squier VM P body with a Delano pup. Weight wasn't really a concern, but at 7 lbs. 3 oz., I can't complain.

A true frankenbass with 3 different types of hardware, (satin, chrome and black) and a truss rod cutout that isn't necessary. Sounds great though!

Fretless.jpg
 
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#5,463
steelbed45 said:
New bass day, courtesy of the TB classifieds. :bassist:

Lowe fretless conversion neck w/ebony fingerboard + Squier VM P body with a Delano pup. Weight wasn't really a concern, but at 7 lbs. 3 oz., I can't complain.

A true frankenbass with 3 different types of hardware, (satin, chrome and black) and a truss rod cutout that isn't necessary. Sounds great though!

View attachment 5124195
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Looks great! Hope it plays great!
 
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#5,464
Just received tortoise pickguard for the Squier modified Telecaster. Came with black pickguard decided to go with tortoise seems like really makes the cream finish pop out? Getting the four screws back in around the neck pickup was a challenge with the springs to align back up with the pickguard.
327070707_5683095985147101_3522407986013484523_n.jpg
IMG_1616.jpg
 
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#5,467
Chrome Dome said:
Just received tortoise pickguard for the Squier modified Telecaster. Came with black pickguard decided to go with tortoise seems like really makes the cream finish pop out? Getting the four screws back in around the bridge pickup was a challenge with the springs to align back up with the pickguard.View attachment 5124966 View attachment 5124967
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I think you meant the neck pickup if I'm not mistaken...that bass is a beauty...
 
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#5,468
Glennbassmann said:
I think you meant the neck pickup if I'm not mistaken...that bass is a beauty...
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Yes,Thanks,I meant the neck pickup. To get the tortoise pickguard on there,had to move strings out the way,and lift the pickup out of the cavity,so I could get the springs and screws attached to the pickguard. Wow!
 
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#5,470
I'd like to start a discussion on medium scale string tension. Ok, here goes a long post. About 4 years ago I switched from guitar to bass. I started with short scale basses and realized I could easily handle medium scale. Long scale 34" seemed like too much of a reach for me. I have 3 mediums at present. I also have a couple longs. I fell in love with TI flats and put them on all my basses. The medium and long scale sets have the same string gauges so naturally string tension is greater on the 34". Also the tone is more resonant and lively. (Same body paulownia wood) I really like the greater string tension and the longer reach doesn't bother me anymore. What are your experiences with medium scale string tension? I realize heavier gauge strings will increase the tension but that's not really an option with the TI flats. Thoughts please and try to remain civil and constructive.
 
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#5,471
Terry Farmer said:
I'd like to start a discussion on medium scale string tension. Ok, here goes a long post. About 4 years ago I switched from guitar to bass. I started with short scale basses and realized I could easily handle medium scale. Long scale 34" seemed like too much of a reach for me. I have 3 mediums at present. I also have a couple longs. I fell in love with TI flats and put them on all my basses. The medium and long scale sets have the same string gauges so naturally string tension is greater on the 34". Also the tone is more resonant and lively. (Same body paulownia wood) I really like the greater string tension and the longer reach doesn't bother me anymore. What are your experiences with medium scale string tension? I realize heavier gauge strings will increase the tension but that's not really an option with the TI flats. Thoughts please and try to remain civil and constructive.
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I'm glad you asked this. I'm a medium scale player too and would like to tune to C standard but haven't found any medium scale sets that are a thick enough gauge/have enough tension to not be floppy AF. Would love to hear peoples thoughts as well.
 
#5,472
I posted in the master list of 32" basses some pics of a couple of Greco 32"ers. The Greco Atomic AMB-42 and the PXB-400. I'm not too thrilled about the headstock on the AMB-42 but I guess it could grow on me if the bass itself was worth it Master List Of Medium 32" Scale Basses Only - Not For Short Scale 30"
PXB-400
shopping.jpeg


AMB-42
IMG_2869.jpg

I've also been looking at the Fernandes brand of 32"ers
 
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#5,473
I ordered the AMB-42 atomic. Cost me the equivalent of $300 usd postage inclusive, which seems a reasonable price going by Reverb. Look fwd to seeing it in the flesh. Will post a pic to join club when I get it. Will be my first 32" bass. I can always put a sock over the headstock he he
 
#5,475
halfwound121 said:
It wouldn't be the '80s if a sock wasn't required over something.
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He he. I'm wondering if someone from the bass shop I bought it from hangs out on TB and saw my mention of it. When I had a look yesterday it was 475 aud, but refreshed page not long ago and it was reduced to $425 aud + postage so I pulled the chain. I was thinking about spending no more than 500 all up for my first 32" no matter what I bought. I had looked at the Mezzo and could have got a near new one for a bit over 300. But I stuck to wanting an MIJ bass with a bit of character.
 
#5,476
Here is place I bought the Atomic from. The source of the previous pic I posted. Has some more shots of it. Love the dark fretboard and black is my favourite bass colour. A few of the reasons I passed on a second hand Mezzo that I saw was that it was red and the fretboard wasn't dark.
[This invalid link has been removed]
Going by the neck plate number which my less than perfect eyesight reads as C875322, the bass was made in the 3rd month of 1987 ( C = March). A good year. I am unsure when the Atomic AMB-42 first debuted. It is in a 1987 Greco catalogue here Greco Guitars Ads 1987 (1) - Vintage Japan Guitars
But I couldn't see it in some earlier catalogues on that site or here.Regardless, it is MIJ and is 80's. Now if only my hair would grow back he he
 
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#5,478
XsoGol said:
I'm glad you asked this. I'm a medium scale player too and would like to tune to C standard but haven't found any medium scale sets that are a thick enough gauge/have enough tension to not be floppy AF. Would love to hear peoples thoughts as well.
Click to expand...
I feel your pain. I haven't done lower tunings on a 32 because I haven't owned one. But when I get mine, I will be ditching the rounds on it and looking around for flatwounf strings in medium scale for D tuning, which I am doing on my Mikro ( with far from satisfactory downtuned 45-105 dunlop flats). If I want to maintain the Total Tension of the string set that the 32 will invariably be shipped with ( 45-105 nickel rounds no doubt). I'm only interested in flatwounds. Dunlop do a .125 as part of a medium scale set for a 5 stringer that I could get pretty much the same tension as a .105 in E, but if I wanted an averaged tension per string than .130 would be better Happy hunting.
If rounds are your thing, these string manufacturers have been posted in the Mikro club in the past and probably elsewhere on TB. Newtone strings based in England. They can do some custom humungus gauges Custom Bass String Configurator - Newtone Strings
The inputs seem to allow for a thorough customisation.
Kallium in the U.S can churn out some whopper rounds but I'm not up to speed how you choose for medium scale ( universal maybe) Wound | Kalium Music
 
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#5,480
Prodigus Filius said:
I feel your pain. I haven't done lower tunings on a 32 because I haven't owned one. But when I get mine, I will be ditching the rounds on it and looking around for flatwounf strings in medium scale for D tuning, which I am doing on my Mikro ( with far from satisfactory downtuned 45-105 dunlop flats). If I want to maintain the Total Tension of the string set that the 32 will invariably be shipped with ( 45-105 nickel rounds no doubt). I'm only interested in flatwounds. Dunlop do a .125 as part of a medium scale set for a 5 stringer that I could get pretty much the same tension as a .105 in E, but if I wanted an averaged tension per string than .130 would be better Happy hunting.
If rounds are your thing, these string manufacturers have been posted in the Mikro club in the past and probably elsewhere on TB. Newtone strings based in England. They can do some custom humungus gauges Custom Bass String Configurator - Newtone Strings
The inputs seem to allow for a thorough customisation.
Kallium in the U.S can churn out some whopper rounds but I'm not up to speed how you choose for medium scale ( universal maybe) Wound | Kalium Music
Click to expand...
Yeah...my only thought so far had been to order the Dunlop medium scale 5-string flats and throw away the G string...I will have to check the others out. I've also been toying with just getting a long scale set from a manufacturer who's total length is closer to 36" than 37.5".
 
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