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The Official Medium Scale Bass Club

#5,841
In my experience, scale is just one factor in the playability mix of dimensions. Others are the bridge position relative to the body end, and the front strap lock position relative to the fretboard. In the first instance, a Fender Rascal bass is a 30" scale but the bridge to nut distance is pushed forward making it similar to the reach on a P bass when you strap it on. The Cardinal had the front strap button well above the 12th fret where most Fender-shaped bodies have them, also causing the body to hang forward when you strap it on. Another example is a Gibson SG/EB where the front strap button is at the neck/body joint, making the reach to the 1st fret pretty far. It also adds a lot to neck-dive.
 
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#5,842
image.jpg

Here is my official entry. Squier CV Jaguar PJ medium scale with mods.
Brass nut, high mass bridge, Dimarzio Split P/Ultra Jazz, and a custom wired control plate. Control plate from top to down, series/parallel for pups, 3 way P/both/J, and a cap selector switch .022/none/.047. I also wired a 1meg resistor across the hot and ground of the output jack to add just a hint of a resistance load on the output.

Edit; Just put a set of Ernie Ball Cobalt Roundwounds on it and damn those sound great.
 
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#5,843
AK Bass Guy said:
View attachment 5486543
Here is my official entry. Squier CV Jaguar PJ medium scale with mods.
Brass nut, high mass bridge, Dimarzio Split P/Ultra Jazz, and a custom wired control plate. Control plate from top to down, series/parallel for pups, 3 way P/both/J, and a cap selector switch .022/none/.047. I also wired a 1meg resistor across the hot and ground of the output jack to add just a hint of a resistance load on the output.

Edit; Just put a set of Ernie Ball Cobalt Roundwounds on it and damn those sound great.
Click to expand...
Are you using regular length strings? If not, what's the winding length on the strings?
 
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#5,844
DJWhitJr said:
Are you using regular length strings? If not, what's the winding length on the strings?
Click to expand...
Yes. 34 scale strings. No silks on EB cobalt Roundwounds. I also cheated a little. I have a lot of travel on my bridge saddles, so I move the bridge down a 1/4" or more ,so only string that had the "singing" part on the post was the A and E. There is little to no taper on the A string and the E had a little bit of the fat part on the post but it eventually rapped and tightens. Just go slow.

Edit; This is my first dive into 32s but what it seems like to me if you can find non silked strings and stick to roundwound it should work. Experiment at you own risk.
 
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#5,845
image.jpg

Here you go. And I was wrong about the A its taper is pre post, so without my shift on the bridge a little bit of the fat part of the A would have been on the post.

Here you can see the distance I shifted the bridge in comparison to saddle placement.
image.jpg
 
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#5,846
Other than Sarek (which is out of my price point) and the Spector Bantam 5 (hmmm, maybe) what other medium scale 5 string basses are out there?
I am in process of returning a 5 string Michael Kelly Custom Collection Element 5R for neck scratches and underperforming tuners. It is 35" scale, which I realized is not going to work for me, and made me accept that 34" is also a bit much. I am currently wheelchair bound and it's easier for me to sit and fiddle with shorter scale basses.
Any 5 string ideas at 32"?
 

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#5,847
Jarneskeg said:
Other than Sarek (which is out of my price point) and the Spector Bantam 5 (hmmm, maybe) what other medium scale 5 string basses are out there?
I am in process of returning a 5 string Michael Kelly Custom Collection Element 5R for neck scratches and underperforming tuners. It is 35" scale, which I realized is not going to work for me, and made me accept that 34" is also a bit much. I am currently wheelchair bound and it's easier for me to sit and fiddle with shorter scale basses.
Any 5 string ideas at 32"?
Click to expand...
Sweetwater has great filter searches for basses. Here is what I found.
https://www.sweetwater.com/c582--5_...6eyJTY2FsZSBMZW5ndGgiOlsiMzJcIiIsIjMwXCIiXX19

It looks like 5 strings in 32 scale for mass produced are limited.
Probably have to go custom shop basses if the mass produced market doesn't have them.
 
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#5,848
Jarneskeg said:
Other than Sarek (which is out of my price point) and the Spector Bantam 5 (hmmm, maybe) what other medium scale 5 string basses are out there?
I am in process of returning a 5 string Michael Kelly Custom Collection Element 5R for neck scratches and underperforming tuners. It is 35" scale, which I realized is not going to work for me, and made me accept that 34" is also a bit much. I am currently wheelchair bound and it's easier for me to sit and fiddle with shorter scale basses.
Any 5 string ideas at 32"?
Click to expand...

I have the Bantam 5. Most of the others that were enticing were Mensinger (like the hollowbody joker in the classifieds right now). I went with the Spector because I was able to try it out in person.

Biggest issue with medium scale 5 string is still string selection IMO. DR Sun or high beams are what I've settled on but wish I had more choices.
 
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#5,849
Jarneskeg said:
Other than Sarek (which is out of my price point) and the Spector Bantam 5 (hmmm, maybe) what other medium scale 5 string basses are out there?
I am in process of returning a 5 string Michael Kelly Custom Collection Element 5R for neck scratches and underperforming tuners. It is 35" scale, which I realized is not going to work for me, and made me accept that 34" is also a bit much. I am currently wheelchair bound and it's easier for me to sit and fiddle with shorter scale basses.
Any 5 string ideas at 32"?
Click to expand...
Ibanez makes one, and so does MTD in the Kingston line:
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Ibanez also has two models in their headless range that are 32"-30" multiscale:
EHB1005SMS | EHB | ELECTRIC BASSES | PRODUCTS | Ibanez guitars
EHB1505SMS | EHB | ELECTRIC BASSES | PRODUCTS | Ibanez guitars
 
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#5,850
AK Bass Guy said:
Sweetwater has great filter searches for basses. Here is what I found.
https://www.sweetwater.com/c582--5_...6eyJTY2FsZSBMZW5ndGgiOlsiMzJcIiIsIjMwXCIiXX19

It looks like 5 strings in 32 scale for mass produced are limited.
Probably have to go custom shop basses if the mass produced market doesn't have them.
Click to expand...

Thanks. Now here's a funny - I had been checking out the Ibanez EHB Headless 5-string Bass at Sweetwater last week and totally missed that it was short scale. It was the Nordstrand pups that caught my eye.
Actually, the EHB1005SMS that who mentioned ticks a lot of boxes. Been wanting to try both roasted maple and multi scale and the price point is a little better for me. Headless is something I would not have considered previously, but it would be a plus considering I occasionally knock over stuff with my headstock .
 
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#5,857
Markshan said:
If I may, I also have T-Rex arms and can't recommend the Arias at this point because of the lack of a top horn. I have found in my experimentation that even more than scale length, getting the strap button to about the eleventh fret places the instrument in the optimal position for playing at the first fret. In fact, my Steinberger style I made with an added horn is probably most comfortable for me now even though it's a 34" scale. It's too bad I don't find the Aria comfortable because it is the best sounding bass I own IMHO.
Click to expand...
Thanks!
 
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#5,858
Thought I would share some info about my most recent 32" medium scale Maruszczyk custom order I placed back in May. I use to have a great little 30" scale of this same model that @halfwound121 now owns (hope he still enjoys?). :cool:

It is a Marusczcyk Elwood L (chambered) 32"
Body: Alder with chosen Cocobolo top
Neck: Roasted flamed Maple with chosen White Ebony fretboard (1.5" nut)
Pickups: Delano Xtender P/humbucker set
Preamp: Delano Sonar 3 with a 3 way coil selector switch for the humbucker.
Hardware: Hipshot A style aluminum bridge (18mm spacing) & Hipshot utralite mini clover tuners

I was able to choose this Cocobolo top and White Ebony fretboard, pics below.
It should be completed in about 3-4 months. :thumbsup:

LdhdBUK.png

R6xylVh.jpg

uQjd08g.jpg
 
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#5,859
TK4261 said:
Thought I would share some info about my most recent 32" medium scale Maruszczyk custom order I placed back in May. I use to have a great little 30" scale of this same model that @halfwound121 now owns (hope he still enjoys?). :cool:

It is a Marusczcyk Elwood L (chambered) 32"
Body: Alder with chosen Cocobolo top
Neck: Roasted flamed Maple with chosen White Ebony fretboard (1.5" nut)
Pickups: Delano Xtender P/humbucker set
Preamp: Delano Sonar 3 with a 3 way coil selector switch for the humbucker.
Hardware: Hipshot A style aluminum bridge (18mm spacing) & Hipshot utralite mini clover tuners

I was able to choose this Cocobolo top and White Ebony fretboard, pics below.
It should be completed in about 3-4 months. :thumbsup:

LdhdBUK.png

R6xylVh.jpg

uQjd08g.jpg
Click to expand...
I do still have it, and it's a keeper. Absolutely wonderful bass.

IMG_0543.jpeg
 
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