• TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
    Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
    Join free Log in
    Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.

very tall guy... short scale

#22
Look at Angus Young, he makes that SG look HUGE, yet no one says he can't play it.
OTOH, my guitar playing buddy used to have an SG, and he made it look tiny. He's well over 6' and hasn't missed many meals.
I'm around 5'10", and prefer regular scale basses. I have long arms and a wide finger spread, so it's more of a comfort thing.
 
#24
If it feels and sounds good, the hell with how it looks.
I got made fun of at a practice for how silly they thought I looked playing a short scale (epi EB0) I'm 6.3 about 285, so I showed up to gig with my daughter's Ibanez micro
 
#25
mazareth said:
Keep this in mind: Most non-musician in the audience won't know the difference. Also, you're 6'8". Who's going to call you on it?!? :D Play the instrument that's most comfortable to you.

Regarding non-musicians - More than once on a set break I've had somebody at the bar ask me which instrument I play. This after having watched me and the band for a full set or two?
Click to expand...

+ 1. I believe that Mazareth speaks truth. At the very most, you might take a ribbing from you buds in the band. The audience won't know the difference. Only another bass player in the audience would realize the difference and he'll probably figure that if you can do it, then he should feel free to do it too.
 
#27
I found this old picture of my son right after we got it... this was ten years ago.. wow

bronco-1.jpg


tonight I ordered some flats to go on it, so I can A/B it with my t40 to see of I really want to make the change...
 
#30
I'm 6'6" and sometimes play a Kay 162 Reissue on stage...30.5" scale. Face it, we're funny looking holding normal sized stuff. Shorter basses look like guitars or even ukuleles....ha! We just have to take it & that's it. I don't see any reason to worry about it. People have been staring at us all our lives.
 
#31
soxhats said:
Ever seen Bakithi Kumalo playing his U-Bass?

'Nuff said. Don't give this another thought.
Click to expand...

I have no idea who Bakithi Kumalo is and I'm too lazy to Google him. I presume he is a big fella. However, the one bass player I ever saw play a U-Bass was over 6' and not exactly skinny. Nobody saw a problem with it.

Me, I'm a short guy with long arms. My arms like regular scale. My short, arthritic fingers like my SS Jag.

Like everyone else said, the audience thinks you're playing a guitar (Hey, isn't there a rule against profanity on TB?) anyway, so what's the problem?
 
#37
Thanks guys, you've been a huge help. My flats will come in this week, and i'll try it out with the band, and make sure the sound is what I want for classic rock. I hate to put away my t40, especially because i'm in the final stages of giving it a sunburst finish, but I gotta do what's best for my back


I can't get over what a 5 pound difference feels like. It's almost like i'm not even holding anything
 
#38
Cheers to this thread. Giants unite! I am 6'5" 2 (fat) lol and I love my 76 Mustang. Yes, I feel as though I could body double for "Shrek 4 - the big guy starts a band" but that would work, because my singer is a jackass.

I also own a headless. Yes, my name on the board should be changed to GluttonForPunishmentBass. :D

Seriously tho, I like me, I like the sound and the feel, so why argue with what u like?

Rock on.
 
#39
Play it! It looks fine. People play short-scale basses, no big deal.

My double-bass has a huge 9" endpin sticking out, it's what I need to have my bass ergonomically situated to properly play it. Most upright players don't have quite so much endpin showing, so an extra-long endpin may look odd to some, I don't care.

Oh, btw, I'm just a shorty at 6'5" and plan on getting a Ubass as a backup to my upright.
 

Latest posts

Top Bottom
Back