I heard the band Wet Leg playing live on a late night talk show recently. It looked like the bass player was using a (Mustang?) short scale bass, it sounded great. His amp rig appeared to be an older Fender tube set up. I have frequently heard that short scales don't sound as good as long scale basses. Any thoughts?
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Wet Leg / Short scale bass
- Thread starter bulldean
- Start date
Depends on what sound you want. Short scale is less string tension so more pronounced fundamental relative to higher order harmonics. So short scale has less zing/piano sound and more thump in general. That can be very good or very bad depending on your application.
I have basses covering the gamut from 24” to 35”. Scale length does affect tone, sometimes that’s desirable. A lot of music has been recorded on short scale basses. It can be a bit tuby sometimes.
Mustangs have a unique sound due to scale length and the pickup. They sound fantastic if that’s the sound you want/need. Very vintage smooth and round and warm.
Mustangs have a unique sound due to scale length and the pickup. They sound fantastic if that’s the sound you want/need. Very vintage smooth and round and warm.
"Short scales don't sound as good as long scale basses" is tantamount to saying long-scale basses tuned a whole step lower (DGCF or D standard) don't sound good.
They don't sound worse. They don't sound better. They sound different, just as Jazz basses and P basses sound different.
#1: That is likely coming from people not using short scale basses.
#2: Try for yourself and choose what you prefer.
the bass in Wet Leg sounds great. If it’s a short scale then so be it.
Singer can wail too
Singer can wail too
It looks like he's taken a JMJ Mustang and beaten the crap out of it. They're a fun band.
You could switch between a short scale and long scale each song and the only person who might hear a difference is a fellow bass player in the audience. Do the scale lengths sound different? Sure, I guess a little bit. But do they sound 98% alike? Yes. Ultimately, both will sound like a bass to a non-bass player.
Play what you want to play.
My thought is you are listening to the wrong people. It's an incorrect statement.
Looks like a JMJ Mustang, nice basses.
I guess we need to pull up that long list of famous short scale players and tell them a long scale would sound better.
I've been favouring a Sire U5, which is 30" scale. Digging the solid thump with less overtones. Engineers love it, too.
Sounds worse???
Tell that to the Rolling Stones. Bill Wyman played almost nothing but shorties.
Talking Heads?.. Tina rocked shorties too.
And then there's that McCartney guy.
Ive got one of both. And I suggest everyone should.
Tell that to the Rolling Stones. Bill Wyman played almost nothing but shorties.
Talking Heads?.. Tina rocked shorties too.
And then there's that McCartney guy.
Ive got one of both. And I suggest everyone should.
I used to have a Mustang PJ that was zingy as hell with rounds on it. I think it has more to with pickups and strings than it does scale length.
Sir Paul played a Hofner shorty. Mike Watt plays a Gibson EB3.
It’s not about worse or better.
One night recently I watched 4 bass players play the same stage and the short scale player had tone and groove for days over the rest. The player matters a lot.
If you tune down or want to go really low, there can be some challenges for a clearer note at times, but there are short scale five string builders for that which focus on that goal. Bluesman Vintage or Rob Allen are great examples.
In vacuum, I can notice a tonal difference sometimes. Like the first time I heard “Pizza Boy” by Everything Everything, I knew it had to be a short scale. It’s easier to get a boxy tone if that’s what you’re going for on the track…. Which isn’t a bad thing. Sometimes it’s the perfect thing, but it’s just one of many tones they can make.
One night recently I watched 4 bass players play the same stage and the short scale player had tone and groove for days over the rest. The player matters a lot.
If you tune down or want to go really low, there can be some challenges for a clearer note at times, but there are short scale five string builders for that which focus on that goal. Bluesman Vintage or Rob Allen are great examples.
In vacuum, I can notice a tonal difference sometimes. Like the first time I heard “Pizza Boy” by Everything Everything, I knew it had to be a short scale. It’s easier to get a boxy tone if that’s what you’re going for on the track…. Which isn’t a bad thing. Sometimes it’s the perfect thing, but it’s just one of many tones they can make.
Some people use a short scale bass because it imparts a particular sound that they like. Some people use them because the scale is easier for their hands/body. I’d say if you’re chasing a dingwall type sound, a short scale is going to be further away from the sound you want.
