Wet Leg / Short scale bass

[Wood and Wire]

Side note, if you are a tall guy, like me, you might look odd with a shortscale strapped on. They look like a toy on me. I'd be too self conscious to play them on stage. But they are great for little guys, like Bill Wyman.

My friend was 6'7" and skinny as a bean pole, and he only played a Mustang bass.

I don't think he thought twice about it, but it did occasionally get commented on - but mostly it just made him look even taller, which at the time wasn't that out of the ordinary, as there were plenty of gigantic bassists in the alt-rock scene (Krist Novoselic of Nirvana also 6'7" / both bassists in Ned's Atomic Dustbin are over 6' - Alex is 6'5" I believe) though none spring to mind who were playing short scale basses.

 

[Wood and Wire]

I've owned a shortscale StingRay. I've owned/own a load of shortscales, many of them active. The roundness and and lesser definition are related to string tension.

Does an active shortscale sound brighter than a Hofner? Of course. Does a shortscale Ray sound as defined and piano-like as a longscale Ray? No.

Maybe not what you were inferring, but the short scale StingRay is passive.

 

[foothilla]

My friend was 6'7" and skinny as a bean pole, and he only played a Mustang bass.

I don't think he thought twice about it, but it did occasionally get commented on - but mostly it just made him look even taller, which at the time wasn't that out of the ordinary, as there were plenty of gigantic bassists in the alt-rock scene (Krist Novoselic of Nirvana also 6'7" / both bassists in Ned's Atomic Dustbin are over 6' - Alex is 6'5" I believe) though none spring to mind who were playing short scale basses.

Some people don't care what their instrument looks like, but many do. I had a Maruszczyk Cazpar headless that I used to take to rehearsals, because it was easy to take on my motorcycle. Bandmates were relentless about how odd the bass looked. I understood why, it didn't look like a traditional bass, particularly on a guy that is 6'4".

 

[foothilla]

Maybe not what you were inferring, but the short scale StingRay is passive.

Indeed. I was referencing the many active shortscales out there, where the tone is less warm and wooly than a Hofner.....but the note is still less defined.

 

[gln1955]

Some people don't care what their instrument looks like, but many do. I had a Maruszczyk Cazpar headless that I used to take to rehearsals, because it was easy to take on my motorcycle. Bandmates were relentless about how odd the bass looked. I understood why, it didn't look like a traditional bass, particularly on a guy that is 6'4".

I've never thought twice about how I look with a SS bass. I've also never heard a hint of disparaging remarks from anyone, including other bass players. A few have been interested or eeven asked to play my Maruszczyk and Acinonyx. It's good to play with and for grownups.

 

[T McClure]

I've never thought twice about how I look with a SS bass. I've also never heard a hint of disparaging remarks from anyone, including other bass players. A few have been interested or eeven asked to play my Maruszczyk and Acinonyx. It's good to play with and for grownups.

I also think the only people who will notice are other bass players. So maybe 5% of the audience.

 

[HelpImaRock]

I've never thought twice about how I look with a SS bass. I've also never heard a hint of disparaging remarks from anyone, including other bass players. A few have been interested or eeven asked to play my Maruszczyk and Acinonyx. It's good to play with and for grownups.

I've had a couple of people comment on how my Guild Starfire looks and feels like a guitar, as though that was a disparaging comment. They're annoyed at how good it sounds and it's a reflection on them as a person.

Just play what you want. This whole machismo thing regarding "proper instruments" is silly.

 

[foothilla]

I've never thought twice about how I look with a SS bass. I've also never heard a hint of disparaging remarks from anyone, including other bass players. A few have been interested or eeven asked to play my Maruszczyk and Acinonyx. It's good to play with and for grownups.

If you like it, play it. I'm not disparaging anyone from owning shortscales and doing what they want. I have owned/own a ton of shortscales and think they are super fun to play. I've talked about my many shortscales on this forum for years.

I'm just saying that if you are tall and play in public, people will notice, and some will think it's odd. Personally, I like to blend in on stage, not stand out. But you do you.

 

[foothilla]

I also think the only people who will notice are other bass players. So maybe 5% of the audience.

Other non-bass-playing musicians notice. Guitarists and drummers are the ones who have commented the most in my experience. Other bass players are the least judgmental of the bunch.

 

[foothilla]

Alembic Stanley Clarke has none of the "limitations" mentioned above.

BBB

I've owned one of Stanley's Alembics. Not a Stanley Clarke model, but literally one of his basses, custom made for him, owned by him and played by him.
When you pull the piccolo strings off and set it up with normal strings, in normal tuning, the limitations come out.

I ended up selling it to a guy in France. I don't know how Stanley plays those things. It weighed 13 pounds and had the worst balance/neck-dive of any instrument I ever played.

 

[foothilla]

I exclusively record these days so in theory what I'm doing should expose the subtleties of long versus short scale more relative to a live environment. But ultimately, when you slap your effects set up on and put the instrument in the mix with all the other stuff swirling around, the difference between long and short-scale fades pretty quick, so these days, I think more about what's playable.

If this were true shortscales would be the most popular scale.
With a wider fret spacing and a longer reach, people aren't predominately playing longscales just because they like a challenge.

 

[Makten]

Oh, the old "who cares what you look like" argument.

I know people think it's cool to say that. I used to tell myself that. But the large majority of people care what they look like on stage, and they very much care what their instrument looks like. I've come to accept that some vanity is normal for most of us.

I didn't say I don't care what I look like. But thinking anyone cares what size your bass is (unless extremely small or extremely large) is just silly. Maybe 0.1% of the audience will even notice, and they won't care either.

 

[burpgun]

If this were true shortscales would be the most popular scale.
With a wider fret spacing and a longer reach, people aren't predominately playing longscales just because they like a challenge.

There are subtle difference but again, they get pretty washed away in full band contexts and a lot of recording situations once the full mix is in play. I don't know what your bass playing situation is like so maybe you've confronted this, maybe you haven't.

Beyond that, 34 inch scale was pretty much the default as that's what Leo Fender went for at the start, and as we know, his basses pretty much defined and still define the industry. Even now a new player is likely to go to a shop and see a wall of long scales and just go for it. Add to that, shorties were pitched as student models for a long so they had and still have some stigma around them.

I'm fine with both. The best instruments I own are long scale and I'm fine playing them. But I'd hazard a guess that most players even to this day don't even have short-scales on their radar when buying unless there's an ergonomic concern. At the same time it's been a short-scale renaissance in recent years at all price points, so something's changed. And as a final point the real gold scale is 32 inch!

 

[foothilla]

I didn't say I don't care what I look like. But thinking anyone cares what size your bass is (unless extremely small or extremely large) is just silly. Maybe 0.1% of the audience will even notice, and they won't care either.

Well, I'm not sure where you live, but I know it's not Los Angeles.

 

[foothilla]

There are subtle difference but again, they get pretty washed away in full band contexts and a lot of recording situations once the full mix is in play. I don't know what your bass playing situation is like so maybe you've confronted this, maybe you haven't.

Beyond that, 34 inch scale was pretty much the default as that's what Leo Fender went for at the start, and as we know, his basses pretty much defined and still define the industry. Even now a new player is likely to go to a shop and see a wall of long scales and just go for it. Add to that, shorties were pitched as student models for a long so they had and still have some stigma around them.

I'm fine with both. The best instruments I own are long scale and I'm fine playing them. But I'd hazard a guess that most players even to this day don't even have short-scales on their radar when buying unless there's an ergonomic concern. At the same time it's been a short-scale renaissance in recent years at all price points, so something's changed. And as a final point the real gold scale is 32 inch!

I like all scales, including 32". But, unlike you, I find they all offer something sonically different (not even factoring in the electronics). The fundamental differences primarily revolve around string tension, relative to string gauge. For instance, if you really dig in on a shortscale, the intonation on your E string is going to get really wonky. You can compensate with a super heavy string gauge, or by playing way back at the bridge, but then those things alter your tone as well - keeping it from mimicking the response of an E string on a 34" scale. Stretch that E out to 36" and it gets even more taut and piano-like, and you can dig in even harder without throwing off your intonation. One scale isn't necessarily better than the other. What we find appealing is all subjective.

I don't think Leo Fender starting with a 34" has much to do with the longevity. People aren't still driving around in cars that are designed off of Ford Model T specs. Basketball players aren't still wearing flat-footed Converse All-Stars. Gibson was popular and making shortscale basses by 1953, but people just didn't take to them the same way.

 

[Makten]

Well, I'm not sure where you live, but I know it's not Los Angeles.

Nope, and it seems I should be happy about that.

Let's put it like this: People that care about the size of my bass, are not worth caring about.

 

[foothilla]

Nope, and it seems I should be happy about that.

Let's put it like this: People that care about the size of my bass, are not worth caring about.

Yes indeed. Los Angeles is not for everyone. It's the best and worst of what America has to offer.

That's great that you aren't self-conscious. My comment was directed towards those of us that are.

 

[Makten]

Yes indeed. Los Angeles is not for everyone. It's the best and worst of what America has to offer.

That's great that you aren't self-conscious. My comment was directed towards those of us that are.

There is nothing preventing one to be self-conscious without caring about people that judge you based on the size of your bass.

Over and out.

 

[HaphAsSard]

Bandmates were relentless about how odd the bass looked.

What about electric guitars? A point that's already been made, but which you've conveniently chosen to ignore. Do tall guitarists get laughed off the stage where you're at unless they play White Falcons?
Hey, go tell Randy short people got a new reason to live: move to LA and fill guitarist positions left open by beanpoles!

Look, I get it: your bandmates are shallow. I'd get self-conscious too.

 

[gln1955]

Being self-conscious about the size of your bass, the brand, the color, playing with a pick, not playing with a pick, etc., is no way to go through life.