What scale bass do you play and why? A Poll

[Baird6869]

It's been a number of years since I saw a poll regarding scale and I am interested to see if preferences have changed (as mine have), so here we go....

What is the scale of your main/favorite bass?

What kind of bass is it and what do you like about it?

Personally, I am really loving my 33" Fodera 5er. I have small hands, so the 33" scale makes it much easier for me to play in the first few positions than the bunch of 35" basses I have owned over the years. Also, the 33" B string sounds pretty damned good!

What about you?

 

[cfsporn]

I play whatever scale length the bass I want to play is. However, my favorite sounding and playing scale length is 36".

 

[JACink]

How about the option to select various? I mainly play 30" 32" and 34", depending on the day and mood.

 

[Gorn]

34" for whatever kind of bass I have. I used to have long and short scales but it screwed up my muscle memory. I don't understand how people can easily switch between scales.

 

[DWBass]

No choice for me. I play a 34" scale 4 string and a 35" scale 5 string.

 

[hopsbb]

I'm mixed between 30,32 and 34.I normally gig my 30's the most.Two SG's and a Hofner but on occasion I'll bring one of my Tbirds or P bass.It really just depends on set list.Then once a month or so I gig my acoustic which is 34.So I'm all over the place when it comes to scale.Sitting around the house I play my Cabbie a lot which is 32.I've yet to gig it though.I don't have any issues swapping between scales.I do find my 30's more comfortable to play.

 

[blindrabbit]

33" scale. Once I tried one at this scale, it was amazing how "right" it felt. I don't think I ever would have complained before about what 34" was like (although I knew I definitely didn't like 35"), but now that I've had a 33" bass be my main player for a year, there really is no going back.

I've tried short scales before (30", 30.5"), and they've always felt too small. As noted above, anything over 34" was always a definite no-go for me. I'm curious about 32" though, eventually I'll get around to trying one of those out.

 

[20db pad]

For practicality and the sake of convenience, I almost always play 34". I love the low strings on the 36" I had a while back, but the D and G always seemed really strident and odd sounding. The Dingwall I had - 37" to 34" - solved that problem, I'll get another one sometime.

 

[woodyng2]

I primarily play Rickenbackers,which have a unique scale (33.25" i think). I'm most at home on them,or a standard 34" scale. Don't really like SS,and the only longer scale bass i ever tried to play (35") didn't feel good to me either.

 

[Funkmabassup]

34, When playing shortscale basses I get some muscle memory issues and actually have too focus on were too put my fingers so I stick too 34

 

[Moving Pictures]

I prefer 34" scale but would love to try 32" or 33" scale. I mostly play Fenders but do love my 30" scale Gibson SG. I have one 35" scale bass, a Cirrus, but I don't enjoy playing it in first position. I also tend to find the D and G strings a bit thin sounding.

It is very hard to find decent medium scale basses here and yet I think they would be an excellent compromise tone wise and ideal ergonomically. I may just have to search out a Dingwall and try one out. They sound like an excellent ergonomic style bass. The few I've heard sounded great.

 

[DiabolusInMusic]

I play 34" out of preference but I do have a Dingwall 4-banger, which works out to 36" on the E (I think 32" on the G but I am probably wrong.) I have never noticed a benefit from 35" and I don't need my B beyond the first octave, so I am happy with a 34" B string. I learned on a short-scale. I had no idea there was such a thing until I got my first Squier (Affinity.) I do not have a yearning to go back.

 

[Bob_Ross]

How about the option to select various?

^^^This, please.

I currently own (3) basses with 35" scale and (4) basses with 34" scale. I switch between them regularly depending on the needs of the gig.

If I had unlimited wherewithal I'd also own at least (1) 32", (1) 39.5", (1) fanned fret 37"-33.25", and probably even (1) 30"
But the bulk of my collection would still be 34" and 35".

 

[LowEndOperative]

Playing a 34" scale presently, but will hopefully soon head back to 35".

 

[exidor]

34 here but 32'' 33'' is appealing to me cuz of neck injury, reaching the arm on 34'' works fine but when I had my Warwick 34'' it felt like with the body in a comfortable position seemed to have the neck further out making me reach out more & when I would adjust the bass for a comfy neck the body felt pushed back to the right. so traditional P & J styles seem to lay in a sweet spot for me.

 

[MobileHolmes]

34. That's how big basses are

 

[fjadams]

Only play 30" shorties.

Anything longer just helps to deforest the planet.

 

[Gravedigger Dav]

34 is what I have played forever. I don't see any reason to try anything shorter. I doubt my fingers can stretch far enough to play anything longer.

 

[Baird6869]

How about the option to select various? I mainly play 30" 32" and 34", depending on the day and mood.

I play other scales as well.

Figured I would get a better indication of what people prefer by not allowing everyone to pick 30", 34" and 35" (as an example).

 

[wcriley]

No choice in the poll for those of us using multi-scale fanned fret instruments.