• 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.

Why DON'T you play a short-scale?

#161
I repeat myself when under stress
I repeat myself when under stress
I repeat myself when under stress....

:D

Here they are - my medium scale Fenders - and not a dead spot ANYWHERE among em. That is correct, not even a HINT of a dead spot, we are talking PERFECTION here with virtually equal sustain all the way up on every fret:

51-P-Bass%20Sideways.png


Jazz%20Sideways.png


Hot-Rod-Bass%20Sideways.png


Hamm%20Sideways.png


Maybe I gave up too soon, but NEVER found a full scale that didn't have problems in this regard.

Two more Fenders on the way soon!

Be pluckin you mothas...

BassHappy
www.innertainment.net
 
#162
Had a wonderful Guild B-30 many years ago. The short scale limited its tone, feel and sustain. I played for many years on '60's EBOs and an EB2D so I can't at all take away from you who deliver great sound. Jack Bruce & Felix Pappalardi brought it! Say what you will. I know Jack Casady used Pyramid Golds to deliver his serious tone but the longer the scale the more tonal possibilities. Lay under a 9ft. Steinway, Yamaha, or Bosendorfer and you won't argue this. Yamaha makes an upright with the string length exceeding their Baby Grandes and it just blows them away.

Please enjoy what you like and what works for you.
 
#163
jcorneli said:
Do you believe that? Leo would have settled on 32" or 35", but for one very interesting feature of the 34" inch scale. Line it up to the 25.5" scale from the contemporary Telecaster. The frets are in the same places, starting from the bridge-end of the fingerboard.

Manufacturing a bass that shared neck/fingerboard tooling is what determined the decision of 34".
Click to expand...

If you put a capo at the second fret of a 34" scale neck you get very close to a 30" scale.
 
#164
Immigrant said:
It's all subjective. [...] Is a bass tuned an octave higher a bass? Yes and no. Is a Fender Bass VI a bass or a baritone guitar? Are ERBs with 11 strings a bass?
Click to expand...
It's not so subjective:

bass2

bass (bâs) noun
Music.
1. A low-pitched sound or tone.
2. The tones in the lowest register of an instrument.
3. The lowest part in vocal or instrumental part music.
4. a. A male singing voice of the lowest range. b. A singer who has such a voice.
5. An instrument, especially a double bass, that produces tones in a low register.

adjective
1. Having a deep tone.
2. Low in pitch.

(From the Middle English bas, "lowest musical part", from bas, "low".)
Click to expand...

It's only subjective if you argue opinions. But with regard to the actual meaning of the word, there's no confusion or debate: bass = deep, low, lowest.
 
#165
BassHappy said:
I repeat myself when under stress
I repeat myself when under stress
I repeat myself when under stress....

:D

Here they are - my medium scale Fenders - and not a dead spot ANYWHERE among em. That is correct, not even a HINT of a dead spot, we are talking PERFECTION here with virtually equal sustain all the way up on every fret:

51-P-Bass%20Sideways.png
Click to expand...

The more I look at it, the more I like it. I do think it's good!
I wish I was there to see it!
 
#166
esa372 said:
It's not so subjective:



It's only subjective if you argue opinions. But with regard to the actual meaning of the word, there's no confusion or debate: bass = deep, low, lowest.
Click to expand...

Thanks for clearing that up. So if someone posts a question about tuning up to piccolo range, it's no longer bass? There was a recent thread about an 11-string ERB and half the posts got deleted by mods because people referred to it as a harp (self) and questioned whether or not it was really still a bass.

I have a basic :p understanding of the word, but in this context isn't "bass" a noun?

Thanks again.
 
#167
Immigrant said:
Thanks for clearing that up. So if someone posts a question about tuning up to piccolo range, it's no longer bass? There was a recent thread about an 11-string ERB and half the posts got deleted by mods because people referred to it as a harp (self) and questioned whether or not it was really still a bass.

I have a basic :p understanding of the word, but in this context isn't "bass" a noun?

Thanks again.
Click to expand...

For me, it just has to pass the duck test. I have a very broad definition of what passes.
 
#168
Started out on a 34" Fender Precision, but discovered a shorter scale worked better for me due to:
short fingers :(, a broken left pinky :bawl: and that I'm basically a drummer that owns basses :rollno:

To each his own - play what works for you :)

My short scale is a 24" Telstar
My medium scale is a 28.5" Mikro
My long scale is a 30" SX Jazz & Stagg Fusion
All5040713_zps0ee2db80.jpg
 
#173
jcorneli said:
Leo would have settled on 32" or 35", but for one very interesting feature of the 34" inch scale. Line it up to the 25.5" scale from the contemporary Telecaster. The frets are in the same places, starting from the bridge-end of the fingerboard.

Manufacturing a bass that shared neck/fingerboard tooling is what determined the decision of 34".
Click to expand...

A 34 inch scale does match the fret positions of a 25.5 inch scale very well but it is not unique in that respect. All these scales:

25.5; 30.33; 32.13; 34.05; 36.05

have fret positions that line up to within 0.0005 inches. Leo could have chosen any of them to minimize his tooling cost. If there were some compelling reason to choose 30 or 32 inches he'd have saved nearly the same amount in tooling.

If you personally find some compelling reason to prefer 30 inches over 34 I understand your displeasure over the fact that the longer scale is predominate. I don't, however, think you can blame the Telecaster's fret tooling for the supremacy of the 34 inch scale.

Ken
 
#174
I don't play a shortscale, because I don't have one! Thats also the reason I don't play a P-Bass, an Accoustic Bass, or many other kinds of bass that I regularly GAS about!!

That being said, I just ordered a cheap SS P-Bass and some piccolo strings to give the piccolo thing a whirl.

I would really have liked to get a SS Tele-Bass, but I believe that they are all 32", so I just got a cheapy 30" for now to experiment with.
 
#176
Longer scales as a class have a naturally better sound. Maybe there are some shorties that sound better than some standard scale basses, but in general longer strings sound better.

Having said that, I love my Ibanez Mikro 5-string. It sounds not half bad and it's comfortable to sit and play in a reclining chair in front of the TV.
 

Latest posts

Top Bottom
Back