I like higher tension heavy strings on the top. Appreciate the super deep wooly tone of a typical short scale now and then however.
Enjoy the benefits of a premium membership!
Upgrade Account
-
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 would anyone play a bass longer than 30" scale?
- Thread starter MakoMan
- Start date
I played 30.5 (a beatlebass copy whose neck soon got grafted onto a homemade 'Alembic point' solidbody) and then 30.0 (a Rickenbacker 3000) almost exclusively for my first 20 years. Back then (70s/80s) there was a real shortage of high-quality short scales (unlike today!). But I was a true short-scale fanatic, was always on the lookout for a good one.
Hundreds of basses later, I now have 27, 30.5, 31, 32(multiple), 34(multiple) and 35 and really really like 32 the best. I prefer medium scale only for the feel. In retrospect it's a bit weird to say that, because 'plus or minus one fret from the nut' - actually ALL 30/32/34 basses have identical fret spacing!
Regardless, the true short scales are somehow feeling cramped nowadays, that's the best way I can describe it. I recently custom ordered the most expensive brand new 'production' bass I have ever owned, and it's a medium scale. I expect it will replace most of my other basses, at least for playing out. **Currently plagued by severe local magnetic noise issues so by sheer necessity recording with a 34 exclusively as it's the only bass in the house with lightwave pickups...
Hundreds of basses later, I now have 27, 30.5, 31, 32(multiple), 34(multiple) and 35 and really really like 32 the best. I prefer medium scale only for the feel. In retrospect it's a bit weird to say that, because 'plus or minus one fret from the nut' - actually ALL 30/32/34 basses have identical fret spacing!
Regardless, the true short scales are somehow feeling cramped nowadays, that's the best way I can describe it. I recently custom ordered the most expensive brand new 'production' bass I have ever owned, and it's a medium scale. I expect it will replace most of my other basses, at least for playing out. **Currently plagued by severe local magnetic noise issues so by sheer necessity recording with a 34 exclusively as it's the only bass in the house with lightwave pickups...
Last edited:
Why do people buy things that are widely available in an abundance of formats instead of things that, um, aren't? It's a headscratcher!
Short scales can sound good in their own right, and some even sound fantastic, but my ears MUCH prefer the sound of the majority of 34 and even 35" basses. That's what I hear in my head, as I've got over 30 years playing them. FWIW, I started as a kid on a 30.5" Gibson EB0, and while it had it's place, it didn't do anything more than mush. I won't extrapolate that the scale had a whole lot to do with the sound, but I currently have other short scales (28.5 to 30"), and they don't compare to my longer scale basses in terms of clarity or feel. Good sounds in their own right, but not my thing, per se.
And from my experience playing much longer scale upright (my bass is 42"), there's no reason to think that a shorter scale is "easier". There are plenty of gifted upright players who can tear up the bass in spite of the fact that they are women of much smaller physical stature than me. It's more of a mind-set than a physical limitation due to size.
I'd actually be curious to try a 36" 5 string. I doubt I'd notice the extra inch over my 35", which is hardly noticeable over my 34" basses. Sound-wise, the longer scale is tighter and more focused, which is what I tend to go for, and have for 20+ years. I just don't like the "wet blanket" effect on my tone.
And from my experience playing much longer scale upright (my bass is 42"), there's no reason to think that a shorter scale is "easier". There are plenty of gifted upright players who can tear up the bass in spite of the fact that they are women of much smaller physical stature than me. It's more of a mind-set than a physical limitation due to size.
I'd actually be curious to try a 36" 5 string. I doubt I'd notice the extra inch over my 35", which is hardly noticeable over my 34" basses. Sound-wise, the longer scale is tighter and more focused, which is what I tend to go for, and have for 20+ years. I just don't like the "wet blanket" effect on my tone.
I haven't gotten along with any 35" basses, and basses with small necks start to hurt my hand.
All my necks are large and chunky, and I don't know if any short scale will ever come close to that feel.
I'm open to trying one, but I also have no need for another bass right now, and my wife is making sure the need doesn't arise any time soon.
All my necks are large and chunky, and I don't know if any short scale will ever come close to that feel.
I'm open to trying one, but I also have no need for another bass right now, and my wife is making sure the need doesn't arise any time soon.
No company makes short-scale strings with enough tension, and there are no good short-scale 5-string string sets. There also aren't many good affordable 5 and 6-string short-scale basses.
Somehow, literally no string maker understands that short-scale sets need to be higher gauge to match the tension of their long-scale counterparts.
Somehow, literally no string maker understands that short-scale sets need to be higher gauge to match the tension of their long-scale counterparts.
Why do people always have such a hard time with the idea that what they like may not be what other people like? Geez, get over it!
I currently have a jazz,a precision, and a jaguar special. I guess the first time I bought my own in 1999 or 2000 I went in the music store and I asked for a good beginner bass and the sales guy handed me a long scale Squier precision bass. I think a lot of us just started on 34' and got used to them. I'm taking the plunge though, I'm getting the vintage modified jaguar short scale for Christmas to add some more versitilty to the lineup.
Because much over 34" too much honk up the neck on the G string. Much under 34", not enough twang on the E.
The answer is a Dingwall, and if I was richer I'd buy one. Probably. Though the idea of a fretless variable scale confuses me.
The answer is a Dingwall, and if I was richer I'd buy one. Probably. Though the idea of a fretless variable scale confuses me.
Shorter scale basses feel cramped to me, especially the narrower string spacing. I started on an old P bass as a kid and as I grew, I always favored a thicker, wider neck. If you've never touched a Roscoe, the ergonomics are so good it just feels like an extension of yourself. The way they sit and the shape and size are perfect. I've never felt like I was reaching for anything, it's right there
Oddly enough, my '64 Hofner Beatles bass feels like a longer reach to the nut than any other instrument I own. It simultaneously feels way too narrow for my taste as well. Sounds killer in the right setting though.
Because they aren't out to prove they don't have anything to prove about the size of their instrument.
B-string is barely OK at 34 inches.
I would like to try a fan fretted or a 35 inch length bass , but my pocket disagrees profusely.
I would like to try a fan fretted or a 35 inch length bass , but my pocket disagrees profusely.
I'm serious about this. I see lots of threads about is it OK to play a short scale but never any from the other perspective. Maybe it's because I only started playing bass 6 years ago in my mid-50s and started on a Squier Jag SS, maybe it's because I get tennis elbow if I play anything longer than a 30" scale on a regular basis, or maybe it's because I'm a lead singer and have to try to play everything without looking down (as best I can LOL!). But I don't get it... why would anyone handicap themselves by playing a bass that is longer than necessary.
Short scales are easier to play no question. I don't think that's even worth debating. The selection of shorties is better than ever (and there should be more...). String selection is no longer a problem and tension issues can be resolved with the right strings (again it could still be better and will be once everyone switches to short scale
So why do you guys play 34"s? Do you like clubbing your lead guitarist and/or singer in the head? Are you challenged by the longer scale? Is it an image thing? Is it tone? Is it Machisomo?
I used to think it was an image thing, but in the 200+ shows I've played with short scales not one person has ever said 'hey... your bass is too short'. In fact when I tell people I play a shorter scale than normal they are totally mystified by what I am saying.
So why are you still playing a 34" bass?
I stopped playing jazz basses a decade or so ago and for years I played a short scale bass exclusively (Alembic SCSD). Last year around this time I went back to jazz basses and I am not sure I could every go back to a short scale bass again.
The long scale of the JB is better suited for me I think and is frankly just more comfortable to play as it seems "less crowded/cramped"
In addition, I found the upper registers of the the short scale bass pretty useless/unusable. the frets are just simply too close together. I know I could have overcome this by spending more time practicing in that register, but frankly the times I would play up in that area were few and far between.
I'm tall and have huge hands. My basses are 34's, and have P width necks - even my J has a P width neck, because...it fits me, and is easier to play. Because...it fits me.
I built myself a 32 at one point. It felt like a toy, and was harder to play. Going from a 34 to that requured adjustment in muscle memory that wasn't worth it. I donated it.
A 34 with very light gauge strings has a twang on the lower frets of the G and D strings that you don't get on a short scale. It also has a more solid E string.
34's work for me. If something else works for you, great. But tunderstand that the way you see things is just...your opinion. There's nothing wrong with people thar see the world differently.
I built myself a 32 at one point. It felt like a toy, and was harder to play. Going from a 34 to that requured adjustment in muscle memory that wasn't worth it. I donated it.
A 34 with very light gauge strings has a twang on the lower frets of the G and D strings that you don't get on a short scale. It also has a more solid E string.
34's work for me. If something else works for you, great. But tunderstand that the way you see things is just...your opinion. There's nothing wrong with people thar see the world differently.
i play shorties due to physical issues, and do love them, but in answer to why would anyone play longer scale, my reason would be to achieve tighter tension with lighter strings. I miss the crisp attack of the longer scales.
