Wouldn't anyone play a metric bass?

[gln1955]

The odd thing about that is more people get very seriously injured in "safe rugby" than in real rugby. Rugby has lots more minor injuries, but fewer serious injuries, than American football because you just can't afford to hit someone that hard when you're not wearing pads yourself.

Helmets especially. American football players assumed they were protected from head injuries so they lead head first full speed to make tackles. We're finding out that was not a good assumption.

I'm a big football fan and a soccer fan. Different sports entirely. I don't get the elitist attitudes of fans of either sport.

 

[Billybassbeater]

The recent threads about scales got me thinking that I'd never seen a bass built on anything but Imperial units for the scale length. Even the top notch European builders spec their scales in even inches with an odd number metric equivalent listed. It's remarkable that this is so engrained in the industry that builders who use metric for everything else in their lives would design basses with inches.

I'm sure someone will bring up some metric European basses to prove me wrong and that's OK.

The Ibanez web site lists their spec in metric. A lot of parts are listed in most parts stores as well. Makes me wonder if guitars aren't built using the metric system and then switched to imperial. It could happen...seems more likely, at least to me.

 

[fourstringburn]

A metric Bass?

How about using a metric crecent wrench or a left handed screwdriver.

 

[gln1955]

I've said this before. You people think too much.

Yep. Guess that's the way it is because that's the way it is.

 

[c10]

My son works at a wood shop. He's struggling with figuring out how to add things like 7-5/8" + 3-11/32" or subtracting 12-9/64" - 2-1/8" all on the fly, quickly.

My advice to him was switch to metric and be done.

And when he has to add 7 and 5/8 meters to 1/64th of a decimeter, what then? Think of the chillldrun!

 

[Nev375]

I've said this before. You people think too much.

Thank you. It's a shame more people can't be bothered to anymore.

 

[Old Garage-Bander]

The recent threads about scales got me thinking that I'd never seen a bass built on anything but Imperial units for the scale length. Even the top notch European builders spec their scales in even inches with an odd number metric equivalent listed. It's remarkable that this is so engrained in the industry that builders who use metric for everything else in their lives would design basses with inches.

I'm sure someone will bring up some metric European basses to prove me wrong and that's OK.

It all started here, on the non-metric side of the pond.
Tradition being what it is and respected over there at least in this case.
Consider it a trade off for us adopting two liter bottles for sody pop.

 

[Old Garage-Bander]

Valid question. Countries who do not officially use the metric system are marked in red:

View attachment 3232552

Did Alaska succeed?

 

[PWRL]

My guess is that since an adequate standard has been set, it just makes more common sense to use the existing platform, or to modify it to some simple degree. There would probably be no noticeable gain from a metric bass, although it would neat if one existed.

 

[Element Zero]

Have a look at the Ric website. Scale length is listed first as 84.5 cm with 33 1/4" listed behind it in brackets. Sorry America, you lose!

... who in their right mind would take a company that makes crappy basses seriously on their "listed scale length"? They can't even get the shape of their necks consistent. Rickenbacker... HA!

 

[4dog]

i remember back in the 3rd to 5th grade in the mid 70s teachers cramming the metric system down our throats cuz " when your in high schoool all of america and the world would be on the metric system "....Americans are just too maverick for the world !!! yay us!!

 

[Old Garage-Bander]

String gauge and speaker diameter are measured in inches too.

Gauge is gauge. It, like everything else has an inch equivalent. In most cases it would be fractions, or decimals. And it could be metric as well.
Unlike everything else, as the gauge number gets bigger, the size gets smaller.

 

[NMTB]

Did Alaska succeed?

Isn't it that bit to the left of Canada and coloured in red like the rest of the US?

 

[jmlee]

Football is a real man's game that leaves men battered and crippled for life. Soccer is what suburbanites take their not-particularly-athletic kids to play on the weekend. See the difference?

I had an Aussie Rules footballer tell me, "American football? That's a bit of a ladies game isn't it?"

 

[Roland GR 88]

Pitch is measured in units of time - cycles per second or Hertz. Thus, base 60 math is used. AFAIK we haven't successfully implemented the 10 hour day or 10 day week quite yet.
Any measurement one needs to do on a guitar not related to scale length or pitch can be easily converted to whatever standard you prefer.

 

[Old Garage-Bander]

I thought I read somewhere that Leo used a 34" scale and 3/4" string spacing. Does anyone know when string spacing was switched to millimeters?

When they tried to figure out how to charge more.

 

[jmlee]

A metric Bass?

How about using a metric crecent wrench or a left handed screwdriver.

A metric "crescent wrench" is a spanner.

 

[NMTB]

I had an Aussie Rules footballer tell me, "American football? That's a bit of a ladies game isn't it?"

Men wearing protective gear were traditionally treated with suspicion in our culture.

 

[Deleted member 165050]

I had an Aussie Rules footballer tell me, "American football? That's a bit of a ladies game isn't it?"

Are there actually any rules in Aussie Rules football? Looks like one helluva tough game...

 

[bucephylus]

Football is a real man's game that leaves men battered and crippled for life. Soccer is what suburbanites take their not-particularly-athletic kids to play on the weekend. See the difference?

Someone had a bit too much Jack on the rocks last night and fell out of the wrong side of bed this morning. Good morning!

 

[wagdog]

I propose scale length be limited to prime numbers.