Scale Lengths

Schnozz · February 2022

So what's everybody's favourite scale length?

I've now tried 30" through to 37" and I prefer the definition of 34"+, but it also tends to feel less 'crowded'.

I use regular gauge rounds and flats, as either side tends to irk me.

The bass that opened my eyes was a USA Peavey Cirrus that was a 4 string on the 35" scale and it was just amazing.

My (excellent) Cort A6 was a 34" and so was my Marleaux Consat Custom 5, so I'm not really thinking about the low B, but I do think the extra provides more guarantee...The B on my USA G&L L2500 was abysmal.

What's your fave and why?

Schnozz · February 2022

Here's a USA Peavey Cirrus in action...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7rt9jqFl40A

fretmeister · February 2022

Scale length is over-rated.

Construction is far more important to the sound. I've had 34 and 32 inch scales that have had far superior low B's than Dingwalls, and recently I've been lucky enough to play a prototype bass (not saying more) that is tiny and yet sounds as full as a 34.

Without fan frets it is always a compromise anyway. Even if a 35 for an E or a B was better (it isn't) that would be detrimental to the D & G.

After owning a variety of extra long scale instruments up to 37inch I find 34 and 32 to be the most comfortable. And my 32-30 fan fret is fantastic even with the low B.

Construction and String choice is far more important. There's an awful lot of crap B string sounds out there, and a fair amount of crap E string sounds, and it has very little to do with the scale length.

Fiddlesticks_ · February 2022

Short scale 30” for me, mainly because I have fairly small hands and because (at the moment) I am very much a guitar player learning to play bass properly.

Funkfingers · February 2022

For devilment, I shall say 33.25". i.e. Rickenbacker.

Blueingreen · February 2022

Bass was my main instrument for around 10 years. I still have 34" and 35" basses: two 5 strings active (Lakland, Yamaha) one 4 string passive (Fender Jazz). I rarely play bass these days except for recording. If I was playing bass more regularly I think I'd buy a shorter scale bass, just to make swapping back and fore with guitar a bit easier.

PhilKing · February 2022

I swap between 34" & 35" pretty regularly and don't really have a preference. I also play guitar and swap between Gibsons, PRS's and Fenders, again with no bother. My 35" is a Modulus Graphite Quantum 5 String which I've had since the early 90's, so I really feel at home on it, but I'll happily play my Precision, Jazz, Thunderbird, etc., depending on what we are doing.

proggy · February 2022

Fender Jazz Basses are perfect for me, so 34" I suppose.

ICBM · February 2022

I like Rickenbackers (33.25"), Aria SBs (34"), Fender Mustangs (30"), Aria Cardinals (32") and several others, so I think the answer is either that it doesn't matter, or it depends on the rest of the bass...

It's certainly not the deciding factor, anyway.

fretmeister · February 2022

I'd love an Aria - the Cliff Burton model. Can't afford that though.

I did play an Aria Pro 2 Stray Cat for years and it was lovely.

Keefy · February 2022

My go-to basses are Precisions, so 34in is where I live. I’ve also owned a couple of Mustangs (30in) and gigging them was effortless, but I wasn’t always able to get the sounds from them that I wanted.

My 5-string is a Dingwall PZ5, with a scale length range of 32in (G) to 35in (B). I don’t really notice this, or the slanted frets, as far as the feel is concerned, but the sound is more even across the strings.

UnclePsychosis · February 2022

My bass is a 34" but if I had the choice I'd make it a 32".

Funkfingers · February 2022

My experience has been that different scale lengths are only a problem if you are habituated to just one or two. This breeds overreliance on muscle memory. Presented with an unfamiliar scale length, the under-practiced player could panic.

In other words, the scale issue is an excuse to purchase lots of basses.

Keefy · February 2022

Funkfingers said:

My experience has been that different scale lengths are only a problem if you are habituated to just one or two. This breeds overreliance on muscle memory. Presented with an unfamiliar scale length, the under-practiced player could panic.

In other words, the scale issue is an excuse to purchase lots of basses.

Ideal then!

Just remembered I also have a Kala uke bass with unfeasibly short rubbery plastic strings. I simply can’t play it without looking at my fingers as the frets are so closely spaced that I end up playing too high otherwise.

crunchman · February 2022

32". I have very short fingers, and struggle on a longer scale length. 32" seems to keep a bit of the punch that 30" loses.

Having said that, I had a play on a friend's 5 string a few weeks back. The closer string spacing made life a lot easier. I'm just wondering whether that might be the way to go.

Sporky · February 2022

When I made SPB1 I deliberately went metric - it's 800mm (about 31.5"). I'm minded to think that construction and pickup choice have more overall influence than scale length alone.

ICBM · February 2022

Sporky said:

I'm minded to think that construction and pickup choice have more overall influence than scale length alone.

So am I - both for guitars and basses.

There's a common idea that scale length is an important factor in the sound of a guitar or bass, and one of the reasons Fenders and Gibsons don't sound alike... which is nonsense and easily demonstrated to be. Tune a Fender down a semitone and capo at the first fret (or down a tone and the second, on a bass). Does it now sound like a Gibson? No.

Sporky · February 2022

I can see how it's a factor, along with a bazillion other things. The trick is probably to combine all those different factors in the right sort of arrangement. Or, probably, not to worry too much, and just make sure it's comfy and a good colour.

crunchman · February 2022

ICBM said:

Sporky said:

I'm minded to think that construction and pickup choice have more overall influence than scale length alone.

So am I - both for guitars and basses.

There's a common idea that scale length is an important factor in the sound of a guitar or bass, and one of the reasons Fenders and Gibsons don't sound alike... which is nonsense and easily demonstrated to be. Tune a Fender down a semitone and capo at the first fret (or down a tone and the second, on a bass). Does it now sound like a Gibson? No.

I think scale length has some effect. I had a pre-lawsuit PRS Singlecut with a 25" scale. That didn't sound exactly like a Les Paul. I suspect it was a combination of the scale length and the thickness of the maple cap, which is a lot thicker than on a Les Paul.

Schnozz · February 2022

I play a 34" scale Dean Precision, a 34" scale Peerless EB-2D and a 36" scale Overwater Progress III.

The Peerless makes me reach the furthest because the body's much bigger than the Overwater.

I've had a Gibson EB3, a Hoyer EB3 and a Harmony H27, but they didn't have the tone of the Peerless and I'd say that it's down to the 30" vs 34" scale. I did try higher tension flats on the short scale, but it wasn't enough.

I've only had a John Birch 4001 and I can't remember what that was, but I found it slightly harder to play than a Precision and it suited a pick in the right hand (insane electronics).

I'm a big Jack Bruce and Chris Squire fan and thankfully got to meet them, so I love all these tones.

JezWynd · February 2022

Neck width is the most crucial measurement for me. Since I discovered Hofner solid body basses with the thin broomstick style neck, I've been cured of bass gas. They're 30" scale and width of fretboard at the 12th fret is 48mm. The only downside is the floating metal bridge but I can get intonation spot on for 3 strings (E is very slightly flat at 12th but fine for most styles). I've considered having a fixed adjustable bridge put in but as the string spacing is 14mm it might be very difficult to find a drop in replacement and as it's in good condition it would be a shame to mod it now (it's a 1962). It has a surprisingly wide range of tones - having the treble pu set hard up against the bridge allows for Ric style sounds, while the neck alone is P style. I usually have both pick ups turned up full and roll back the volume a little on either to get solo pu tones. I also have a beat up old Hofner 182 (P style) that I might fit with an adjustable set bridge and get it resprayed at the same time. This is the 185 Artist Bass, I put up a pic of it a couple of years ago when I first got it -

Image: https://i.imgur.com/mGcvzaz.jpg?1

JezWynd · February 2022

ICBM said:

Sporky said:

I'm minded to think that construction and pickup choice have more overall influence than scale length alone.

So am I - both for guitars and basses.

There's a common idea that scale length is an important factor in the sound of a guitar or bass, and one of the reasons Fenders and Gibsons don't sound alike... which is nonsense and easily demonstrated to be. Tune a Fender down a semitone and capo at the first fret (or down a tone and the second, on a bass). Does it now sound like a Gibson? No.

30" scale seems to stress the fundamental of the note, while 34" is a more harmonically complex sound? That's on a straw pole of the few of each style I've played and might have to do with pick up placement but I've found that getting a double bass sound is definitely easier on a shorter scale.

ICBM · February 2022

crunchman said:

I think scale length has some effect. I had a pre-lawsuit PRS Singlecut with a 25" scale. That didn't sound exactly like a Les Paul. I suspect it was a combination of the scale length and the thickness of the maple cap, which is a lot thicker than on a Les Paul.

I seriously doubt that a difference of a quarter inch has any audible effect at all.

There are a lot more constructional differences between a PRS and a Les Paul, all of which are almost certainly more important than that.

JezWynd said:

30" scale seems to stress the fundamental of the note, while 34" is a more harmonically complex sound? That's on a straw pole of the few of each style I've played and might have to do with pick up placement but I've found that getting a double bass sound is definitely easier on a shorter scale.

There's certainly a difference when you get to that much of a change, because a shorter scale has lower string tension, which affects the way the string vibrates - favouring the fundamental over the higher harmonics - if you make the string thicker to raise the tension again, that also changes the way it vibrates - also favouring the fundamental, in fact. So there's a double effect there.

But even then I think it's less important than most of the other constructional differences. A Fender Mustang Bass doesn't sound like a Precision, but it sounds a lot more like a Precision than it does like an EB-0.

paulnb57 · February 2022

@Schnozz ;
I think its one of those things you need to try, to see if you like it or not, I have bitsa 51 P Bass and a Bronco, I like them both..

PAL · March 2022

I'm a guitarist and I also love playing bass guitar. I've had a Musicman Stingray. Fender P & J basses. Hofner violin bass but the bass I have finally settled on is a Fender JMJ Jazz Bass with flat wound strings . It has quite a big neck but feels great I have settled on preferring a short scale of 30 inches. I do sometimes play other basses but feel a home on the short scale.

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