Morning Koa Posted September 11, 2003 Share Posted September 11, 2003 Just wanted to know if playing a short scale is looked down on. It just feels better to me than 34" of neck. From the Band "Morning Koa" - "Chicks Dig the Bass Player!" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dcr Posted September 12, 2003 Share Posted September 12, 2003 Yes. Come around here again & I'll pound you. Wimp. Obviously, just kidding. No, you're not a wimp. I myself play a Ric 4003, which is under 34" (it's 33" & change); & I believe the Gibson EB basses are pretty short (am I right, Tom?). I'd never want to play a 35", and I like low action & little tension; so I'm pretty wimpy, myself. But keep in mind there seems to be a tradeoff in tone (depth, punch, clarity) with scales much shorter than that, so I might encourage you to reexamine your relationship to the 34" scale. Still, you need to do what's right for you. How short are we talking about here--Ric short, or Fender Mustang short? And welcome! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bob Gollihur Posted September 12, 2003 Share Posted September 12, 2003 Who cares if they do? I have never seen other musicians approach bassists with tape measures, and if I did I'm not sure I want to think about the possibilities. Regardless, if it works for you, play it! 1000 Upright Bass Links, Luthier Directory, Teacher Directory - http://www.gollihurmusic.com/links.cfm [highlight] - Life is too short for bad tone - [/highlight] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jeremy c Posted September 12, 2003 Share Posted September 12, 2003 Nobody will bother you about playing a short scale bass. After all, Stanley Clarke plays one. But generally long scale basses sound better than short ones. If you have you left hand technique together, it doesn't matter what length the bass is. Free download of my cd!. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dcr Posted September 12, 2003 Share Posted September 12, 2003 OH YEAH--and ALEMBIC makes some pretty short basses! They're not exactly looked down upon, shall we say, & I don't think anyone would call Stanley Clarke a wimp! I guess the moral is that scale isn't as important as the overall quality of the instrument. Good instruments sound good & play well, at whatever scale they're built at. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
prophetgtree Posted September 12, 2003 Share Posted September 12, 2003 Size doesn't matter, it's how you use it! (Someone had to say it!) www.geocities.com/nk_bass/enter.html Still working on it... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lacker Posted September 12, 2003 Share Posted September 12, 2003 No, you're not a wimp, Les Claypool plays a short scale bass as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
onamission Posted September 12, 2003 Share Posted September 12, 2003 Mark King as well. - Jon ----- You have the right to remain in the groove, any solos cannot be used against you, you have the right to snap and pop, if you cannot snap and pop, two fingers can provide the funk just fine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
_Sweet Willie_ Posted September 12, 2003 Share Posted September 12, 2003 Tom Capasso plays a short scale bass, and I ask you: is he a wimp? Wait, on second thought, don't answer that question... spreadluv Fanboy? Why, yes! Nordstrand Pickups and Guitars. Messiaen knew how to parlay the funk. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Basshappi Posted September 12, 2003 Share Posted September 12, 2003 No, 'cause everyone knows that it's not your scale length that counts it's the width of your fretboard Nothing is as it seems but everything is exactly what it is - B. Banzai Life is what happens while you are busy playing in bands. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
doc taz Posted September 12, 2003 Share Posted September 12, 2003 Hey jeremy, don't you have one of those Azolas? Now that's a freak of nature... surprisingly big sounding when amped. sevenstring.org profile my flickr page Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ouizel Posted September 12, 2003 Share Posted September 12, 2003 Originally posted by basshappi: No, 'cause everyone knows that it's not your scale length that counts it's the width of your fretboard I play a six string. You could land an airplane on that fretboard. **Standard Disclaimer** Ya gotta watch da Ouizel, as he often posts complete and utter BS. In this case however, He just might be right. Eagles may soar, but Ouizels don't get sucked into jet engines. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
getz out Posted September 12, 2003 Share Posted September 12, 2003 Originally posted by jeremyc: But generally long scale basses sound better than short ones. Good use of the word "generally." The one place that a short-scale bass really shines is midrange rumble, especially through an SVT with a matching, sealed 8x10" cabinet. RUMBLE. When I had that rig, I nearly bought one of those Gibsons after trying my buddy's dad's EB-whatever. However, I agree... generally, standard scale sounds much nicer and more balanced. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
_Sweet Willie_ Posted September 12, 2003 Share Posted September 12, 2003 Sheldon Dingwall (of Dingwall Guitars) and Ralph Novak (of Novax Guitars) make me feel like a wimp for playing a bass where every string is on the same scale... spreadluv Fanboy? Why, yes! Nordstrand Pickups and Guitars. Messiaen knew how to parlay the funk. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dcr Posted September 12, 2003 Share Posted September 12, 2003 ...and let's face it, it's not every day that guys with names like "Sheldon Dingwall" and "Ralph Novak" get to make other guys feel like wimps. [ducks and runs] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Bear Jew Posted September 12, 2003 Share Posted September 12, 2003 The answer to the question posed is: Yes. You are a wimp if you play a short-scale bass. You are ugly, and your mother dresses you funny. Now, please excuse me while I kick sand in your face. \m/ Erik "To fight and conquer in all your battles is not supreme excellence; supreme excellence consists of breaking the enemy's resistance without fighting." --Sun Tzu Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
_Sweet Willie_ Posted September 12, 2003 Share Posted September 12, 2003 Originally posted by CMDN: The answer to the question posed is: Yes. You are a wimp if you play a short-scale bass. You are ugly, and your mother dresses you funny. Now, please excuse me while I kick sand in your face.billringer, it may now be time to get with some Joe Wieder protein supplements... spreadluv Fanboy? Why, yes! Nordstrand Pickups and Guitars. Messiaen knew how to parlay the funk. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
masmit Posted September 13, 2003 Share Posted September 13, 2003 Originally posted by billringer: Just wanted to know if playing a short scale is looked down on. It just feels better to me than 34" of neck.If you're a wimp then you're in the company of Jack Bruce, Andy Fraser, Tina Weymouth and many others whose playing could not be described as wimpy... Mark Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr. Phil Posted September 13, 2003 Share Posted September 13, 2003 MINE IS BIGGER!!!! Yea, i got a 47.5" scale 41 fret 10 string bass... it weighs about 30 pounds and the 14 bolt neck is as big as a tree trunk, but there is sustain for about 3 weeks!!! Literally!!!! lol... i'm such a dork. http://www.briantimpe.com/images/LDL/dots/blue.JPGhttp://www.briantimpe.com/images/LDL/dots/black.JPGhttp://www.briantimpe.com/images/LDL/dots/fuscia.JPGhttp://www.briantimpe.com/images/LDL/dots/grey.JPGhttp://www.briantimpe.com/images/LDL/dots/orange.JPGhttp://www.briantimpe.com/images/LDL/dots/purple.JPGhttp://www.briantimpe.com/images/LDL/dots/red.JPGhttp://www.briantimpe.com/images/LDL/dots/yellow.JPG Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Basshappi Posted September 13, 2003 Share Posted September 13, 2003 Phil, Sounds like a case of 'scale envy' Nothing is as it seems but everything is exactly what it is - B. Banzai Life is what happens while you are busy playing in bands. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim T. Posted September 13, 2003 Share Posted September 13, 2003 You've been getting a lot of support form "the choir" here. But, my experience has been that YES you do/will get a fair amount of snide comments, strange looks and questions form non-bassists. Even Stu Hamm said something in his ads for the new 34" Urge Bass (Fender) that the original 32" (medium scale!) Urge didn't look manly enough to some folks. The best defense I've had is to rattle off the names of the top players who've performed and recorded on short scale basses and that usually throws 'em for a loop. There WILL be times where people won't want to play with your weird little bass but you just have to have the attitude that "If that's such a big issue for them, I don't really care to play with them either." I'll find musicians who listen to the music with their ears rather than their eyes. Most of the mass produced (Fender, Gibson,etc.) short scale basses are lacking in some way, tonally. Neck throughs and good pick up placement, especially on custom made/luthier basses can make a short scale sound great! "When people hear good music, it makes them homesick for something they never had, and never will have." Edgar Watson Howe "Don't play what's there. Play what's not there" Miles Davis Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeff Addicott Posted September 13, 2003 Share Posted September 13, 2003 I often play E string notes up above the 5th fret on the low B. That's a scale length equivalent of about 25 1/2". I do it because it sounds & feels killer! Jeff Addicott http://www.jeffnet.org/~addicott/bass.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
patrick_dont_fret_dup1 Posted September 13, 2003 Share Posted September 13, 2003 Originally posted by CMDN: The answer to the question posed is: Yes. You are a wimp if you play a short-scale bass. You are ugly, and your mother dresses you funny. Now, please excuse me while I kick sand in your face.Nice one, Erik. I couldn't have said it better myself....well, it could've used some f-bombs, but that's only useful in real-life scenarios.... On second thought, let's find the wimpy basstahd!!! Well, I see greenboy is back, so why the heck not.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Afro_Man Posted September 14, 2003 Share Posted September 14, 2003 If anybody calls you a wimp for playing a short scale bass (and they actually mean it, not like these guys here) then what you should do is play something that sounds really good, then put your middle finger up and say "short scale this". "i must've wrote 30 songs the first weekend i met my true love ... then she died and i got stuck with this b****" - Father of the Pride Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom Capasso Posted September 15, 2003 Share Posted September 15, 2003 My observation is that playing a non-Fender is the most likely way to attract criticism. Playing a Fender-improvement (Sadowski, Lull, GL, Musicman, etc.) is OK. There are physics issues with short scale basses, which is why Dingwall/Novax are on to something (dcr - great quip). That doesn't mean you can't play them. Along with those mentioned (and there is a Fender in there in case you don't want to hear any noise from other players), there is a company called Aslin-Dane that makes an Alembic knock-off that's 33". Saturday I played a new Ibanez model that has a body like a PRS (model GAX150B) that has a 32" scale and was pretty substantial. It played better than it's $169 price led me to think it would. And there is always the mighty Gibson EB series. There isn't a better organ pedal in the industry (which is both good and bad). I can out-low any of you long-scalers, even after CMDN kicks sand in my face. And the number one reason for playing a short scale bass..... - physical comfort. If you have any physical issues (wrist, neck, shoulder, etc.), these guys will help. Tom www.stoneflyrocks.com Acoustic Color Be practical as well as generous in your ideals. Keep your eyes on the stars and keep your feet on the ground. - Theodore Roosevelt Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Bear Jew Posted September 15, 2003 Share Posted September 15, 2003 I'd kick sand in your face regardless of the type of bass you played, Slidey Chair. I'm just a bully like that. Gimme your lunch money, Capasso. Where's that math homework you were supposed to do for me? Nah, I couldn't hurt Shecky... and none of you bass hoodlums better mess with him, either. I'll kick your asses. So anyway... the bottom line is this: It doesn't matter what kind of bass you play as long as it does the job you need it to do for the kind of music you play. Haven't we all said this about a gagillion times already? Sheesh. Let's talk about something important now... like what kind of strings to use or whether we should use picks or our fingers... \m/ Erik "To fight and conquer in all your battles is not supreme excellence; supreme excellence consists of breaking the enemy's resistance without fighting." --Sun Tzu Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BenLoy Posted September 15, 2003 Share Posted September 15, 2003 WATS THE BEST BASE TO BUY A PRESISHUN OR A JAZZ I THINK WARWIKS ARE THE BEST BECAUSE RYKNOW PLAYS ONE HES THE GRETEST BASE PLAYER SINCE LEZ CLAYPUL Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lacker Posted September 18, 2003 Share Posted September 18, 2003 Originally posted by BenLoy: WATS THE BEST BASE TO BUY A PRESISHUN OR A JAZZ I THINK WARWIKS ARE THE BEST BECAUSE RYKNOW PLAYS ONE HES THE GRETEST BASE PLAYER SINCE LEZ CLAYPULWell, after spending so long deciphering your message to answer your question, there is no "best" bass. It's all in your preference. More people lean towards the jazz style basses because they're better for playing slap styles. Some like the precision bass better for old style Motown funk (James Jamerson). But, as I said, it's all in your preference, I happen to like Musicman Stingrays better than jazz or precision. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
masmit Posted September 18, 2003 Share Posted September 18, 2003 Originally posted by Tom Capasso: My observation is that playing a non-Fender is the most likely way to attract criticism. Playing a Fender-improvement (Sadowski, Lull, GL, Musicman, etc.) is OK. TomI'd have to agree with this. Playing sessions, if you turn up with a Fender, no-one questions it. If you turn up with something else, quite a few producers and engineers will start worrying...the answer is to have a Fender, and then most of 'em are happy to try the others...It's absurd, really, but I suppose that it's probably true that Fenders have been used on the majority of hit records... Mark Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
_Sweet Willie_ Posted September 18, 2003 Share Posted September 18, 2003 Originally posted by Lacker: Originally posted by BenLoy: WATS THE BEST BASE TO BUY A PRESISHUN OR A JAZZ I THINK WARWIKS ARE THE BEST BECAUSE RYKNOW PLAYS ONE HES THE GRETEST BASE PLAYER SINCE LEZ CLAYPULWell, after spending so long deciphering your message to answer your question, there is no "best" bass. It's all in your preference. More people lean towards the jazz style basses because they're better for playing slap styles. Some like the precision bass better for old style Motown funk (James Jamerson). But, as I said, it's all in your preference, I happen to like Musicman Stingrays better than jazz or precision.Preach, Lacker, preach! However, dear Mr. Loy is just tuggin' our proverbial chain. Also known as pullin' your leg. He's just jokin', man. Sidenote: Mr. Loy also favors StingRays himself. His avatar shows a blurry shot of him playing one of those fancy-shmancy Anniversary ones w/ the figured top. Word is that he can play the $#!& out of that bass! Peace. spreadluv Fanboy? Why, yes! Nordstrand Pickups and Guitars. Messiaen knew how to parlay the funk. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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