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Scale preference?


73 P Bass

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Do have a preferred scale length? I've been playing a 35" scale bass for a while now, and went back to a 34" and it seemed so small to me. I didn't have a problem going from one to the other (which was sort of surprising), but boy did they seem different.

So what do you like better?

"Start listening to music!".

-Jeremy C

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Judging by th etwo basses I am currently playing, I prefer a 34" scale bass. My Carvin and Yamaha are both 34's. I've had 35's before and they were fine.

 

I guess I like to have my basses the same scale they have the same "feel" when I go back and forth.

 

Could I play a "mix" of scale...probably. It's just at this moment in time, I have 34" scale basses.

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34.5

both the Nordstrand and the F bass will have it. It works for me, though my Lakland at 35 is just fine. i think it comes down to the bass. I have played 35's that feel like 34's-

Praise ye the LORD.

....praise him with stringed instruments and organs...

Let every thing that hath breath praise the LORD.

excerpt from- Psalm 150

visit me at:

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Yes, I did get rid of it because of both the scale length and the sound.

 

I had a custom bass built. It was an experiment. The bass was fretless and the idea of the 33" scale was so that "one finger per fret" would not be as big a stretch so that hopefully it would be easier to play in tune.

 

It did work for that. But I was switching back and forth between and that and a 34" Fender and I decided I wanted the two basses to feel the same. My current fretless is a MusicMan Sterling which has a neck almost identical to a Fender Jazz.

 

It turns out that I usually use Simandl fingerings on the fretless so I never do four fret stretch anyway.

 

The other reason I got rid of the bass was because of one of the risks you take with a custom bass.....you describe a sound to someone and then they try to build it.

 

The bass sounded fine but I did not sound the way I wanted it to.

 

Don't worry, it wasn't a super expensive mistake, the builder was young and relatively unknown and the price was reasonable.

 

And I was able to sell it for about the same as I paid for it.

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I've played 35" scale basses that felt comfortable (e.g., an MTD 6, a Lull 5, and recently a Spector 5) and some that felt awkward (e.g., a different Lull 5, a Modulus 5).

 

I've played a Dingwall 5er w/ different scale lengths for each string. It was comfortable, and the feel across strings was really balanced and nice.

 

My Carvin 4 and MM 5 are both 34". They are both wonderful to play, and the B on the MM is fantastic.

 

My new Nordstrand 5 is 34.5". It feels great. I'm very pleased.

 

At this point, I don't have a strong preference. If the bass feels good and sounds good, I don't sweat too much what the scale is.

 

Peace.

--s-dub

spreadluv

 

Fanboy? Why, yes! Nordstrand Pickups and Guitars.

Messiaen knew how to parlay the funk.

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Maybe it's due to my lack of experience, but I have a Peavey with a 35" and a Squire with a 34". I really don't notice much of a difference between the two except for maybe the first three or four frets the reach is a little more extreme with the Peavey.

 

Since I usually live between the 5th and 12th frets, I don't think there is much of a difference.

 

Ph'nglui mglw'nafh Cthulhu R'lyeh wgah'nagl fhtagn

 

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I have both and don't really notice a difference, nor do I have a preference. However, I most often play a 34" scale simply because that's the scale of my Jazz.

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.

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Originally posted by C. Alexander Claber:

Originally posted by getz76:

I'm getting my first 35" scale instrument in about a week.

Which is?

 

Alex

Nosy, eh? ;)

 

I know the answer, but it is not my place to reveal Maury's secrets -- well, at least not this one.

 

Oh yeah, and in honor of Shecky, I'll add this to the conversation...

 

Q: Scale preference?

A: One that can support my weight!

 

Peace.

--s-dub

spreadluv

 

Fanboy? Why, yes! Nordstrand Pickups and Guitars.

Messiaen knew how to parlay the funk.

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Originally posted by C. Alexander Claber:

Originally posted by getz76:

I'm getting my first 35" scale instrument in about a week.

Which is?

 

Alex

Yea what gives Maury. You don't just come here and say I'm getting something new and not share with the class. :D
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My first bass I bought was a short scale 32.5 inch Hondo Pbass shaped like an SG, it worked for me then. My Squire I have now is a 34, and it plays much, much, much easier then that horrid Hondo ever did, so that is all my experience with scale lengths, distorted by one awful instrument.

 

Interesting how some of you are talking abou Lulls and Nordstrands and F-Basses and Dingwalls, and I am talking about a Hondo and a Squire.

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I play 34" basses.

My first 5 string (see avitar) is not only a 35 but also is of the wide neck variety. It's all I played for a couple years and then I found my Spector and all of a sudden I was twice as fast.

"He is to music what Stevie Wonder is to photography." getz76

 

I have nothing nice to say so . . .

 

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OT, but WCunha, I love that avatar! And such a sweet little kitty-kitty.

 

Ok, 35" scale basses feel a little strange on smaller bodied basses especially. I'm more of a Leo Fender (Fender/MM/G&L) bass kinda guy all around. Primarily 34", four strings, and not too flashy. Tobias being the one exception, of course :) .

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Originally posted by jeremy c:

Yes, I did get rid of it because of both the scale length and the sound.

 

I had a custom bass built. It was an experiment. The bass was fretless and the idea of the 33" scale was so that "one finger per fret" would not be as big a stretch so that hopefully it would be easier to play in tune.

 

It did work for that. But I was switching back and forth between and that and a 34" Fender and I decided I wanted the two basses to feel the same. My current fretless is a MusicMan Sterling which has a neck almost identical to a Fender Jazz.

 

It turns out that I usually use Simandl fingerings on the fretless so I never do four fret stretch anyway.

 

The other reason I got rid of the bass was because of one of the risks you take with a custom bass.....you describe a sound to someone and then they try to build it.

 

The bass sounded fine but I did not sound the way I wanted it to.

 

Don't worry, it wasn't a super expensive mistake, the builder was young and relatively unknown and the price was reasonable.

 

And I was able to sell it for about the same as I paid for it.

Do you have any pictures of said bass in a previous thread or whatnot...was the neck based on say an older ebo, musicmaster, etc. or a design from "Jeremy C ingenuity and co."
Hiram Bullock thinks I like the band volume too soft (but he plays guitar). Joe Sample thinks I like it way too loud (but he plays piano). -Marcus Miller
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To me what is more important than scale length in terms of feel is the actio you play with...but hay tha's jus may
Hiram Bullock thinks I like the band volume too soft (but he plays guitar). Joe Sample thinks I like it way too loud (but he plays piano). -Marcus Miller
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Square peg-round hole time. I like 32" scales better. Have to lighten my fingering a bit to make sure I don't take them out of tune, but they're easier on the hands when doing those octave runs.

 

Played 34.5" (Rick and Gibson) and was a bit uncomfortable with them. Played a friend's 35", wasn't bad, but I'm happier with the looser tension on the 34" scale. Maybe someday I'll eat these words.

:wave:

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Like Fred, I can get small. My EB3 has a 30.5 scale.

 

I prefer 34 or 34.5. I usually can't tell the difference between the two. Some 35" basses feel too big right away. I have an Aslin Dane Fatback5J that feels too big. But I've played others that, while I notice the difference, it doesn't seem to bother me.

 

Anybody want an Aslin Dane cheap?

 

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

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Tom, tell me what an aslin dane bass is and maybe we'll see ;) .

BUt we probably won't since I dont have any money as of now ;)

 

is my eye twitching ;)

Hiram Bullock thinks I like the band volume too soft (but he plays guitar). Joe Sample thinks I like it way too loud (but he plays piano). -Marcus Miller
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  • 1 month later...

Would like to query the forum about this:

 

I was vaciliating over purchasing an Epiphone "faux-Gibson" flying V bass. The price is right and I have this personal preference for that whole "retro" thing. Problem is that it has a scale length of 30.5". That puts it in the Daisy/Bronco bass ballpark.

 

I don't know if I could make the jump to a 30.5" scale after playing with the Squire (34") and the Peavey (35"). I think I would be better off going to Warmoth and buying the lumber and making my own "V". Any thoughts?

 

Ph'nglui mglw'nafh Cthulhu R'lyeh wgah'nagl fhtagn

 

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I can't speak for what's involved with making your own V-34, though it sounds like a nice project.

 

I grew up on 30.5, and I go back to it now and again.

 

The disadvantage is that you have to be careful with strings - not all of them will vibrate properly on the low E and F. Also, I've learned the finger technique of using index/middle/pinky when you play 3 adjoining frets. This technique is not so easy on a small scale, and I find I sometimes revert to doing "guitar fingering" - using index/middle/ring. This is less of an issue below the 8th fret or so. Things get tight above 12.

 

The advantages include less hand stress when reaching, less fret arm extension (no more reaching way out for that low F), and a faster feel. If you were a guitarist, the neck will tend to feel better than a 34" scale neck. I would say less overall weight, but I'm not familiar with the "V", so I don't know if the body weight makes it heavy.

 

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

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I've picked up a few 35" scale basses, some I noticed a difference and others I didn't. The ones where I did notice a difference it didn't feel drastic enough to shy me away from it. I own three 34" scale basses and one 30.5" (Heavily modified '71 EB-0). The short scale bass feels very tiny compared to my other three basses and I also find that I'll finger it like a guitarist. I usually don't have a problem switching back and forth though. I've found more problems getting used to a skinny neck like on a newer 4 string jazz or an Ibanez Soundgear, than adjusting to different scale lenths.

 

I played a Kubicki EX Factor at a rehearsal one time, it was very comfy to play and sounded great. Aren't they like a 32" scale or something?

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