Restrictions Still in Place in Store - Read here before visiting in person. While not feeling impossible to play, the extra length of a bass may have felt somewhat daunting and difficult to get to grips with at first.
Fortunately, there are basses out there that somewhat bridge the gap between a conventional guitar scale length and that of a full bass. While that is their main selling-point, short scale basses can also produce peculiar tones that are different from what you may expect from standard-length bass guitars. Because as it turns out, even professionals have a preference for them!
As basses are conventionally tuned an octave lower than most guitars; thicker strings and a longer scale are therefore required to compensate for that loss of tuning tension. As we said at the beginning, short scale bass guitars typically sit in the middle. Both full-scale and short scale basses have their pros and cons. As we explained in the previous section; the longer the scale length, the higher the string tension. This can be counteracted by setting a low action, whereby the string saddles are adjusted to move the strings closer to the frets.
Ultimately, the main benefit of a longer scale length is tone. Greater tension results in a clearer and more pronounced string sound, which gives notes a punchier quality. It also enables a quicker response with more attack, as the strings vibrate within a much narrower range.
Perhaps unbeknown to some, short scale bass guitars have been around for decades! However, the Gibson EB-3 SG bass is arguably one of the more recognisable from this era, featuring a This, combined with the frets being much closer together, means that short scale basses feel considerably easier to play than their full-length counterparts.
A shorter scale length does impact tone though. As we alluded to, there are plenty of big-name musicians that use short scale bass guitars. In fact, arguably the most famous living musician today uses them; Paul McCartney! Jack Bruce was another keen advocate of the short scale bass. Its Nu-Sonic bass offers a basswood body, Indian rosewood fingerboard, two groovy single-coil Nu-Sonic pickups, and a cherry red finish.
That should be endorsement enough. Philadelphia luthier Tim Cloonan makes some of the finest instruments available, no matter the scale length. His short-scale models were built and refined with help from players like Biddle, Tim Lefevbre, and Steve Jenkins, and they currently represent the state of the short-scale art. A builder with a fun aesthetic eye, his designs are blessed with sinuous curves and bold, impressive finishes.
Modeled after the legendary Gibson EB-O, the Epiphone edition is as old-school as it comes in its overall concept and approach. In 'Pawn Shop' guise, it gets the hot-rod treatment, featuring a 'competition' racing stripe that looks especially good on the stock Olympic white finish.
Unlike the original Mustang, the new version sports a beefy humbucker for added chunk. Undoubtedly one of the most coveted short-scales on the vintage market, the iconic Guild Starfire is back in a mid-priced imported edition.
The handsome Gibson esque body is semi-hollow and sports a Guild BS-1 BiSonic pickup, an unusually large single-coil that has a cult following among the tone cognoscenti. The laminated mahogany body looks good with the Indian rosewood fingerboard, while the simple adjustable bridge offers rosewood saddles that help take the edge off the tone.
Few basses are as distinctive and iconic as the legendary violin bass, thanks to a certain Liverpudlian who loved its light weight, small neck, and sweet tone. The Ignition Series leverages the low-cost of Asian manufacturing to offer a remarkably affordable take on the venerable classic.
The strings on the short scale bass will be looser than those on a long scale bass. Of course, these are subjective terms to describe the difference in tone. However, there is science to also explain the difference. If you have a guitar or bass, try this practical experiment.
Play the E note on the twelfth fret, string six string four for bass , and compare the difference in tone to the E played on the seventh fret, fifth string string three for bass , you will clearly hear the tonal difference due to string length. As a result of the shorter scale length, the frets on the short scale bass will be closer together. This has some big implications in terms of the difference in how the instruments can be played.
Because the frets are closer together, chords, fast melodic riffs, string bending, and finger stretches are more easily accomplished on a short scale bass. Also, due to the lighter string tension and closer fret proximity, if you have hand or wrist issues, or are simply prone to hand fatigue, a short-scale bass will be easier to play.
This begs the question: If a short scale bass has all of these positive attributes, why is it that the long scale bass seems to be more popular?. This has a lot to do with history. The name precision was given to the bass because it used frets as opposed to the fretless upright bass. Also, the simple design of the electronics produced a consistent sound that musicians and producers were wanting to hear and reproduce on their records.
This led to the P-Bass becoming the industry standard. There were short scale basses produced during the time of the P-Bass, but they tended to be looked upon as a type of beginner or student bass by the musical community. However, over time that changed with more and more prominent bassists using the short scale bass.
Another principal difference is the weight between a short and long scale bass.
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