To echo what other lovely folks have said, the correct scale bass is both something you look forward to playing and is comfortable to play.
As I’ve chimed in on another thread I’m 4’11" and play a long scale Ibanez Jazz. It took a solid couple of months of playing octaves to really noticeably build up strength, flexibility, as well as speed in microshifting. I believe Talking Bass might have recently posted a video about how to improve finger agility. Really spending the time to warm up properly when sitting down to play helps too. The other consideration is that if your bass has a chonkier neck that can affect how the stretch feels. The slimmer neck on my long scale has felt more comfortable than some heftier short scales I’ve tried.
But hang in there yeah? Progress ebbs and flows so it can feel like you’ve hit a wall when really it’s just a plateau. My hands felt impossibly small and stiff trying to play “Zombie” for months and months until I had a breakthrough with being able to stretch instead of just microshifting. I use it as my cool down end of practice song now just for funsies.
Yep. Played a 34" Yamaha for 1 year then found my G&L Fallout short scale. For me I love it. That 4" difference is huge for my short arms and small hands.
Getting a short scale bass was the best decision I ever made and broke a log-jam for me.
I got a Squire P bass and started the course. At one point I got so frustrated I almost gave up. I was back in my home state (with my bass) and stopped by a friend’s music store. He happened to have a Gretsch Jet and after messing with, I traded on the spot. He told me that his bass teacher uses one when he teaches all day because the weight, easy of depressing the strings and tight fretboard make it easy for him to play all day.
If you can afford it, though, I’d say don’t get rid of your full scale. A few weeks ago I found a deal on a Sire V3P J-bass and thought I’d give it a go again. What I’ve found is that stuff I can’t do on the 34" I can learn to do on the 30" and then transition over, and the whole process is much faster. Interestingly, there are things I can do more easily on the 34" and have to work to transition to the 30." Doing all exercises from the lessons on both basses in practice has really accelerated by abilities.
At the end of the day, playing a musical instrument isn’t about macho crap. “Tough it out” is stupid advice. My Gretsch is a different instrument than my Sire, but I like its sound just as much. If your experience with the bass your using is no longer fun (what’s what music is supposed to be about), get something that will make it fun.
I will say after I’ve been playing my shorty for a while, when I pick up my Sire I’ve got the distinct impression that I’m holding a giraffe. I have to do a lot more than “micro” shift to play it, and while it’s a lot of work, it’s fun in it’s own way to have to work that hard and see how fast I can move my whole hand from one position to another.
A shorty broke a log-jam for me and put me back on track to finish the course. Will it do the same for you? There’s only one way to find out.
Sorry if someone already said this, but do you stretch your hands? I had the same issue on a standard p-bass, and my instructor had me start doing hand and finger stretches. I now play a long scale 5 string with halfwounds, and doing hand stretches has been a life saver for me. That being said, I also play a u-bass and absolutely love it, but I play it for different tones, rather than instead of my main bass. I would encourage you to try stretching, microshifting and taking breaks. It can really solve a lot of those types of problems! And be patient with yourself. I’ve been playing bass for a few years now and I still overwork my hands sometimes.
I bought a Squier Mini P Bass (28") to start the B2B course and I’m not sure I’m happy with it. I actually have big hands and I find my fingers are slipping around as I finger the neck. Also, it had that annoying buzz from the G string which I discovered was a design flaw (the string was touching the bridge barrel piece. GGGGrrrrrr. Although it appears I don’t have to microshift as much with my big hands and shorter base, I feel like I’m missing something in my playing. I’m going to try out a “full size” bass and see how that feels…
I’m a big short scale fan. It’s not really a hand size thing for me. They are generally lighter and more comfortable to play. Main reason for comfort for me is less shoulder strain (left shoulder as right handed player). I still love my 34 in scale P’s and do pick them up often. But my first choice are my shorties. My three favorite shorties right now are my Sandberg California passive, Offbeat guitars Roxie, and a modified Squier Bronco. I thought my bass buying journey was almost complete until @TheMaartian posted that Valiant on here and now I think I have to have one too. That thing looks awesome…
If you’re in the U.S., check with Amp Shop Bass Exchange in L.A. That’s who carries Valiants in the U.S. Fun fact: I ordered mine from the Valiant website. The bass was listed in stock. In fact, it was in stock at ASBE. So, it was a well-traveled instrument by the time I got it. Ukraine => L.A. => France.
If you do acquire one, and you’re interested in a custom length set of Pyramid Gold flatwounds for it, PM me and I’ll provide you with the contact info and the string specs that I provided to Pyramid.
I just got home from a music store and got to noodle around with a Reverend Wattplower mk I for about 45 minutes (also got to play a McGrath P bass for awhile too). I’m gonna give it the weekend to think on it, but my wife and I might need to have a talk about the money I took out of my savings on Monday. The McGrath felt so nice in my hands. I see why they got so much hype at NAMM this year. I guess what I’m really pondering is, how mad am I willing to make my wife, and should I offload a few of my other basses to make room and lessen the scorn.
For what it’s worth, I dig the McGrath. Those basses did indeed make a splash at NAMM. They look like quality builds and they sounded great in the videos I saw.
