Why I prefer a short scale Bass and when I decided to learn Bass, I pick a short scale because I am a guitarist (Fender Stratocaster) since 45 Years and I find the scale similar to my guitar, same size and same confort, see picture. I pick a Squier mini precision Bass and I update the pickup for a Wilkinson P Bass Alnico 5 Wilkinson M Series WOPB after trying a Fender Original and a Fender 62/63, because they sound identical and the cost is lower, around $40CAD, probably $30 US.
After trying different brand of strings, my conclusion was , for me the best sounding strings was D’addario EXL 170 S,
And now I am happy, really happy.
And yes I tried a long scale Bass, I had a Aria P J Bass for years and I never really like the feeling
of a long scale, spacing of the frets and the weight.
I find the Bass tone real with those kind of strings and now I play my new toy all the time and I enjoy it!
I always like Squier product, for the quality and the price, most of the time you just need to change the Pickups for having a decent sound for a low price instrument.
You can tell me what you have and why!
Mike
I love short scale I also love 35” xtra long scale. Sometimes you just want to feel a little flop on the strings short scale is great for that. It also sound extra deep as well.
Extra long scale is also fun tight sounding B string is so rewarding though your body needs a few minutes to recalibrate from standard to extra long but going back is no problem.
I’ve commissioned a short scale multi scale Neckthrough. It should be done soon.
Those mini-P are kinda cool. Even if a P has to be a 34" scale to be a P, but yeah … still a nice little bass and yes, the current Squier range is really cool.
I have only one short scale bass but I like it a lot. It does not sound like a long scale, but that’s something I like : it’s something different and it’s cool for what it is.
Also I come from guitar too, but with some habit it’s really not a problem to switch from one to another scale length. A guitar, a short scale bass and a long scale bass, all feel very familiar with some habit.
Going from standard to short or even extra long to short scale make no difference in fact you benefit from the extra agility but going from short/ standard to extra long it requires extra accommodations.
The difference is exactly 3/4" (Fender : 25.5" , Gibson : 24.75"). Still not that much, even if it feels a little bit different. To me, it’s more about string tension than scale length really.
But there are real short scale guitars ! like the Fender Mustang (24" or 22.5"). Not what I prefer but it’s not a problem for me to play on those guitars.
Forgot to add the link. Now I’m somewhere in South Carolina. I’ll add the link tomorrow. If you can’t wait, just do a search for short scale bass and you’ll find a bunch of threads.
Can I please hijack briefly to ask a question? I have a Squier Affinity Series P bass, and I’ve followed some advice I’ve seen on how to measure it to determine scale length-- there’s no information in the leaflet that came with the bass nor can I find a simple answer on google on this bass. Assuming I’ve measured correctly, it has a scale length of 34 inches thereby placing it in the long scale category. However two people at music stores have told me this bass isn’t considered long scale. I’ve measured a couple different ways to be sure.
I saw a Gibson Thunderbird being played right up close and it looked huge, but is apparently 34 inches too.
I was planning on going to a bass store on my one year bassiversary and trying out some long scales but I guess I already have one? Which is fine, as I’m very fond of it.
This is the PJ config? It’s 34" scale from what I see on SamAsh and Thomann. Measure from nut to center on 12th fret and double. And yes, 34" is long scale…
The T-bird can look huge from the elongated body, which isn’t part of the “scale”, so that may have affected your perception…
yeah, it’s very easy to measure. from the nut to the saddles, on the thinest string, it’s the scale lenght. a P is normally a 34" bass = long scale.
Thanks @skydvr and @terb This is the bass I have (same kit):
I don’t know anything yet about all the bass technical stuff, but it is a future goal to be able to do maintenance etc myself, maybe a project bass or two and get really bass-geeky about pickups and such.
The Thunderbird was being played by a tall bassist right in front of me, up high on a stage so that might have skewed my perception a bit!
Edit: this is the bassist and the exact angle I was observing from (not my photo).
and yes, the current Squier range is really cool.
