Shortscales for me from now on.

lungimsam

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Why do I struggle with long scales like I have done for years and years? Taken a long time to say “enough” to myself. 34”-ers very hard on my left hand thru the years and even my 331/4 Ricky can feel tough at times. Even Jbass neck can be tough.

Pics prove they even look huge on me. Sometimes the Pbass felt like a diving board strapped to my neck.

But the Starfire is the easiest playing bass I ever had. That and the SG played great, too, but the SG sounded horrible so sold it. Plus shorties seem to have no dead spots like 34” basses do.

From now on I think am only buying shorties. Why struggle? Starfires sound best of the shorties I have played. Super comfy to hold. So still waiting for a maple sunburst model to come out.

Still love my Pbass and Ricky and their looks and sounds but not gonna buy any more longscales.
 

fronobulax

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Hehe...

My brand loyalty to Guild rests, in part, because I didn't know of any other shirt scale basses when I didn't know what I didn't know. That said, if I had a time machine and put a Pilot in my younger hands (instead of a Precision) I might not have such a strong preference for scale length.
 

jp

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Why do I struggle with long scales like I have done for years and years? Taken a long time to say “enough” to myself. 34”-ers very hard on my left hand thru the years and even my 331/4 Ricky can feel tough at times. Even Jbass neck can be tough.

Pics prove they even look huge on me. Sometimes the Pbass felt like a diving board strapped to my neck.

But the Starfire is the easiest playing bass I ever had. That and the SG played great, too, but the SG sounded horrible so sold it. Plus shorties seem to have no dead spots like 34” basses do.

From now on I think am only buying shorties. Why struggle? Starfires sound best of the shorties I have played. Super comfy to hold. So still waiting for a maple sunburst model to come out.

Still love my Pbass and Ricky and their looks and sounds but not gonna buy any more longscales.
If you still love the PBass, there are certain Japanese-made PBasses with 32" scales. They have the best of both worlds and sound great! And although I appreciate the general utility of P and J basses, I love my main bass, a Hofner Club with flats, which has a 30" scale. Woody thumpy goodness that can sometimes get amazingly close to an upright sound, if played the right way. Check one out!

I have yet to get my hands on an M-85II, which I'm sure would give my Hofner competition.
 

Happy Face

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PROFOUND OBSERVATION: We all have our distinct hand, arm & torso sizes so it all comes down to individual preference. (Yes Frono, you can quote that.)

So I can easily switch between my Guilds and my thin-necked Rick 4003, but a fatter neck shortie can be a challenge.
 

lungimsam

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I think it is like bikes. Gotta buy the right frame size for you. Same with bass. My size bass is shortscale 30” x 1.5”
 

mellowgerman

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At some point I would love to get a custom short-scale bass built with a big fat neck on it like a '51 precision bass. I love my Starfire, of course and I appreciate that Guild still leaves a little meat on the bone regardless of the narrow nut, but I've always enjoyed the feel of a big chunky width like the old Fenders that were designed to appeal to upright players. Scale length is not a big factor to me but if I have the choice I'll go short scale just because that's what I'm most used to.
 

jp

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I think it is like bikes. Gotta buy the right frame size for you. Same with bass. My size bass is shortscale 30” x 1.5”
So very true! I'm not a tall guy, and a full scale electric bass looks ridiculous on me.
 

fronobulax

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My experience is that the neck profile is a bigger obstacle for me to overcome than scale length.
 

Quantum Strummer

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Both my basses are sub-34": an early '80s Rickie 4001 and a mid '70s Fender Mustang. I mostly play the Mustang bass…it feels the more guitar-like of the two and, given that I don't own a proper bass amp, I really like its midrange & upper bass emphasis.

-Dave-
 

Minnesota Flats

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Fretboard radius and neck width are my real sticking points.

Too flat and/or too wide just don't work for me.

Can't really understand why anybody would want a radius flatter than 12" on a bass.
 

mgod

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I’ve got a bunch of basses. I move between them effortlessly, but I don’t play the same on them. Instinctively, that’s part of the reason I choose what to play. My largest are a full tilt Alembic and a Taylor AB3. Pretty danged big. A couple of late 50/60 P-basses. A Rick 4000. And all these Guilds. You just play differently, which is part of what makes you you.
 

Happy Face

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10 fewer Guilds than Mgod sports. But enough for me.

 

mgod

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Yeah, but they’re all the same scale. Visualize your Rick, or something.
 
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