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Old 02-21-2007, 03:05 PM
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Lately I have noticed a few other makers that make bass guitars with 35", 36", or even 38" strings. Currently on your specs page it looks like you have standardized to 34". That is a pretty strong statement in itself about what string scale you consider to perform the best. Have you ever built or would you consider building an EBG with a longer string scale? Can you elaborate a little on why or why not?
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Old 02-21-2007, 04:15 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by David Powell View Post
Lately I have noticed a few other makers that make bass guitars with 35", 36", or even 38" strings. Currently on your specs page it looks like you have standardized to 34". That is a pretty strong statement in itself about what string scale you consider to perform the best. Have you ever built or would you consider building an EBG with a longer string scale? Can you elaborate a little on why or why not?
Well, with Double Basses, the longer the String length (aka scale in BG world), the looser the tension feels to me but, the low notes seem to have more fundamental and the upper notes are slightly smoother. The shorter the String length (aka scale in BG world), the tighter the tension and the brighter overall the Bass seems to sound to my ear.

I hear all the talk about this 1" miracle and I just don't buy it, period. Do the math, 35/34 or 34/35 comes to a whopping 3% in length. WOW.. STOP THE PRESSES.. Hey, if you are 3% off in tension and if you can even feel 3%, then maybe you need to make the Bass vibrate a bit more which I find adds to the overall resistance therefor creating more tension. Headstock angles and Bridge-to-tailpiece anchor can alter the tension a great deal.

When the KSD project was on the drawing board, the partners of 'Brooklyn Gear' (the producers and sellers of the product) asked if it could be a 35" Scale. I said, sure.. why not.. 19mm bridge.. sure, why not..

Now, we are getting calls for KSDs in 34" scale and 18mm spacing like our regular Smith Basses. Gee.. I wonder why that is?

Tendinitis anyone? Regular or Diet? Automatic or Standard? Straight or on the rocks?

Imagine you are a PROFESSIONAL Bass player and you have to actually play Bass lines and NOT Flute lines or Guitar riffs for a Living! You are playing most of the notes from the Nut up to the 5th or 7th Fret where the spacing is the widest. Imaging a 10 minute song, live on stage playing a line from the 1st to 3rd fret only? Memories anyone? Bucket of ice for hand after set or between tunes anyone? Advil? A few stiff ones?

I have owned and used Double Basses with String Lengths from 40" to 44 1/2" and let me tell you from personal experience, Longer is Looser, period.

Take a stick 1 foot, 2 feet and 3 feet long like a 1/4" dowel or better yet, using the same stick, test its flex and then start cutting it down in length. Tell me which is tighter, the shorter or longer piece.

Oh, and also.. "If it Ain't Broke, Don't Fix It"... I go by that a lot these days..
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Old 02-21-2007, 04:34 PM
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The change in note spacing closer to the nut is pretty much why I want to stick with 34". Even at 34" trying to stretch 5 frets is down right rough to do, especially considering I play fretless and I have to make the full stretch in order to have proper intonation. I see no reason to add to that pain. I've read that 35"+ gives you a better sounding low B. I'm with Ken in that I just don't see that small of a change in string length making that much difference in tone. Maybe if it was 38"+ I could see it, but I wouldn't want to play it.
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Old 02-21-2007, 06:01 PM
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Thanks for the detailed answer, Ken, and your thoughts as well, Bob. The EBG 5 string basses I currently use are 35" scale. I played the fretless one last Friday evening for 3+ hours without a break (yeah, I was getting paid!) and without any noticeable fatigue.

In this case the bass (actually the fretted one also) is very well set up and of competent manufacture, so it certainly is easier to play than my old 4-string Fender that is 34", but not much about those instruments is comparable. In any case I have played those kind of long sets with that particular band frequently and expect to frequently in the future. The sets are mostly covering Phil Lesh lines so it's a pretty fair workout for me. It's not a problem for me at 35" to play and the basses sound good (when I bought, I never noticed or considered the length).

If I were to purchase a Ken Smith 5 string fretless would I have the option of going to the 35" scale so I wouldn't have transition issues? If the answer is "stick with the 34", that would not necessarily make or break the purchase. My DB is 43" BTW. I do get tired after playing 3 sets with breaks on that one.
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Old 02-21-2007, 06:31 PM
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Going from 34" to 35" and back is almost unnoticeable. You could probably barely tell the difference. We're talking a difference in semitone spacing in the millimeter range. I've played a few 35" scale basses at music shops and never noticed a difference on anything but the longest stretches. For general playing within a 3-4 semitone range on the neck there's almost no tangible difference. I can only feel it on long stretches.

I wouldn't turn my nose to owning a 35" bass anymore than I would a 34" as long as the quality is there and it plays well. It just happens I prefer 34" as I see little value in 35" and my favorite bass is a Ken Smith, which is 34".. Works for me!
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Old 02-21-2007, 07:10 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Bob Faulkner View Post
Going from 34" to 35" and back is almost unnoticeable. You could probably barely tell the difference. We're talking a difference in semitone spacing in the millimeter range. I've played a few 35" scale basses at music shops and never noticed a difference on anything but the longest stretches. For general playing within a 3-4 semitone range on the neck there's almost no tangible difference. I can only feel it on long stretches.

I wouldn't turn my nose to owning a 35" bass anymore than I would a 34" as long as the quality is there and it plays well. It just happens I prefer 34" as I see little value in 35" and my favorite bass is a Ken Smith, which is 34".. Works for me!
You are right Bob, I didn't know there was a difference until I read it in the specs. By then, I was on 35" for several months, after playing the Fender for 31 years. If I didn't notice it going up I probably wouldn't notice going back to 34 either.
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Old 02-21-2007, 11:10 PM
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To David and anyone elase listening, ALL Smith Handmade Basses are 34" scale and always have been. We have made maybe two Short scale Basses back in the early '80s but that was it. 34" is all we offer from our Shop.
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Old 03-08-2007, 12:48 AM
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34" is perfect for me!
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