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I want to start playing bass after playing guitar for forty years. At this stage it will simply be for home recording and home playing. I want to make my own backing tracks for playing the guitar and singing over. Maybe I will take it into a band situation if I get good enough, but it isn’t my priority.
So, given that I will still be playing my regular guitars as well as the bass, I am wondering if a short-scale length will be better for me to learn on due to the scale-lengths being closer.
Maybe I am wrong and switching to a long-scale bass to record some bass lines after playing a Les Paul for a couple of hours isn’t something that people struggle with. Does anyone struggle with this?
Would it be easier to switch to playing a short-scale bass after playing the Les Paul for a few hours?
Am I worrying about something that isn’t a problem?Base theme by DesignModo & ported to Powered by Vanilla by Chris Ireland, modified by the "theFB" team.
Comments
The main thing with switching between guitar and bass will be developing the calluses to cope with the big strings. For a while, in his twenties, my brother changed to Rotosound Tru Bass nylon-wound bass strings. Less friction = fewer blisters.
Short scales do sound different - and if you are looking for a specific sound you may find a long scale much better.
Bass is a lot about rhythm, muting and getting into the groove. Treat it as a different instrument and go full scale
I don't have a specific sound or artist in mind, but I like to play anything from rock and roll, blues, country, blues-rock, country-blues, country-rock... and so on and so forth. So an instrument that will help me get down a good bass line in those genres. Basically anything influenced by the major and minor pentatonic scales if you get my drift!
I am not looking to solo on the bass or to take it to that kind of level. I suppose I should never say never but at the moment I want something to fill out my home recordings. As a guitar player I would love to be able to play jazz and I will keep trying but again the bass will be used for the rhythm aspect, not Jaco'isms. As great as he is he just isn't my cup of tea.
It sounds like the consensus is that swapping between bass and guitar isn't really an issue so long-scale is the way to go.
That's an excellent point and I must admit I hadn't thought of it from that angle.
Fair enough. I must admit to not knowing about basses and good advice like that is great. Thanks.
I think I'll look for a full length bass. I can't have it till Christmas so I can go and try some out!
Feedback : https://www.thefretboard.co.uk/discussion/58125/
To me the fact that the scale is shorter makes no difference - it's still a bass. A short-scale bass still feels hugely different from any guitar, which is not surprising when the scale length is still closer to a full-scale bass than a guitar, whether you go by absolute measurement or percentage.
25.5" - (5") - 30.5" - (3.5") - 34"
75% - (15%) - 90% - (10%) - 100%
And that's from Fender scale length, not Gibson - it's even more so from a 24-3/4" scale.
In fact the difference between short and long scale bass won't change how different it feels from guitar anyway - if you approach it properly as a bass player and not as a guitarist.
@Bridgehouse and @Funkfingers I know will laugh , but I'm enjoying playing the Mustang so much that I'm even thinking about whether to get another short-scale bass...
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I make noises on guitar, bass guitar and Chapman Stick. I claim no great facility for shredding on guitar. I actually find that speedy stuff easier to play on the Melody string half of the Stick - especially if it is triggering a synthesizer or a virtual guitar sound.
Now have a very short scale (28.6") Ibanez GSRM 'Mikro' bass. Eminently playable....only downer is that the pickups don't 'have much definition or clarity. It may not be the guitar but rather the crappy home combo amp that I use..the guitar might sound better through a 'better' or bass specific amp. OK maybe for home use.....but useless for slap bass.