Scale Length

  1. Bass Guitar Scale Lengths

    Bass Guitar Scale Lengths
    [caption id="attachment_2495" align="alignright" width="210"]AABoth Fender set the standard for the 34" long scale bass length with the release of their influential Precision (left) and Jazz (right) bass guitars.[/caption] One of the most important aspects of a bass guitar is its scale length. In the framework of guitars, bass guitars and any other string instruments, the scale length refers to the distance between the bridge and the nut, essentially the entire vibrating length of the strings as opposed to the length of the neck or fingerboard. Short scale basses are usually designated as those with a 30” length. Long scale basses on the other hand ordinarily have 34” lengths. It was actually Fender that is credited with creating the prototypical long scale length distance with the release of their immensely influential Precision Bass in 1951, followed by the Jazz Bass in 1960 along with a few other long-scale models (such as the Telecaster Bass and Jaguar Bass in 1968 and 2006, respectively). Although there are no hard and fast rules, the 34” is now pretty much universally accepted as the standard scale length of a bass. There are certainly other sizes available, such as the 32” medium scale and 35” long scale, although both are not as common as 34". Continue reading →

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