NBD: MIM Precision

[piebaldpython***]

You are correct sir........I was a tad "verklempt" trying to put it into words. You want "thicker" strings on the shorter scale and "thinner" strings on the long scale. That part I got right. lolol

[kidsmoke*]

Right....I'm sorry for my poor progression and muddying the waters.

Sticking with basses/spacing....Rev answered the basic question of what the variances are, and where they TYPICALLY appear.

are there advantages other than comfort/preference for different scale length on a bass? Are there applications for one length as opposed to another?

Where does the venerable Rickenbacker 4001 fall in this discussion? Full scale? Wide nut?

[Brian Krashpad]

Congrats Eric! I have a Squier P also, though mine is a stock '80's MIJ.

[NWBasser]

Right....I'm sorry for my poor progression and muddying the waters.

Sticking with basses/spacing....Rev answered the basic question of what the variances are, and where they TYPICALLY appear.

are there advantages other than comfort/preference for different scale length on a bass? Are there applications for one length as opposed to another?

Where does the venerable Rickenbacker 4001 fall in this discussion? Full scale? Wide nut?

Most 4-string basses are 34" scale with the odd 35" here and there like the Peavey Cirrus. Fivers are divided between either 34" or 35" scale length with the longer scale reportedly giving a "tighter" B-string.

Ricks are an oddball at, I believe 33", and have a fairly wide nut on the 4001. The neck on a 4001 is pretty chunky and has similarities to a P-bass. You can get shorter scale basses at 30". Not my cup of tea, but some folks like 'em. Actually a short-scale might be good choice for someone coming from guitar-land.

The string spacing at the bridge for 4-stringers are usually around 19 mm and you'll sometimes find tigher spacing on fives. My G&L five is pretty tight and it's taking some getting used to.

Neck width is a pretty big thing for bass with the two most common widths being the 1.5" (jazz bass) and 1.75" (precision bass). The only way to know which one will work best for you is to play a few to see which one is more comfortable. Even though I have big hands, the narrower jazz neck suits me. One thing about a jazz bass is that the strings are pretty widely-separated at the bridge and then seriously taper down at the nut. I think Eric's Ibanez keeps a fairly narrow spacing all the way across, like Alembics do.

Pickup choices for basses are vast and I can write more about that later.

[Eric***]

Ricks are an oddball at, I believe 33", and have a fairly wide nut on the 4001. The neck on a 4001 is pretty chunky and has similarities to a P-bass. You can get shorter scale basses at 30". Not my cup of tea, but some folks like 'em. Actually a short-scale might be good choice for someone coming from guitar-land.

I believe Mr. Tigford's recently-acquired Squier Jag bass is a 30" scale. Perhaps he will weigh in with how it plays/feels relative to the clunkier 34" scales.

[Tig***]

I believe Mr. Tigford's recently-acquired Squier Jag bass is a 30" scale. Perhaps he will weigh in with how it plays/feels relative to the clunkier 34" scales.

Yep, it has a 30" scale which is super easy to play. It has been so long since I had a 34" scale, I'm not qualified to compare with one.
When I changed the stock .040-.095 strings, I moved up one size to a set of .045-.100's without any noticeable difficulty.