Find bass strings scale length information at the bottom of this page! It would be very hard for a guitarist to say this, but the bass player is one of the most fundamental parts of the band. Witho...
Find bass strings scale length information at the bottom of this page! It would be very hard for a guitarist to say this, but the bass player is one of the most fundamental parts of the band. Without bass there’s no drive, no power and no strong, pinning-down of pitch. But the last thing you want as a bass guitar player is to just be a low rumble and the only way to gain the clarity needed is from your strings. Shop from our vast range of bass strings here at Strings Direct, spanning home-grown British brands like Rotosound and Elites to huge multi-nationals like D’Addario, Ernie Ball and Elixir.
Scale length is calculated by measuring from the inside edge of the top nut to the centre of the 12th fret and multiplying this by two. Or, more simply measuring from the nut to the bridge.
Speaking length is the length from the anchor of the string (ball-end or loop-end) to where it crosses the top nut of the instrument. When choosing bass strings we believe this is the most important measurement as it takes into account different types of bridges and anchor/ferrule placement.
Acoustic/Electric Guitars - Scale length is usually only important for bass guitar, as electric and acoustic guitar strings are over-wound in length, and generally come with more than enough winding to accommodate most 6-Strings. Naturally there are a few exceptions, but if unsure you are more than welcome to contact us, as we are always happy to help.
Bass Guitars - Basses are different, as scale length is VERY important. This is because the lower strings can be too thick to wind, and need to taper in size before they can pass through the machine head. Basses come in a few different scale lengths, and as a result you must always be sure which strings you need before you purchase them. The vast majority of basses are of a standard length, which is known as 'Long-Scale', but you can also have 'Short', 'Medium', and 'Super', or 'Extra Long-Scale' variations. Manufacturers differ slightly in how they class their instruments' scale-lengths, but a good general guide can be found below:
- Short Scale – 30" (76 cm) or shorter
- Medium Scale – 32'' (81 cm)
- Long (or Standard) Scale – 34" (86 cm) for a 4-string and 35" (89 cm) for a 5-string
- Super (or Extra) Long Scale – 36" (91 cm)
*Remember that, to find speaking length you must measure from the ball-end of the string, NOT the point where it sits on the bridge. An easy way of measuring is to mark your old strings with a permanent marker at the nut before you remove them. Then snip them ABOVE the nut, just below the machine heads, and once removed it is much easier to measure from the ball-end to the marking.
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