This newfound interest in shorter scale length is actually a return to form. The first-ever electric bass guitar was the Audiovox Model 736, produced in the mid-1930s. From the string’s point of contact with the saddle to nut—the distance commonly referred to as scale length—the Model 736 measured just over 30 inches. It wasn’t until Leo Fender created the Precision Bass nearly 15 years later that what came to be called long scale would first hit the market. The immense popularity of the Precision Bass, and later the Jazz Bass, established their 34-inch scale length as the norm. Gibson’s first electric bass guitars, such as those in the EB series, measured in at 30.5 inches, while the later Thunderbird came to 34 inches.

In the years since, manufacturers have released bass guitars of varying scale lengths, and players tend to group their instruments into one of three categories: short scale for 30 to 30.5 inches, medium for 32 inches, and long for 34 inches and, occasionally, 35 inches. Not every bass will fit neatly into this breakdown—Rickenbacker’s 4000 series bass guitars have measured at 33.5 inches from bridge to nut since their debut in 1957—but those categories cover the majority of basses you’ll encounter.

Despite the association of short and medium scale basses with kids and beginners, they’ve always been used by the pros, from Jack Bruce and Paul McCartney to Phil Lesh and Stanley Clarke. So what is it that these and a growing number of today’s players get from short and medium scale basses?

“Shorter scale instruments are often easier to play,” says luthier Jake Serek of Serek Basses. “Especially for those who have a hard time navigating the fingerboard of larger instruments.” People are just shaped differently. Hands are different sizes, arms are different lengths—it only makes sense to choose an instrument whose construction allows you to play comfortably.

“The shorter neck allows me to play parts that would otherwise be too far of a reach or stretch,” says prolific gigging and recording artist Chris Chaney. “I usually play P basses so when I jump on a short scale bass I feel like its a hotrod and my chops definitely get a positive injection.” Four inches makes a huge difference when you’re trying to move from an F with your index finger on the E string to a B on the G string with your pinky. Luthier Carey Nordstrand of Nordstrand Audio likens it to putting on a new pair of sneakers. “It makes you run faster and gives you powers you always wished you had. Everything is easier.”

For this reason, short and medium scale basses are also great options for musicians who primarily play guitar but need to switch to bass on a regular basis—going from a Strat to an EB3 or a Mustang can be an easier transition than going to a P Bass.

It’s not just about feel, though. “Short scales with the right strings give a naturally, rich, deep, rounded tone,” notes luthier Viv Wilcock, owner of Wilcock London. A shorter length means lower tension, making for a sound that’s warm, fat, and punchy in its own way. Dave Swift, long-time bassist for BBC television staple Later…with Jools Holland, has recently started exploring short-scale basses via Wilcock London, and agrees with the luthier. Especially when bringing flatwound strings into the mix. “They can produce a particularly bassy, tubby, thuddy, muted sound that is highly desirable playing certain genres and styles,” he says. “Ska & reggae spring to mind.”

A great set of strings is purpose-built for the type of instrument they’re meant to be played on. Check with your manufacturer to find out the scale length of your instrument and follow the recommendations of the string manufacturer to find the right set. Otherwise, you might end up a section of the string that’s too thin—sometimes still covered in silk—for its nut slot, which creates buzzing. Or, even worse, you might end up with a string that’s too thick to wrap around the tuning peg, causing a break.

That’s why Dunlop makes sets of strings specifically designed for short-scale and medium-scale basses. Our string designers take great care to ensure a consistent, balanced sound and feel form string to string—working musicians and the top builders of short and medium-scale basses can testify to the success of that process. “Dunlop offers a great variety of short and medium scales strings to fit almost any tonal profile,” Jake Serek says. “I use them on the basses that I make because they are consistent, they sound great, and the folks at Dunlop are great to work with.” Viv Wilcock is partial to Dunlop’s short-scale Flatwound Bass Strings. “They offer a great balance between tension and flexibility that enhances the old school dynamics and tone that many players are looking for from my short scales,” he says. “We’ve used Dunlop Strings from the beginning, and their short scale strings work great with the Cat bass,” Carey Nordstrand says. “Fat and punchy with a nice easy feel.”

Beyond the workshop, Dunlop Bass Strings offer professional players the reliable paying experience they need to play take after take in the studio and night after night at live shows. “From pack to pack, they have been the most consistent strings I’ve ever used,” Chris Chaney says. “The short-and medium-scale strings also stay in tune, retain their sound for a remarkably long time, and have a nice break-in period. I’m a life-long Dunlop fan and can’t recommend them enough.” Also a years-long user of Dunlop Bass Strings, Dave Swift knew he could trust our short-and medium-scale sets, and he hasn’t been disappointed. “I particularly like the nickel Super Bright Bass Strings. I’ve always been extremely happy with their feel, sound, reliability and longevity. “

Dunlop’s short-and medium-scale sets come in a variety of sets to suit your playing needs, from our standard sets to flatwounds and Super Bright™ Bass Strings.

String up with the set of Dunlop Bass Strings that was made for you.

To get a straight up bass sound, you need to drop your guitar signal an octave. The easiest way to do that is to plug into the Bass Octave Deluxe. It has three knobs—one that controls an aggressive, growling sub-octave signal, one that controls a thick, beefy sub octave signal, and one that controls your dry signal. You can choose to go with one of the octave signals or blend the two together to your taste. Guitar players can use their dry signal to great effect with this pedal for other applications, but since you’re going for a pure bass sound, roll the Dry knob all the way off. Now you’re ready to groove.

If you want more of a glitchy dub-style sound, get yourself an MXR Blue Box Fuzz. It splits your signal into a synthy square-wave fuzz on one hand and two-octaves-down signal on the other. Blend the two to your liking—there’s a huge range of possibilities for such a simple-to-use pedal, allowing guitar players to cover a lot of bottom end.

If you’re feeling adventurous, you could string up your two lowest strings with Dunlop Nickel Wound Bass Strings—105 and 85 gauge, to be precise. The great Chet Atkins did so on his famous Octabass Guitar to great effect, creating fat, thumping bass lines to play over. This is a bit more involved than just using pedals, and may require some adjustments to work correctly, so talk to your guitar repair tech before making any modifications on your own. We think this setup would sound absolutely killer with a downtuned garage/doom duo.

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Now, go forth, and make thunder. And maybe let your bass player buddies know that you’re not trying to replace them.

CRY BABY^® MINI BASS WAH

The Cry Baby Mini Bass Wah captures thick, throaty envelope filter tones in a mini housing with auto-return switching and Q and Boost controls for simple but responsive tweakability. Accentuating the lower midrange of the frequency spectrum, it sounds full and meaty when used on guitar—perfect for wah users who want to beef up their sound. And if you tune down, the Cry Baby Mini Bass Wah is an excellent choice for emphasizing the depth of those lower notes.

MXR^® DYNA COMP^® BASS COMPRESSOR

The Dyna Comp Bass Compressor comes equipped with the classic CA3080 “metal can” integrated circuit that guitar players know and love for its quiet operation, excellent transparency, and superior dynamic range. This pedal’s Clean control allows you to dial in your dry signal alongside the compressed signal, and for guitar players, that means retaining the sound of your pick attack. Also, thanks to the way that this particular version of the Dyna Comp Compressor is tuned, it works extremely well with guitars that have single-coil pickups.

MXR^® BASS OCTAVE DELUXE

The Bass Octave Deluxe provides two differently tuned sub-octave signals that sound just as great on guitar as they do on bass, and you can dial in your clean signal with one or both to thicken up a chorus or bridge passage. Try running this into a fuzz pedal for over-the-top sub saturation.

MXR^® BASS CHORUS DELUXE

The Bass Chorus Deluxe combines chorus and flanger effects into a single pedal, and the sound of the circuit offers a nice change of pace from the most common modulation tones that guitar players tend to use. It also has a stereo out for splitting the signal to two separate outputs to get rad panning effects.

MXR^® BASS PREAMP

The Bass Preamp is a killer option for acoustic guitar players. Its EQ interface is simple to use while offering a wide range of tonal flexibility that perfectly complements the instrument. With both 1/4” and XLR outputs, you can send your signal to an amp and the front of house at the same time, so you can play an acoustic gig with the ability to shape your tone and go direct without needing to carry anything more than your gig bag.

WAY HUGE^® SMALLS^™ PORK ’N’ PICKLE OVERDRIVE & FUZZ

The Pork ’N’ Pickle OD & Fuzz combines two different types of dirt in a single pedal with a ton of tweakability, including the option to dial in a clean signal. What’s that mean for guitar players? You can go all out with the overdrive or fuzz and then dial in come clean tones—seasoned to your liking—to make sure the mix has the clarity you need.

The moral of this story? Don’t limit yourself. A great effect is a great effect, and a lot of bass pedals are the result of an extra step or three of engineering and design thanks to the more demanding frequency range. Don’t be afraid to reap the benefits.