Long scale

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The term Long Scale ( Engl. : Long measure) is defined as the dimensions and the type designation for musical instruments, especially for basses used. It denotes the length of the instruments. For lute instruments like the electric bass, this is the distance between the saddle and the bridge - the two points on which the strings rest. This is 34 inches (864 mm) for long- scale instruments .

Other length types are

  • Shortscale (30 inches / 762 mm; sometimes also 30.5 inches / 775 mm (e.g. Gibson ) or 30.75 inches / 781 mm (e.g. Hagstrom ));
  • Mediumscale (32 inches / 813 mm);
  • Extra long scale (also super long scale, 36 inches / 914 mm), especially for basses with a deep B string.

The long-scale measure is the most common.

The shorter scale length of the short-scale basses and medium-scale basses means that either thicker strings have to be pulled up or the strings have less tension for the same tuning. In both cases, the length of the instrument neck affects not only the playability, but also the sound. Basically, thicker strings in relation to the scale length produce fewer overtones due to their restricted flexibility , which leads to a duller sound. This can be partially compensated for by using a more flexible string material (for example roundwound instead of flatwound strings).

The length of the neck affects the length of the strings accordingly. Since the largest selection of strings is available for long-scale basses, users of short-scale and medium-scale basses sometimes make do by shortening the long-scale strings of their choice for their bass. This is not an optimal solution for acoustic reasons: a string is optimized by the manufacturer in such a way that it generates a clearly defined tone with a defined optimal tension and with a given thickness and vibrating length. If the vibrating length is shortened and the tone is to remain unchanged without changing the string thickness, the tension must be released. The lower the tension of a string, the more susceptible it is to intonation errors as a result of small tension changes caused by the strings being twisted with the gripping hand or by fingering with different firmness. It is also more difficult to optimally adjust the octave purity of instruments with frets for all registers. Finally, if the string tension is too low, the effect is increased that a string sounds a little higher in the settling phase or with a strong attack (larger amplitude ) and the pitch decreases slightly with the oscillation (lower amplitude).

literature

  • Tony Bacon, Barry Moorhouse: The Bass Book. A complete illustrated history of bass guitars. 1st German edition. Balafon Books, London 1996.
  • Jim Roberts: American Basses - an illustrated history and player's guide . Backbeat Books, San Francisco 2003. ISBN 0-87930-721-8

See also

  • Long scale - English name for the long scale , the naming convention for large numbers in continental Europe.