Bass Scale Length - Short? Medium? Long?





Scale length and speaking length are important criteria when shopping for bass strings. Bass guitars come in many sizes, and this affects the instrument’s tone — as well as what strings you can use. This guide looks at what these terms mean and how they affect string choices.

Bass Scale Length vs. Speaking Length

  • Your bass scale length is the distance from the bridge to the nut of your bass.
  • Your bass speaking length is the distance from the ball end of the string to the nut of your bass.
  • The speaking length of the bass string is the distance from the ball end to the taper or silk.

Most basses have the ball end very close to the bridge so the scale length is almost equal to the speaking length. However, some basses have the ball end a few inches from the bridge, so the speaking length could be a few inches longer than the scale length. Most manufacturers sell strings based on the speaking length to make sure they’re long enough.

Short Scale Bass vs. Long Scale Bass

The average bass scale length is around 34 inches for a four-string bass and 35 inches for a five-string bass. This medium length produces a bright, focused sound with the strings holding more tension. Short scale bass strings have less tension, creating a warm tone and stronger low-end. You can also get a long scale bass and even an extra-long bass, which means more tension and brightness.

This is why you need to buy the right string length. Since the strings are designed for different tension loads, putting long-scale strings on a short scale instrument (and vice versa) can lead to serious sound, intonation, playability and warping issues. In addition to other factors like bass string gauges, always consider the scale length when shopping for bass guitar strings.


Important! Each manufacturer has different "Speaking Lengths" so please reference the list below and make sure you are selecting the right "Scale Length" of string (Short, Medium, Long, etc) based on the "Speaking Length" of your Bass.





Speaking Lengths listed by Brand


Clear Tone Bass Strings:

  • Long Scale = 37.5" Ball to Taper



D'Addario Bass Strings:

  • Short Scale = 32" Ball to Taper (or Silk)
  • Medium Scale = 34" Ball to Taper (or Silk)
  • Long Scale = 37.1" Ball to Taper (or Silk)
  • Super Long Scale = 38" Ball to Taper (or Silk)



DR Bass Strings:

  • Short Scale = 34" Ball to Taper (or Silk)
  • Long Scale = 38" Ball to Taper (or Silk)
  • Extra Long Scale - 40.7" Ball to Taper (or Silk)



Dunlop Bass Strings:

  • Long Scale = 37.25" Ball to Taper



Elixir Bass Strings:

  • Long Scale = 36.5" Ball to Taper
  • Extra Long Scale = 38" Ball to Taper



Ernie Ball Bass Strings:

  • Long Scale = 37.25" Ball to Taper (or Silk)
  • Super Long Scale = 38.25" Ball to Taper



Everly Bass Strings:

  • Long Scale = 37.75" Ball to Taper



Fender Bass Strings:

  • Short Scale = 32" Ball to Taper
  • Medium Scale = 34" Ball to Taper
  • Long Scale = 36.5" Ball to Taper



GHS Bass Strings:

  • Short Scale: 32.75" Ball to Taper (or Silk)
  • Medium Scale: 35.5" Ball to Taper (or Silk)
  • Long Scale: 36.5" Ball to Taper (or Silk)
  • Long Scale (Universal): 37.25" Ball to Taper (or Silk)
  • Long Plus: 38" Ball to Taper (or Silk)



Ken Smith Bass Strings:

  • Long Scale = 38" Ball to Silk
  • Extra Long Scale = 40" Ball to Silk
  • For some B strings there is a "Medium Scale" option = 36.5" Ball to Silk



La Bella Bass Strings:

  • Short Scale = 32" Ball to Silk
  • Medium Scale = 34" Ball to Silk
  • Long Scale = 37" Ball to Silk
  • Extra Long Scale = 38" Ball to Silk
  • Hofner Beatle Bass = 34" Ball to Silk



Rotosound Bass Strings:

  • Short Scale = 32" Ball to Silk
  • Medium Scale = 34" Ball to Silk
  • Long Scale = 37" Ball to Silk (or Taper)
  • Extra Long Scale = 39" Ball to Silk



Thomastik-Infeld Bass Strings:

  • Short Scale = 35.5" Ball to Silk
  • Long Scale = 37" Ball to Silk
  • Super Long Scale = 39.75" Ball to Silk