THE WOODSHED

The long and the short of scale, discussed in depth by top US luthier Rob Elrick

ince the advent of the electric Tensions for the same gauge string will thanks to the extreme mass of their bass bass guitar, instrument scale has often vary from one brand to another, but strings, which help to produce the lowest distinguished some brands and dictated this comparison shows the progressive nature fundamental frequencies. Without getting S the primary characteristics of others. of tension related to scale. It’s easy to see how too bogged down in the physics of acoustics, Long, short, medium, and multi-scale, lengthening scale can help compensate for the fundamental is the lowest frequency of a manufacturers have implemented them all in a ‘fl oppy’ B-string, as well as how that same harmonic series. The ear identifies this wave an effort to present instruments with unique string achieves pitch at a much lower tension form as the pitch or note because the lowest playability and performance characteristics. on shorter scales. perceived partial of a frequency happens to But how does length of scale infl uence the The violin family is an excellent example be its loudest. Extending the scale of a bass performance of a bass guitar? for visualising the infl uence of scale. From guitar exploits the same physics that is at The fi rst extended-range basses were the violin and viola to the cello and bass play in a piano. accurately described by Anthony Jackson as violin, the lower the frequency range of It should be easy to see how important it is contrabass guitars. As they began populating a the instrument, the larger its size and to use strings that are manufactured to fi t the the market, pursuit of the best B-string became scale. While the size of the instrument does specifi c scale of an instrument. Today many a paramount objective. To complement the correlate to its need for a larger soundbox standard string sets are manufactured in extended range of fi ve- and six-string bass to amplify the frequencies it produces (the lengths that interchangeably accommodate guitars, along came extended scale. Most 34” and 35” scales. 36” scale instruments were 35” scale, fewer 36”, some even offered typically require extra-long sets to ensure the fractional scales such as 34.5”. Since the “PURSUIT OF THE BEST wraps on the bass strings don’t articulate or tension of a string increases when its length is taper short of the nut. Medium- and short- extended, lengthening scale was a logical step B-STRING BECAME A scale sets are required for 32” and 30” scale to accommodate the addition of a low B-string. basses for the opposite reason, to ensure that Conversely, shorter scale bass guitars, the fully wrapped segments of their strings which have recently enjoyed a resurgence PARAMOUNT OBJECTIVE” are not too long. Selecting the right strings in popularity, suffer the opposite problem. for your bass is the key to unlocking your Too often players jump to the conclusion instrument’s hidden potential. that shorter scale instruments require a lower the frequency, the longer their waves), lighter gauge string set. The presumption that their scales are also related to the strings www.elrick.com shorter scale equals a smaller gauge is false. required to produce those frequencies. To achieve the best feel, performance, and Another way to think about the effects tone, selecting the appropriate gauge string of scale is to consider a piano, the frame for a short-scale bass is as important as it is of which mimics the physical shape of a for a long- or extra-long-scale instrument. harp in order to accommodate a variety Mass is a feature of a string’s engineering of string lengths. The lowest frequency that contributes to its ability to reach pitch at range utilises strings that are the longest a determined tension. As scale changes, the and largest in diameter, while the highest gauge of a string must change in proportion frequency strings are much shorter and to its length to maintain a consistent tension. of a smaller gauge. Since it’s necessary to For example, tuned to the same pitch, the same have a string with higher mass to reproduce gauge string will reach pitch at a lower tension lower frequencies at a playable tension, this on shorter scale, its tension rising progressively arrangement makes it possible to use strings as the scale length increases. To illustrate this, that are optimal for producing notes of each we have measured the tension of an Elrick desired frequency. stainless steel .105” string: As with the bass violin, the bigger the piano, the ‘bigger’ its sound. Even among • 32” 32.3 lbs grand pianos there are a variety of sizes, with • 33” 33.5 lbs the largest concert grand pianos delivering • 34” 36.2 lbs the most dynamic performance • 35” 38.9 lbs in their lowest range. This is

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BGM161.rob_elrick_woodshed.indd 8 03/09/2018 10:06