NAMM 2020

[uwe]

Hey, all your Rics aren't long scale either, Ilan! 

I believe there has been a gradual shift in bass sound which has benefited the type of sounds that come natural for/from a short scale: Alt, indie and grungy pop/rock have all de-hifi'ed bass sound in the last few decades. The trend has been away from "the bass plays little, but is crisply mixed with an emphasis on highs and lows" - the height for that was probably the late 80ies - to "the bass plays more, but is less distinct, more organic/warm with an audible midrange". A classic short scale sound slots right in with that trend.

[gweimer]

and fanned frets becoming more mainstream, I so want to try one

They take about 30 seconds to get used to.  The only bass I will have left is my fan-fret custom Precision with the Mahogany body.  The Bettie Page bass.  Outstanding sound.

[Dave W]

Lull has offered the TXB for quite some time.

I'm guessing this is the same model, but with a Tele pickguard and control plate.

Not the same pickups, though. I rechecked the FB thread, he hasn't said anything more. We'll know in a few days if he's at NAMM.

Hey, all your Rics aren't long scale either, Ilan! 
...

Not exactly, but most of us consider them long scale.

[uwe]

I was just being my usual very despicable me.



We can agree on "lesser long scale". 

Long scale envy is a terrible thing among men.

[ilan]

Hey, all your Rics aren't long scale either, Ilan! 

That's just because RIC have always felt compelled to do everything differently. I can't think of any reason other than to spite us.

[Dave W]

That's just because RIC have always felt compelled to do everything differently. I can't think of any reason other than to spite us.

34" scale as "standard" long scale hadn't happened yet when RIC made the first 4000 b/c Fender wasn't dominant in the bass market yet.

RIC is a quirky company and there are a number of reasons some guitarists and bassists dislike them, but I've never heard scale length given as one of the reasons. I think the 33 1/4" scale is great and well balanced tonally.

[ilan]

34" scale as "standard" long scale hadn't happened yet when RIC made the first 4000 b/c Fender wasn't dominant in the bass market yet.

RIC is a quirky company and there are a number of reasons some guitarists and bassists dislike them, but I've never heard scale length given as one of the reasons. I think the 33 1/4" scale is great and well balanced tonally.

Personally I'm comfortable with all scales 30" to 34.5" as long as the nut is at about the same location in relation to my left hand. That's why I prefer my shorties as hollow bodies with the bridge further up the top, or like the Fender Rascal. For me scale is more about tone in the higher positions than a matter of left hand fingers spread.

[uwe]

"I think the 33 1/4" scale is great and well balanced tonally."

I think the empty E string note on a Ric is a teeny-weeny bit behind the authority of the same note on an empty E string on a, say, Precision or TBird. But that is just one note (I hear no difference on fretted notes on the E-string), so it's not really material unless all your songs are in E and your bandmates want to hear the low E all the time. 

You could also say that the low E on a Ric is more in balance with the rest of the notes on the bass whereas on true long scales it tends to be on the overpowering side.  But when I play an empty E-string I want it to sound overpowering.

If you play a 5-string Ric though, the difference to a true long scale shows quite a bit. You can't cheat physics, the B string is a flabby affair.

************************************

"For me scale is more about tone in the higher positions than a matter of left hand fingers spread."

Amen, Ilan.

[ilan]

If you play a 5-string Ric though, the difference to a true long scale shows quite a bit. You can't cheat physics

But you can utilize physics and use a heavier gauge low B string for mass and tension that will give you enough definition. Whether a 5-string Ric neck can handle it or not is a different question.

[uwe]

A B-string on a regular 34" scale is already a compromise, 35" and more sounds audibly better, but of course the D string suffers then under the overt tautness.

A thicker B string only gets you that far - and it creates issues as you go up the neck. Tension with B strings is not that much an issue, there are worse culprits within a 5-string set-up, first and foremost of course the D string. My 5-string Ric (unlike my 8-string one) has never had neck issues, but is very stable as good Rics tend to be.

Ric of course delivered its 5-stringers back in the day with a meek 115er  as a B string. Now that was really asking for it.

[Dave W]

Too thick a string for a given scale length and you get inharmonicity -- the harmonics get further and further off from the fundamental.

[uwe]

"Inharmonicity", wasn't that one of those unpronounceable Police albums back in the day?



(Hard to believe, but I only saw this "Gordon flees the DUNE set and is on his way heavily inspired by Duran Duran's Wild Boys vid" now!  )

[Chris P.]

My moment of fame with Jen of Levy's and Souldier 

[gearHed289]

Pretty nifty. Good price point too. I occasionally raise my bass if I'm playing a cover tune that requires slapping (rare). Hard to explain in  print, but - Most straps have an extra hole or two on the one end. I take that and slide it over the "pin" on the Schaller strap lock. Certainly not as slick as the Levy's, but it gets the job done.

[Pilgrim]

That seems like a pretty nice idea!  At that price point, I'll bet sales are good.