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Permalink Reply by BrianQ. on January 14, 2024 at 4:10pm

Yes, a bass has a scale between 30”-34” sometimes shorter, have you tried searching for info around the site? There’s a few bass plans in the “how to build” section to give a few ideas? https://www.cigarboxnation.com/page/free-plans

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Permalink Reply by Taffy Evans on January 14, 2024 at 7:41pm

Hi, you could look into ukulele bass scales, around 20.8” or so. Then you can use ukulele bass strings. Just a thought.
Taff

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Permalink Reply by BrianQ. on January 14, 2024 at 7:53pm

This will be the greatest tool you’ll need, you can get fret scale measurements for several instruments including Bass? https://www.stewmac.com/FretCalculator?mtm_source=google&mtm_me...

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Permalink Reply by Carl Floyd on January 16, 2024 at 8:58am

I use this one.  It's bit more involved, but you can print out a fretboard pattern with the fret spacing.

https://www.ekips.org/tools/guitar/fretfind2d/

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Permalink Reply by Justin Stanchfield on January 27, 2024 at 10:13am

Speaking as a bass player, short-scale basses rock! Yes, for any bass you need a slightly longer scale, but between 28" - 31" should sound and feel fine. Keep in mind, the longer the scale, the more tension you will have on the neck.

Another option is to string up with nylon/steel core ukulele bass strings. My son plays a Ubass and it has a very impressive tone, especially through an amp. The strings feel a little strange - your fingers tends to roll off them - but the sound is good.

Good luck with the build. I'm in the planning stages of a fretless baritone. Probably going with a 28" scale, so it's going to be close to a bass.

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