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String confusion

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antifashantifash Frets: 603
in Bass
OK, rather than spend loads of money on that P-sound, I thought I'd try and change the strings on my Epiphone EB3. This one is white and is apparently a short scale. So I thought. I've measured the scale length from nut to bridge and it's 32", then I measured from nut to 12th fret and doubled it, and that's 30". So now I don't know if I need short scale or medium scale strings (going for flatwounds so I want to get it right).

Anyone know?  :#
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Comments

  • Seymour1Seymour1 Frets: 85
    edited August 2017

    I was looking at the spec on these recently. Apparently scale length for EB-3 is 34".

    http://www.epiphone.com/Products/Bass/EB-3.aspx

    It is the EB-0 which is the short scale version with scale length of 30.5". However I couldn't see much difference between the two other than scale length. Perhaps you've got an EB-0?

    Edit: EB-0 has dot markers while EB-3 has trapezoid

    http://www.epiphone.com/Products/Bass/EB-0.aspx


    (I can't account for the measurement differences tho')

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  • martmart Frets: 5205
    edited August 2017
    antifash said:
    .... I've measured the scale length from nut to bridge and it's 32", then I measured from nut to 12th fret and doubled it, and that's 30". ...
    Well, it's the nut-bridge length that matters for the strings, so assume it's 32". 

    If the nut-12th fret length is really just 15", then either your intonation must be way off, or the action insanely high.

    (Are you really absolutely sure you didn't just measure to the 11th fret? :) )
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  • mr-macmr-mac Frets: 200
    Something well wrong with those measurements (should be aprox half distance to 12th fret.  12th fret is one bridge side of 12 markers (yeah I know it may be obvious but lengths just don't work). 
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  • antifashantifash Frets: 603
    Think I measured wrong. It is 30".  I was measuring from the very back of the bridge. 
    http://www.shortscalebass.co.uk/product/epiphone-eb-3-short-scale-bass/
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  • ICBMICBM Frets: 72253
    Original EB-0s and EB-3s were made in both 30" and 34" scale, but never 32". As far as I know all the Epiphone versions are 30".

    If the distance from the nut to the 12th fret is 15" and the distance from the nut to the bridge is 32", either there's something wrong with your tape measure or the bridge is in totally the wrong place, which would make the intonation "interesting" to say the least :).

    I would have to say that you will never get a P-Bass sound from an EB no matter what strings you put on it though - the pickups are totally different and in a completely different place. Great bass, just not a P...

    "Take these three items, some WD-40, a vise grip, and a roll of duct tape. Any man worth his salt can fix almost any problem with this stuff alone." - Walt Kowalski

    "Only two things are infinite - the universe, and human stupidity. And I'm not sure about the universe." - Albert Einstein

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  • antifashantifash Frets: 603
    Swear I commented on this to say I bought shortscale flatswound strings and all was fine. Anyway, job done. Also moving a pickup but whatever. 
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