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Post by frankieabbott on Nov 10, 2019 16:27:42 GMT
.........are they a bit of a fudge? Take 2 guitars....one is 25.5 inches scalelength (say 648mm for the maths) and the other is 24.75 inches (say 628mm for the maths). Ok....apart for your choice due to how the string tension may differ or the 'playability' or acoustic sound of the guitar may be different....is finger span valid? OK....the shorter length scale gives you 20mm less fingerboard between nut and saddle to work with....but I reckon that the difference between the guitars nut and first frets between the 25.5 and 24.75 inch scalelength is only around 1mm!!!
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Post by vikingblues on Nov 10, 2019 20:10:31 GMT
I think that string tension is the main difference that is experienced with different scale lengths. Can be quite a major difference if you have arthritic finger joints. In terms of the relatively small difference in distances between the frets I reckon this maybe is a problem only for those with small hands. A long time ago there was a survey on this forum of hand spans (index to pinkie fingers when spread out. I was not surprised to find if I'd been on the forum then and taken part I'd have been in the classification of "petite plucker". Yes - when you're struggling already to do longer stretches on a shorter scale guitar those few extra millimetres on a longer scale length can be killers! Especially when using a tuning like DADGAD where the 5th fret on the bottom string comes into play a lot even when playing down at the nut end of the fretboard. Mark
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ocarolan
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Post by ocarolan on Nov 10, 2019 22:53:40 GMT
I tend not to pay scale length on its own much attention when it comes to tension; I'm not even sure I can feel the difference with similar strings. But I do know that there are a couple of pieces I play where the awkward stretches have a much bigger success rate on a shorter scale.
Keith
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Post by malcolm on Nov 11, 2019 0:50:03 GMT
I very definitely prefer longer scale guitars. Short scale feels cramped to me and the strings are often floppy. I suppose it mostly depends on your style of playing, I have one Michael Hauver guitar with a 26.5" scale and it is great for string snapping blues.
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Post by curmudgeon on Nov 11, 2019 19:38:24 GMT
Hi, Firstly -might I suggest that 25.4 (Martin) or 25.5" are generally considered 2standard scale rather than long scale.
24.5, 24.75, and 24.9" (Martin) are generally considered short scales.
However, it is the string tension resulting rather than the actual length between nut and saddle.
Frinstance - I mostly use dreads with 25.5" scale with mediums 913-56) and a 1.25 m/m 346 style BC pick. I also have a 000 (12) with the same scale but with light gauge strings and a 1 m/m pick and I find I can overplay it when performing to an audience. I also have a deep bodies Jumbo (Roy Smeck style) which has a 24.75" scale and medium gauge strings with a 1.25 m/m pick and I can also overplay that in a trio format but OK for solo stuff.
My Waterloo WL-12 (l-oo style) has a 24.75" scale and wears light gauge with a 1 m/m BC pick but I find it works well in an jam situation, or late night noodling.
My archtops are all 25" scale and wear medium 13-56 nickel strings and can take a beating or play like angels tears.
Generally speaking - my old hands feel more comfortable in front of an audience with a standard scale and medium strings.
YMMV.
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kmc11
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Post by kmc11 on Nov 12, 2019 8:34:04 GMT
I recently got a Guild Jumbo junior 24/3/4 (603mm) scale. It’s definitely the most comfortable guitar I have played. Admittedly i have small hands. I cant or don’t like playing anything longer than 24 inch now to be honest. I previously owned a Martin Dreadnought Junior with 24 inch. I just find full scale hard to play with my small hands 😉
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Post by michaelwatts on Nov 12, 2019 12:28:09 GMT
.........are they a bit of a fudge? No not at all. My Kostal MDW was designed around a 25" scale length which is perfect for what I need. In DADGAD it has just the right tension for vibrato and bends. I think we'll see more scale lengths around 25" in the years to come.
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