I Have Been Wrong About Scale Length

[Offshore Angler]

Y'all know me. I'm fine with Fenders into blackface amps and use them when the song calls for it but when I want to shake walls and rattle bones I grab a Les Paul and a tweed. I have always attributed the Fender "sparkle" to its longer scale length and how it requires a higher string tension.

This is a master narrative that most believe, and it's backed up by physics but I admittedly never did the math to see what the effects on harmonics and resonances was.

Fender Japan just killed that narrative. They just released a short scale Stratocaster. And by short scale - it's 24" vs the regular 25.5" (as compared to 24.75" on a Les Paul.)

Well guess what? The short scale Stratocaster by and large sounds exactly like - a Stratocaster. Theory disproved.

Chuck

[OldStrummer]

Hmm. I never considered scale length as a determinant of grunt. I always thought the main difference was humbuckers vs. single coils. It's always amazed me that folks (including Fender) insist on putting humbuckers on their moneymakers.

But then, what do I know?

[Tele-Bob]

Gibsons do the "chugga chugga" much better than Fenders because of the lower string tension. When you palm mute, the slack string tension on a 24 3/4" scale vibrates better and sounds thicker. I bought a short scale bass because of this. I actually like the sound of it better than a full-scale bass, and it's easier to play.

I'll bet the new 24" scale Strat sounds great. The PRS Santana Model is 24" scale.

One of the important lessons I learned about building guitars with varying scale lengths is that the pickup positions need to change proportionally with the scale length. I also discovered that most guitars benefit from having the bridge pickup moved slightly closer to the neck than what most manufacturers do.

If measure the bridge pickup placement a 24 3/4" scale and put it in same position near the bridge on a 25 1/2" scale guitar, without accounting for the longer scale, the sound is likely to be brighter and less dynamic.

The one caveat to all of this is that I find anything shorter than a 25 1/2" scale just doesn't tune as well.

[Offshore Angler]

Gibsons do the "chugga chugga" much better than Fenders because of the lower string tension. When you palm mute, the slack string tension on a 24 3/4" scale vibrates better and sounds thicker. I bought a short scale bass because of this. I actually like the sound of it better than a full-scale bass, and it's easier to play.

I'll bet the new 24" scale Strat sounds great. The PRS Santana Model is 24" scale.

One of the important lessons I learned about building guitars with varying scale lengths is that the pickup positions need to change proportionally with the scale length. I also discovered that most guitars benefit from having the bridge pickup moved slightly closer to the neck than what most manufacturers do.

If measure the bridge pickup placement a 24 3/4" scale and put it in same position near the bridge on a 25 1/2" scale guitar, without accounting for the longer scale, the sound is likely to be brighter and less dynamic.

The one caveat to all of this is that I find anything shorter than a 25 1/2" scale just doesn't tune as well.

Well you know, it's not commonly disseminated but the frets on a Gibson are slightly off due to the way they rounded the calculations, and it took me a lot of research to understand why Epiphones always sounded sweeter around the 6th than the Gibsons. Epiphones built overseas corrected the issue.

I use lighter strings on the Fenders and top-wrap 11's on my Gibsons, so they feel pretty much the same save for the neck radius which really doesn't make a difference.

Chuck

[Cogs]

I just don't like the crowded frets above the 12th fret on shorter scale guitars. I really like my Gibsons, but Fenders are so much easier for me to play because of that

[Tele-Bob]

I just don't like the crowded frets above the 12th fret on shorter scale guitars. I really like my Gibsons, but Fenders are so much easier for me to play because of that

Agreed. I have big hands and my fingers get a bit bunched up above the 12th fret.

An old guitar teacher I had back in the late 70's told me that "All the money is below the 12th fret, so don't worry about it." LOL. He was a good guy, and as I've gotten older, I'm starting to agree with him!

[Offshore Angler]

Agreed. I have big hands and my fingers get a bit bunched up above the 12th fret.

An old guitar teacher I had back in the late 70's told me that "All the money is below the 12th fret, so don't worry about it." LOL. He was a good guy, and as I've gotten older, I'm starting to agree with him!

Pfft. I live up there a lot. If you get out your calipers you'll find that the fret spacing above the 12th is within a few thousands between Gibby and Fender, and the Gibsons are usually wider at the 12th fret. Nothing I can feel.

My perspective is that it's perfectly acceptable to play up the neck, just Don't Start There! Build it up dynamically and make it a crescendo with a flourish.

And then I immediately break that rule every time I'm asked to play Cheap Trick or Skynyrd or Molly Hatchet, lol.

And even more interesting, I just found out Microsoft spell check knows the correct spelling for Skynyrd!

Chuck