Scale length plays a big part in a guitar’s playability. Do you like to play a lot of bends and vibrato? If your guitar is in standard tuning and you tune down to something like Drop C, you will notice the strings become quite slack. The most important impact scale length makes is on the tension of the strings. One advantage of less string tension is a “looser” feel, making bending and vibrato more fluid. A: A baritone guitar is a guitar with a long scale length of at least 27″ and can go up to 30″. Short scale guitars are typically 24 3/4″ or less (such as the Les Paul), whereas long scale guitars are typically 25″ and over (such as the Fender Strat and Telecaster). playing with a pick). The best way to determine the scale length of a guitar is to measure the distance between its nut and the centre of its 12th fret. Let’s look at the different ways scale length can change how a guitar feels to play. There is no ‘best’ scale length for any style of music. A guitar’s scale length is the distance between the nut and the bridge (check out this guide for guitar part names and what they do). A scale length of 25.4 inches, 25.5 inches, or longer is considered long for steel-string acoustic guitars; anything less is considered short. Selecting your instrument also calculates the bridge position for proper intonation. A guitar with a 27” scale will be considerably harder to play perform bends with than a Gibson Les Paul with a 24.75″ scale, for example (assuming they’re both using the same gauge strings). With the reduced space, the fret spacing on short-scale guitars is closer together – but contrary to what many people mistakenly think, it doesn’t necessarily mean there are fewer frets. If both guitars used the same gauge strings and were both in standard tuning, you would notice that the Gibson is slightly easier to perform bends and vibrato compared to the Fender. While these guitars do exist, the benefits are probably not worth it. There are also some dreads with a shorter scale length, though not as many. A guitar with a shorter scale length (like the Gibson Les Paul) requires less tension to reach concert pitch than a guitar with a longer scale (like the Fender Strat). The right scale length for you depends on the style of music you play, and what you prefer the feel of. Most 7 string guitars use a 26.5″ scale. ). Please note, the fret calculator will not convert scale lengths, you can use our measurement converter to convert your scale length. Multiscale guitars offer a different solution. The scale length of an instrument is the distance from the nut to the bridge.Scale lengths vary depending on overall size of the instrument: mandolins have a short scale length around 14″, guitars vary but on average are around 25″, and larger instruments like basses have even longer scale lengths. This is why scale length is more accurately calculated as twice the distance from the inside edge of the nut to the middle of the 12th fret, as you can see below…. For most guitarists, the fret spacing isn’t going to make much of an impact on playability. A longer scale length guitar will require higher tension to bring the strings up to tune. Full-length ‘long scale’ guitars measure 25.5-inch; in contrast, a small scale guitar neck measures from 22 inches to 24 ¾ inches. However, from the mid- 20th Century luthiers seeking increased volume have moved to a 26 inches (660 mm) scale, which is now the standard for such leading makers as Ramirez. It’s not all about comfort, though. So if you measure 12 ¾ inches from the nut to the 12 th fret then the scale length will be 25 ½ inches. As scale length increases, the distance between frets also increases. The below photo gives a rough comparison of different scale guitars so you can see the change in fret distance: While you might not notice any difference between similar scale guitars, you would definitely notice it on a baritone guitar or a Fender Jaguar. While they’re rare on 6 string guitars, they’re very common on extended range guitars for a good reason. Similarly, electric guitars have adjustable saddles allowing for individual string adjustment. Body shape, color, neck shape, pickups? If you play 8 or 9 string guitar, the answer is probably yes. The 25-1/2" produces a rich, strong, bell-like tone, and defined low-end. The tension of the strings plays a big part in playability. As an example, let’s compare a Fender Stratocaster (25.5″ scale) and a Gibson Les Paul (24.75″ scale). If you have a question about scale length not covered above, ask it here. As you know, when you increase scale length, string tension increases. Guitar scale length is only one half of the picture when looking at string tension. This week's tip is a quick and simple one, but it's still important. The most common lengths are 24.75″ for most Gibson models and 25.5″ for most Fender models. Thankfully, the answer is no. check out this guide for guitar part names, Find out everything you would want to know about fanned frets in this guide, Read more about fanned frets in this guide, Seven String Guitar Songs Worth Learning (with TAB), 24″ (610mm) Fender Jaguar, Fender Mustang, 24.5″ (622mm) Paul Reed Smith Santana Signature series, 24.75″ (628mm) most Gibson and Epiphone models, 25″ (635mm) most PRS, Carvin, and Danelectric models, 25.5″ (648mm) most Fender, Ibanez, Jackson, Kramer, Schecter, Squier, and Steinberger models, 26.5″ (673.2mmm) most 7 string models by Ibanez, Jackson & Schecter, 27-30″ (686 – 762mm) guitars in this range are called ‘baritone’ guitars. All Rights Reserved Registered Address – Dramatik, c/o Wesley Offices, 74 Silver Street, Bristol, BS48 2DS, How to Measure Guitar Scale Length Correctly, Long Scale vs Short Scale Guitar – Key Differences, Guitar Scale Length Charts by Manufacturer, Guitar Scale Length Chart (Miscellaneous), Most modern acoustics (J-45 Legend, etc. A short scale length requires very little tension to bring the strings up to pitch when compared to a longer scale guitar. Different brands and models use different scale lengths. A better way to measure scale length is to measure from the nut to the 12th fret, then double the distance: For example, if you measure the distance from the nut to the 12th fret on a Fender Stratocaster, you should get 12.75″ or 324mm. Generally a short scale length gives you slightly lower tension, which can aid playability, though the overall setup is at least as important as the scale itself. Why is that? Like that of the violin, the scale of the classical guitar was standardized by the work of its most famous maker. As a long scale guitar needs more tension in the strings to bring it to pitch, it’s more responsive with better articulation and note-to-note separation. This is true, as long as both are strung with the same gauge strings. You’ll learn how string gauge can be used to get the right string tension for your needs. This greatly reduced the tension on the strings, lowered the string height at the new first position, and effectively reduced the scale length from 650mm to 520mm. Guitars are deemed as either having a long scale or a short scale based on the length, which as we’ll see plays a surprisingly significant role in the overall playability of the guitar. But what if I told you that scale length has just as big an impact on the tone and playability as many of the above. Many people believe the true scale length of a guitar is the length of the guitar strings that are able to freely vibrate, this is even how Wikipedia defines scale length but this is not entirely correct.. Scale length affects the playability, feel and toneof the instrument. As mentioned in the introduction, scale length is the distance between the bridgeand the nut of a guitar. For example, let’s say you bought a 26.5″ scale guitar and you don’t like the increase in tension. He's a multi-instrumentalist and loves researching, writing, and geeking out about music. Antonio De Torres (1817–1892) used a scale length of 25.6 inches (650 mm), and later makers have followed suit. A short scale length requires very little tension to bring the strings up to pitch when compared to a longer scale guitar. When strumming chords or playing rhythm parts, you would notice that the strings on the Fender feel tighter. Since the common scale length of standard sized guitars is 25.4\", you can consider anything lower than that to be small scale. The chances are you’ve seen a guitar like the one below and wondered what it was all about: The above guitar is a ‘fanned frets’ or multiscale guitar. Double that distance to get the scale length of 25.5″ or 648mm. As we mentioned in the introduction, a guitar’s scale length plays a big part in its overall playability. It turns out scale length – whether it’s a long scale or short scale – plays a big part. The scale length is the vibrating length of the strings. This is also important to remember if you plan on tuning down. That means you can’t just measure from the nut to the saddle, as each string will be a different length! A ton of things right. If you were to play a Fender Jaguar (24″ scale) then play a Fender Stratocaster (25.5″ scale), you might notice that they feel completely different. So based on the above, you’d think you simply need to take out a measuring tape and measure from the nut to bridge, right? Scale length can also affect the action, or string height, of a guitar. You can achieve low action with a short scale guitar, but it requires you to move to heavier gauge strings. Wrong! If you play 6 string guitar, the answer is probably no. Low tension strings need more room to vibrate and without that room you’ll hear fret buzz. Here are some quick answers to common questions about guitar scale length. The reduced spacing can benefit players with narrow or short fingers, whereas if you have thick or long fingers you’ll want that bit extra space that a long scale will give you. The most obvious difference is the length. This guide covers everything you would want to know about guitar scale length. A scale length of a guitar can be defined as the distance between the nut and the saddle. On the acoustic guitar, the bridge is slanted which means each string has a slightly different length. While you could use a heavy gauge string, you might not like how it feels. The scale length of a guitar has a large impact on the sound and feel of the guitar. If you’ve ever tuned your strings down to a very low tuning (eg: Drop B), you might have noticed two things: the strings became slack, and there was a lot of fret buzz. Players specializing in purely classical technique value wide fret spacing, as it enhances the effect of traditional vibrato. The shorter scale length on the higher strings will make bends and vibrato easier. There are plenty of "smaller" guitars with a long scale length. Nylon-string and classical guitars have different categories of long and short scale, most are longer than 25.5 inches. Keep in mind that guitar scale lengths are typically measured in inches. 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