Ive asked some dumb questions but I have more :)

[nevershouldhavesoldit]

By the time you get to the 12th fret, the difference in fret spacing between the two scale-lengths is infinitesimal. To see for yourself, try playing around with a fret-spacing calculator such as this one.
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The distance between the 12th and 13th on a 24.75" scale is 0.695". On a 25.5, it's 13.466". That's a difference of .021", the width of a plain G string.

The difference at the 12th fret is not infinitesimal. It’s small compared to a football field, but it’s big enough to be felt while playing. Remember that we chord over multiple frets.

Your math is odd, John. You compare the distance between 12 & 13 on one scale to the nut to fret distance on the other. The center to center distance between the 11th & 12th frets on a 24.75 scale is 12.375-11.639 =0.736. On a 25.5 scale, it’s 12.75-11.992=0.758. That’s not much, but if you add the differences over 3 frets, it adds up to a readily palpable distance that matters to a lot of players.

[John A.]

Hi thanks so much for all the info. Im looking to spend £2000 - £2500 now I have been tempted by this though
Guild Guitars | A-150 Vanguard Natural
there are about 5 for sale in the USA but at only £1000 and it has a short scale 17 inch though. I know it needs some things doing to it and it will feedback unless I stuff it with cotton but it looks good for the money.

Looking at the specs, that appears to be an A-150 Savoy with fancier decorations and better pickup. I've played a couple of Savoys, which I thought were pretty nice, but I'm not into floating pickups, so I passed.

I had one of these tooMFA-FP / FGN Guitars
I got it for £2000 thats 16 inch and short scale but it didnt sound great but played well. Very bad feedback so that got stuffed as well. When I sold it I could only get £800 for it as no one knows the model here.

If you didn't like the way that sounded and were bothered by the feedback, I'm guessing you won't like that Guild.

Ive had a few Ibanez the 2471 and a really high end fa700 something or other. Very close in build quality and finish to an l5 I think the closest they ever got, I paid £2500 sold it for £1700 That was a good guitar very impressed but couldn't live with a copy.

Check out the Ibanez AF-200 or AF-2000 and the PM-200.

The other one is the comins cgs1 that nearly ticks all the boxes or a Benedetto bravo they are around £3000 here and some have a 25 scale length. Ill probably try the capo idea

I think you mean GCS-16? If so, I've played one of those. I thought it was pretty similar to the D'Aquisto JazzLine that I tried. I very much doubt you'll perceive any difference between a 25" and 24.75" scale length, but hey capos are cheap. There's also a GCS-1, but that's a thinline a semi-hollow (a very different guitar).

[John A.]

The difference at the 12th fret is not infinitesimal. It’s small compared to a football field, but it’s big enough to be felt while playing. Remember that we chord over multiple frets.

Your math is odd, John. You compare the distance between 12 & 13 on one scale to the nut to fret distance on the other. The center to center distance between the 11th & 12th frets on a 24.75 scale is 12.375-11.639 =0.736. On a 25.5 scale, it’s 12.75-11.992=0.758. That’s not much, but if you add the differences over 3 frets, it adds up to a readily palpable distance that matters to a lot of players.

Sorry typo/paste-error - I meant to write that 12th-13th fret difference on 24.75 scale is 0.695" and on a 25.5" scale it's 0.716". Point being, if you're saying there's more room for your fingers on the upper frets with a longer scale, I mean maybe some people's but not mine. As to the overall difference, I think I covered that point at the beginning of the post. It matters to some people. I have 2 guitars with 24.6" scales (Gibson's nominal 24.75), 1 with a true 24.75" scale, 1 with 24.9", and 1 with 25.5" There's nothing I can play on the 24.6"-ers that I can't play just as easily on the others, or vice versa. But I guess YMMV.

[sgosnell]

The difference in length between the 12th and 13th frets is not infinitesimal, but it's so small I can't feel it.

[rpjazzguitar]

On most guitars, 25.5 feels too big to me.

But, with a very skinny neck, it feels fine.

I go back and forth and have no trouble.

[nevershouldhavesoldit]

Point being, if you're saying there's more room for your fingers on the upper frets with a longer scale, I mean maybe some people's but not mine

I could be wrong, but I got the impression that Heybopper is more concerned about stretching over the first 12 frets than he is about crowding his fingers at the upper reaches. Comparing 25.5 to 24.75, the difference in distance between any 3 frets from 1 to 12 is definitely enough to feel. I can see how it might be a bit of a problem for someone with small hands to play chords with close harmonies. An inverted 9th triad is a bit of a stretch - in Bb, it's 10 7 6 on D G B. This is noticeable to me and I have large hands.

I routinely switch between scales because my Tele 7 and carved archtops are 25s, and my laminated archtop and LP are 24.75s. I definitely notice the difference closer to the nut. I don't notice the difference at all above the 10 to 12 region.

[John A.]

I could be wrong, but I got the impression that Heybopper is more concerned about stretching over the first 12 frets than he is about crowding his fingers at the upper reaches.

It wasn’t 100% clear to me.

Comparing 25.5 to 24.75, the difference in distance between any 3 frets from 1 to 12 is definitely enough to feel.

I don’t feel a difference (just checked by playing Moonlight in Vermont on my Strat and my Les Paul).

I can see how it might be a bit of a problem for someone with small hands to play chords with close harmonies. An inverted 9th triad is a bit of a stretch - in Bb, it's 10 7 6 on D G B. This is noticeable to me and I have large hands.

This is what I said.

I routinely switch between scales because my Tele 7 and carved archtops are 25s, and my laminated archtop and LP are 24.75s. I definitely notice the difference closer to the nut. I don't notice the difference at all above the 10 to 12 region.

I switch between 25.5”, 24.9”, 24.75”, and 24.6”. I maybe notice it a little on the first few frets but there’s nothing I can play on the shortest that I can’t play on the longest (though I don’t do a lot of big-stretch chords anyway). My hands are not very big.

[John A.]

The difference in length between the 12th and 13th frets is not infinitesimal, but it's so small I can't feel it.

A key distinction.