Gibson L-5 Scale Length

[Patrick2]

@Roger . . not sure consternation would be as accurate as confusion, or uncertainty, or ignorance . . etc..

But, the method you stated is pretty much what most players and techs use for *generally* accurate intonation. I also believe it's accurate enough for most anybody's ear. However, even with this method of intonation there will always be inconsistencies and variables . . . thus the reason for the Tune o Matic type bridge. What I constantly chuckle at, are those who choose to adjust the intonation (on guitars with a wood saddle) at many different fret positions. I just don't get that.?.? Also, there are MANY different degrees of compensation, on compensated wood saddles. Heritage, for example, uses an ebony saddle with no compensation at all. That's why you'll sometime (often times) see a Heritage arch top with a dramatically tilted bridge base . . with the bass side further towards the tail piece. I absolutely hate that!! I really like the ebony saddles that have the B string setting cut further back in the compensation. I find them to be the most accurate.
I've converted most of my arch tops to the William Gagnon African blackwood compensated bridge assy. It's pricey . . but, it's beautiful and it sounds wonderful. I tried to post a picture of it . . but, as you can see from the boxed red X . . it didn't work.

[jasonc]

I'm not really going to add anything that hasn't already been mentioned. A lot of the time it seems to me that people like to look for solutions to problems that don't really exist. The guitars intonation can not ever be perfect. It's just one of the bugs in the tuning of all instruments. You have to tune so that everything is a little wrong so that everything sounds mostly right like how pianos are tuned. If that makes sense. I typically tune so that the fifth between the C on the A string and the open G sound pretty much in tune and check it against the open E and the G#. it usually ends up making the open G a little sharp on a tuner but it makes chords sound right over most of the neck. I agree with Roger that the bridge should be placed between the points of the F-holes on most guitars as a good starting point and adjusted till the octave and harmonics are as close as possible. This will get you very close. Also, if the '89 L-5 plays in tune then I wouldn't worry about the scale length not measuring the textbook 25.5".

[Woody Sound]

I just measured that distance from the takeoff point of the nut to the center of the 12th fret. Both guitars are 12 5/8".
Interesting, that doubled is 25 1/4". (not 25 1/2")
The 1976 from nut to bridge is 25 1/2. That means there is more distance between the 12th and bridge than there is between nut and 12th.
The 1989 is equal on both sides of the 12th fret, but overall 25 1/4".
Both guitars have been setup by the best of repairmen, and appear to play in tune very well.
Lining up the bridge with the point in the F hole is an interesting historical fact. However, a guitar could have issues in manufacture that override that as an accurate placement.
Is it possible that 25 1/4" was the intended scale for the frets and fingerboard of the L5?
T

Just resurrecting this oldy. I get the impression that the OP measured from the nut edge to the center of the FRET SPACE before the fret wire (where your finger would press), not at the fret wire. That probably accounts for the short measure.

[Manu_78]

I'm grateful to you, Monk
Thanks to your post, I could check the scale of my guitar (Yamaha AE2000) and then understand why some printed informations, even on the owner's manual, were wrong !
Using the points on the side of the "F holes" as a baseline markers for the bridge placement is also a very good trick.

[Dennis D]

Just resurrecting this oldy. I get the impression that the OP measured from the nut edge to the center of the FRET SPACE before the fret wire (where your finger would press), not at the fret wire. That probably accounts for the short measure.

...... Yes WS, that's the mistake I made....

** Count 12 fret wires from the nut - multiply times 2.......** equals scale length......

"Well there's a lot of confusion about what we mean by this ", said someone.....(( Gee-- I wonder why ??)) .....

[jads57]

So how many lightbulbs were changed during the course of this discussion, lol!

[deacon Mark]

Old thread but I am bring it up. I measured both my Gibson L5's one from 2003 and the other from 1938. They are not exactly 25.5 at all. The distance to the 12 fret from the nut is 25 19/32, per my highly accurate machine-made steel ruler going to 64ths. My fret scale tool in the stop also says this. My question is if they are simply rounding the number or is supposed to be exact?

[hotpepper01]

Didn't the George Gobel model use a shorter scale length? The Byrdland prototypes of Hank Garland and Billy Bird had a smaller scale of course and looked very much in appearance like an L5 (block inlays and a regular L5 tailpiece)