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I'm thinking about buying a new solid-body electric guitar. What I like to play, what I practice, is solo pop and jazz tunes.
I've got a nice Telecaster, 25-1/2" scale. But would the gnarly chords I have to come up with, play easier on a 24-3/4" neck?
Like, less finger stretch on a Gibson or equivalent, but more room on a Fender or equivalent?
Putting aside all other variables, I'm just wondering what scale length you folks prefer, especially for chord-melody.
I'm stopping in to a music store soon, to check a few alternatives. Thanks if you can share an opinion. (I realize the answer is a big YMMV...)
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11-21-2022 09:50 AM
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Look at Gretsch. 24.6" scale, amazing pickups (Filtertron, not Broadtron). Reasonably priced, generally well-made, especially the Korean ones from 2014- 2021. The Japanese models are triple the price, but superb instruments.
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I happen to prefer 25.5, and I think the Telecaster is the best guitar ever. But I see the benefits of 24.75 also. If you end up preferring a shorter scale, I would highly recommend considering a 24.75 “conversion” Telecaster neck from Warmoth, USACG, Musicraft, etc. You can get the shorter scale length, choose the nut width and fret size and woods that you prefer, keep your current Tele, and it doesn’t take any time or skill to simply unscrew and replace the neck.
Ive played a couple of short scale Telecasters, and noticed a slight improvement in comfort without it being a huge change in sound.
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I've alway been a 24-3/4 guy, but over the past few decades I've come to like the 25.0 on my PRS and Carvin/Kiesel.
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The scale is basically the same as a one fret difference. Which is to say, finger stretching shouldn’t be a big deal. There’s no jazz below the 3rd fret anyway.
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Originally Posted by AllanAllen
The tone of the guitar is affected by scale length, a longer neck has more pronounced upper harmonics. How much of a difference? I don't know.
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Originally Posted by AllanAllen
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Two of my custom guitars are 24.9" scale, and are very comfortable. My tele-style is 25.5", and I really notice little difference in the playability.
OP, please post pics of the "gnarly chords" you are playing! Curious minds want to know!
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I have guitars with 24.75", 25.0", and 25.5" scale lengths. I switch between them randomly, and I don't notice any difference at all. Maybe it's just me, but the small differences in fret spacings are completely unnoticeable to me.
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I recently bought a Heritage H-575 with 24.5" scale and like it quite a bit. Scale length generally not a huge deal for me personally.
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All other things being equal, 25.5 feels bigger (go figure) than 24.75, and therefore some chords are harder to play.
But, all other things aren't equal. The other dimensions of the neck matter.
My 25.75 Yamaha Pacifica is easier on the hands than my Comins GCS-1, which is 24.75. The difference is that the Yamaha's neck is smaller in every other dimension -- too small for most players, is my guess, but I really like it.
So, my usual advice applies. Try the guitar before you buy it and get a return privilege.
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Sheesh, stop giving this guy such bad advice.
The only good scale is 25 1/4".
All the others are bad.
Coincidentally, I have a few nice guitars for sale with 25 1/4" scale.
Happy to help out.Last edited by Hammertone; 11-22-2022 at 01:29 AM.
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I have three scale lengths on my electrics, Fender American Standard Strat, D'Angelico EX-DC, Seventy-Seven Hawk Jazz :
The first two are easy to figure out. Most sources tell you that the scale length is double the distance from the front edge of the nut to the center of the 12th fret (which is the halfway point of the scale length). This should match the published spec of the guitar.
Fender American Standard Strat - The published spec is 25.5"; the nut->12th fret measurement is 12.75".
D'Angelico EX-DC - The published spec is 24.75"; the nut->12th fret measurement is 12.375" (3/8 on my ruler).
Seventy-Seven Hawk Jazz - 24.who-the-heck-knows".
OK, bear with me for a moment.
The reverb ad I got the Seventy-Seven from said 24.5" (and I believe some ad copy says this, too, but I'm not finding it now), which didn't really register until after I made the deal. While waiting for delivery, I noticed it, and got a little nervous because I thought it might be weird to play a "shorter" neck. I then looked at the published spec, which is 624 mm. OK, so 624 mm is 24 9/16" (24.57), which is a hair closer to "Gibson" , but still, it might be weird ... Anyway, I got the guitar, and it didn't feel weird, or perceptibly different from other "Gibson scale" guitars I've played, so I calmed down.
But it stuck it in my mind, which eventually sent me down a scale-length rabbit hole. What I learned is that the "Gibson" scale is mostly not 24.75". In reality, "24.75-inch" Gibsons electrics (and some acoustics) made since 1954 are either 24 5/8" or 24 9/16" depending on the year and specific model. Before that, they actually were 24 3/4". I'll spare you the full rabbit hole experience, but the short version is that the way to calculate fret spacing involves the 12th root of 2. It appears that Gibson changed the way they approximated that (more than once), and changed the templates and machinery accordingly, without ever changing the published scale-length spec. So my 624 mm (or is it 24.5" ?) Seventy-Seven actually is a Gibson scale? I confirmed this via the nut->12th fret measurement, which is a hair below the 12 5/16" mark on my ruler.
Meanwhile, the D'Angelico which I thought was "Gibson scale" actually measures a true 24.75". Now that I know this, it plays kinda weird ...
But to the OP's questions, I don't prefer one scale to another for chord melody. The one exception to this is that for crazy Johnny Smith stretches, it's slightly less impossible for me to hit these on the Seventy Seven than the Fender, but still pretty much impossible. For all other playing, I don't notice scale length (at least not in isolation from the other differences between these guitars and how they're set up), and don't find one easier or harder to play than another.Last edited by John A.; 11-22-2022 at 11:37 AM.
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I have several different scale length guitars , I find the 24.75" 12" radius to be the most friendly ( or PRS's 24.594)
Take into account a most 25.5" scale guitars may have more curved fretboards (7.5-10.5" radius) than the typical 12" found on most 24.75" guitars
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I have average finger lengths if not on the shorter and stubbier side. I play 25.5" scale guitars often and have no difficulty with stretched shapes. Granted I don't use extremely stretched shapes but ones that stretch 5 frets or so still work for me. For me it is more about fingerboard radius. 12" is the max that works for me but my 25.5" guitars have 7.25."
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Originally Posted by lammie200
My G&L ASAT has what I was searching for in a fretboard: 25 1/2" scale, 1 3/4" nut and 12" radius, in ebony. Try to find that on a Fender Tele!
I have big hands and I find scale isn't an issue, but a wider nut is nice in the lower frets.
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Thanks, folks!
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Whether I notice it depends more on the style of playing. Lots of comping with barre or partial barre chords definitely feels more tiring to me on 25.5” than on 24.75”. Mr Bojangles is my acid test. I love that tune and some guitars make me work harder on it than others. It’s effortless on a 24.75” Eastman yet tiring on a 25.5” Collings CL Jazz, both with 12s and almost ruler straight necks. So I use 11s on the Collings. For soloing I hardly notice the difference.
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On strats and teles, electric guitars that I mostly use for strumming chords, I like the 25-1/2 scale.
For everything else, including acoustic guitars, I prefer 24-3/4, as it is easier to play.
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I couldn't decide so I got both.
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