

The scale lengths on the non-pedal guitars vary all over. The differences in fret spacing (at the upper frets) on these two scale-lengths are probably less than the width of the fret marking itself on many guitars! I sort of concur with David, in that any advantage of that extra 1/4" is probably more psychological than anything. For me, playing from the 17th to the 25th frett is a little easier on the My LDG is 24, while my Fessy and Zum areĢ4 1/4. I've had the exact same experience as Joe. I was just wondering if others thought it makes enough difference to consider in a purchase decision. I'm thinking a 25" scale makes a real difference, but maybe just a quarter inch makes no practical difference. So I'm thinking any intonation differences may be psychological. Another thing to think about is that we don't consider intonation any more difficult in the key of A, than in the key of G. Generally anything less than 5% is considered to have no practical intonation relevance. Just for perspective, the difference in overall scale length is about 1%, and the difference between the frets is about 2.4%. Well, I was a little worried that my intonation would suffer on the shorter neck. Rather, the intonation of the strings to each other in a major chord (A/B pedals up or down)? Is it my imagination, or is intonation a little more accurate above the 12th fret on a 24 inch scale? I'm not talking about bar placement accuracy over the fret. I hope this is communicating, 'cause words are failing me here.Īmplified, I didn't hear any specific difference that I could say were due to scale length.but acoustically I heard nuances that I liked That appealed to me since I like to use a medium touch.I felt that it gave me more room to produce dynamics. I know the guitar/string interaction is quite complex, yet the shorter scale strings had a (geesh, how do I describe this) "looser" sound and feel.

I never have had string breakage problems, but I think I noticed a very slight tonal difference in the strings (not amplified). I had a Fessy S12U and compared the two to weigh the differences. What's a 1/4 inch here or there the way i play.? !ĭave, add my Dekley S12U to the 24" scale list. My playing sounds more like it did before than it does now I also can't tell any difference as far as string breakage. As far as the tone and sustain, I can't tell any difference. The Mullen and Fessy are a little more forgiving with the 241/4" scale. I have to pay a little more attention when I play up high on the neck on my Carter with the 24" scale to play in tune. Must be because the strings are under less tension, since the strings is shorter from end to end. Well i know one thing and that is the shorter scale does not break those 3rd stings as much as the long scale ones. I prefer the longer scale, because it's easier for me to play it in tune. Please don't digress to keyless and overhang issues, my question only addresses keyhead guitars. The 3rd string on E9 does tend to last a little longer on the shorter scales. I don't notice any tone or sustain differences beyond what is expected with different brands. My question is, does anyone really notice a difference in tone, sustain, playability, or string breakage with this small difference on a keyhead pedal steel? I do feel slightly cramped on the shorter scale at first, but quickly adapt. So maybe manufacturers are evenly split on this. But then I took some real measurements and discovered that while Emmons, Zum and Fessendens are 24 1/4", Sho-Bud, Carter and MSAs (at least the Millennium) are 24". I erroneously answered that 24 1/4" seemed to be the most common. Your profile | join | preferences | help | searchĪ couple of months ago, somebody asked what is the most common scale length. Classic country shuffle styles for Band-in-a-Box, by BIAB guru Jim Baron.
