A question for you 25.5" guys, considering a Les Paul

Matt300ZXT

Matt300ZXT

Well-known member
I've played Les Pauls before. I have a CMG Ashlee, which is a US company that make their version of the 3 most popular electric designs. I've played my dad's Epiphone he was gifted when a family member passed. I've played a few Gibsons, and REALLY liked one of the Faded series we got at Guitar Center back in the day when I worked there. Also, I unfortunately sold a wicked Burny Custom I had :( But I haven't really played legit Gibsons all that much. For a guy who lives his life 25.5" inches at a time, what's it like switching over to a 24.75" and living there for a while in regards to upper fret access? From what I recall, it wasn't the easiest to play up there, but tons of guys have made tons of money over the years doing it professionally.

I suppose if I buy one that is pretty and has a nice top I like, I can always flip it for at least what I paid for it, or trade it towards something else since people are always looking for Gibsons.
 
As with most things on the interwebz.. YMMV and these are just my personal experiences.

I would assume since we're talking about scale length, your concern about upper fret access would reference the fret spacing and not the body/neck joint? For me personally, I don't find moving from a guitar with 25.5" to 24.75" to be nearly as big an adjustment as moving from 22 frets (my preference) to 24 frets. I spend most of my time on guitars with 22 frets, and those feel natural to me. When I switch to something with 24 frets (given the same scale length), I find myself having to pay a lot more attention to where my hands are on the fretboard. Especially the closer I get to the upper register/body.
 
War_in_D said:
As with most things on the interwebz.. YMMV and these are just my personal experiences.

I would assume since we're talking about scale length, your concern about upper fret access would reference the fret spacing and not the body/neck joint? For me personally, I don't find moving from a guitar with 25.5" to 24.75" to be nearly as big an adjustment as moving from 22 frets (my preference) to 24 frets. I spend most of my time on guitars with 22 frets, and those feel natural to me. When I switch to something with 24 frets (given the same scale length), I find myself having to pay a lot more attention to where my hands are on the fretboard. Especially the closer I get to the upper register/body.
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Agree. Can’t stand 24 fretters. They feel weird. No need for those extra 2 frets
 
Johnny and Archie can suck it, it's not even remotely fair that they should get to be that good on guitar. I totally forgot they shred on Les Pauls....surely they sold their souls to the devil. It's a shame that band, at least with that lineup, broke up...because they for sure brought the rock.
 
Matt300ZXT said:
Johnny and Archie can suck it, it's not even remotely fair that they should get to be that good on guitar. I totally forgot they shred on Les Pauls....surely they sold their souls to the devil. It's a shame that band, at least with that lineup, broke up...because they for sure brought the rock.
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Yeah, I liked them a lot. Even though I am more into heavier stuff.
 
It's a transition but if it works for you anything like it did for me, there will be an 'aha moment' and you'll love it. But at the same time you won't want to abandon 25.5" scale either. They both have something different enough to keep it interesting. There is a certain slinky/greasy feel to 24.75" that is addicting but that big/full-range thing you get with 25.5" is a different feel and sound that is also killer.
 
No problem switching between common scale lengths but that LP heal makes for difficult high fret access for me. I just got my first keeper a few months back and I haven't fully adjusted yet but I think anyone can if they play enough.
 
War_in_D said:
As with most things on the interwebz.. YMMV and these are just my personal experiences.

I would assume since we're talking about scale length, your concern about upper fret access would reference the fret spacing and not the body/neck joint? For me personally, I don't find moving from a guitar with 25.5" to 24.75" to be nearly as big an adjustment as moving from 22 frets (my preference) to 24 frets. I spend most of my time on guitars with 22 frets, and those feel natural to me. When I switch to something with 24 frets (given the same scale length), I find myself having to pay a lot more attention to where my hands are on the fretboard. Especially the closer I get to the upper register/body.
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Me to 👍I have both 22 and 24 Fret electric guitars and have to pay more attention on the 24 fretters.
 
I use to switch back and forth between a Strat and LP all the time.
My thumb stays mostly in back of the neck so upper fret access has never been a problem with the LP.

Scale is only one thing. You're also dealing with a different fret shape, neck carve, the multiple angles
between body, neck, and headstock, and of course pickups and bridge. All part of what makes each unique.

Scale length is cool cause of the difference in the feel of bends. I went thru a crazy Gary Moore LP blues phase
and those leads just don't feel right played on a strat. Same with doing David Gilmour stuff on an LP.

EDIT: Just realized you didn't specify the 25.5 guitar.
The third one I was using in rotation with the Strat and LP was a MM Majesty 25.5.
 
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The biggest thing for me, and I've only had a go on my brother's LP a few times, is that I bend too-hard (past the pitch I'm aiming for).

Takes a few minutes to adjust.
 
I jump across different scale lengths, body shapes, # of frets, different bridges/hardware, string spacing, etc. all the time in the same playing session. That also includes moving from guitar to bass and back. Everything has a slightly different feel to it, but it has become natural for me. A couple of quick chugs to orient my playing position and I'm good to go.

Because of muscle memory it may feel a bit off right a first, but within a minuet or two of playing you should be getting acclimated most of the way. Most troubles when swapping around; at least in my experience, seem to stem from overthinking it. Once your brain gets out of the way and you're playing it's becomes a very natural transition.
 
I've played 25.5" guitars 99% of the time all my life, but my two 24.75" axes (Ibanez Artist and Gibson LPC) are just plain easier for me to play.
 
I would think about the string gauges to try to even out the tension between the scale lengths; that will help a lot with the feel switching between the two.

The other thing is fret size. If you have a modern 25.5 shredder with huge frets, the medium jumbos on an LP will feel weird and might make bending more of a chore.

That's been my experience, anyway.
 
I bounce between a Strat and a Les Paul all night long. Just don't overthink it and just play. I think the challenges are more in a person's head than it is in the scale length.
 
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