Guitar scale length - what do you like?

  • Thread starter Thread starter dainbramage0
  • Start date Start date

Guitar scale length preference

  • 24.75"

  • 25"

  • 25.5"

  • 26"

  • 27+"

  • No preference

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I have come to find that 25.5" with a narrow nut width works best for me. I have smaller hands also.

I like and have 24.75" and 25" guitars, but they never sound as good to me as 25.5". I have tried TONS over the years, and I am super picky about specs.
 
rottingcorpse said:
Don't care. For me it's all about the string gauge and tension.
The scale length doesn't effect my playing.
Probably because I have gigantic gorilla mitts. Total caveman paws.
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This^^^^ I have to agree. I like more room up high and noticed when I had a king v custom made by Mike Shannon it was a 25" scale and it was a little tight up top but affect my playing, no. Prefer 25,5"
 
For whatever reason, 25.5 scale tuned down a half step using 10s is home to me. I haven't really bothered exploring a lot, because the weather around here keeps f*cking up my guitars, so I only have my main Musicman left. If I played in standard rather than half step down I'd probably go with 24.75, but half step down just feels right. Cheers
 
Tough to say really. I have plenty of guitars with 24 3/4" & 25 1/2" and a PRS with 25"

With 24 3/4" everything's a little faster because it's closer together, but it can get a little cramped on the higher frets. With 25 1/2" scale, it's a bit more of a stretch lower down, but more spacious in the upper fret areas.

Honestly I'm fine with any of them. I think what makes more of a difference is the string area beyond the nut and bridge.
 
I was just talking about this on another forum and I don't know if it's the 25" scale, but I'm really digging the clarity of my Zemaitis Z22. I did a back and forth with my Edwards LP and LP Studio and it almost makes those two sound dull in comparison, and those are not dull guitars by any stretch. It was interesting comparison with the Edwards because it has the same pickups and electronic setup. There's just a clarity to the neck and bridge pickups that I don't find on the 24.75" scale guitars, especially with my standard drop tuning (whole step), it makes me considering looking into more longer scale instruments. That said, I am most comfortable playing 24.75" scale because that is what I played for so many years. I'm fine with any scale though.
 
Can play whatever. I have a few in 24.75, a few in 25.5 and a couple 7 strings in 27”.

I play sludge and doom mostly tho, so my #1 is an ESP Viper at 24.75 tuned to drop B with 12-60 on it. Have a LP in same tuning with same string set.
 
rottingcorpse said:
Don't care. For me it's all about the string gauge and tension.
The scale length doesn't effect my playing.
Probably because I have gigantic gorilla mitts. Total caveman paws.
Click to expand...
I don't think about this, cuz i use the same string size. But the wrong guage is more wrong than just about anything else short of a terrible action.
 
Holy-diver said:
How often are you using 23 and 24??? Lol
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I like to try and do Yngwie type descending runs starting at the top. Also that second octave 5 string arpeggio sweep. I had an Epiphone SG Prophecy and it was awesome except the frets were tiny and crammed up there.
 
Metalhex said:
I like to try and do Yngwie type descending runs starting at the top. Also that second octave 5 string arpeggio sweep. I had an Epiphone SG Prophecy and it was awesome except the frets were tiny and crammed up there.
Click to expand...
Fair enough. I’m more partial to 26.5 and 27 myself
 
A few years ago I was a diehard 25.5" Floyded "super strat" player. Then a customer had me build a 24.75" version and I'm a full on convert now. While I still like 25.5" and will gladly play them I prefer 24.75".
 
I have a few guitars, and they ranges from 24.75 to 25 to 25.5. I like them all for different reasons. The shorter scale for ease and playability, the longer scale for more accuracy and definition.
 
I guess I prefer 24.75 because it sounds more compact and mid focussed. I like 25.5 too. However I dislike extended scale lengths because for as much as that aspect tightens the bottom end, the lower mids get too prominent and many of those guitars end up tubby and bloated sounding, despite a very solid bottom end. Simply put, they can sometimes be “too big” sounding. I’m not much of a down tuner though.
 
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