Guitars

Joined: 14 Nov 2012 Posts: 4 Location: Luton, UK

Hi, ive been looking into getting my first guitar when i spotted the Eric Peterson Hunter V at a pretty affordable price. But then I noticed it has
a 24-3/4" scale.
So my question is how does this size differ from a 25-1/2" scale in terms tone, playability etc? I am a pretty tall guy with long arms so im thinking comfort may play a factor in choosing one or the other.
Also ive noticed a lot of the Dime axes use the 3/4" scale as opposed to something like the Mustaine series which from the models ive looked
at use the 1/2". Is this just because of artist preferences?
Lastly, apologies if this thread is in the wrong topic, I figured since I dont actually own a guitar yet this would be the best place for this question.

Joined: 03 May 2008 Posts: 6668 Location: Minnesota

It's basically the difference between a Gibby and a Strat.

Some say the longer scale gives you more 'spank' in the tone.

How tall you are, and how long your arms are, will have no bearing on this.

You may notice a slight difference on your hand size though, with finger spacing, but it's so slight, that most won't notice.

Joined: 05 Dec 2008 Posts: 910

Yeah, hand size can be an issue. NOT for most, but for some.
I simply can't play short scale guitars 1/2 as well as I can 25.5" scale guitars.
I HATED having to sell my 30th Anniversary ML because it was too short for me!

Joined: 27 Feb 2006 Posts: 13402 Location: Earth

24 3/4" scale will feel more slinky when you play it vs. 25 1/2" which will have a tad more string tension. It's not about player arm length or comfort really. Some people can tell the difference but most can't. I can't tell until I start playing longer scale guitars. I had an Ibanez that was 26 1/2" scale and that's where I could feel a difference but even then it wasn't by much. It's more about the feel of the strings. Also a longer scale will do better with lower tuned guitars without having to use super thick strings. I play primarily in D standard and drop C and I have one guitar in 25 1/2 and one in 24 3/4. I have to use thicker strings on the shorter scale guitar to get the same feel as my main guitar which is the longer of the 2.

Posted: Wed Nov 14, 2012 6:59 pm

My Soltero is 24 3/4" and my Jackson RR5 is 25.5".

The difference is very negligible..., I think (maybe it's in my head) that when I'm playing beyond from the 15th fret to the 21st, that it's a tad easier to fret the notes up there.

I have bigger hands than most, but not huge.

Also, I use 9 - 50's as I like string tension..., so I guess bigger IS a tiny bit better for me.

Joined: 19 Dec 2011 Posts: 421 Location: Northern Arizona

When I switch from 24 3/4 to 25.5 I definitely felt the difference but its nothing you cant get used to. I prefer 25.5 though.

Joined: 15 Sep 2010 Posts: 1002 Location: Rock Hill,SC

Well I'm 6'5 & I've had both. I find I prefer 24.75 on 6 string guitars & 25.5 on 7 strings. Had 25.5 razorback & it sounded great in drop C. But some guys will play in C standard tuning with 24.75 necks. It's all personal preferrence dude. Also welcome to the forum.

Joined: 14 Nov 2012 Posts: 4 Location: Luton, UK

Metalfac3 wrote:

Well I'm 6'5 & I've had both. I find I prefer 24.75 on 6 string guitars & 25.5 on 7 strings. Had 25.5 razorback & it sounded great in drop C. But some guys will play in C standard tuning with 24.75 necks. It's all personal preferrence dude. Also welcome to the forum.

Thanks! Good to be here. My intention is to eventually get a guitar and
bass, almost certainly both deans so im going to be around a while!

Joined: 14 Nov 2012 Posts: 4 Location: Luton, UK

Thank you to everyone else as well, your advice has cleared things up a lot, much appreciated!
So the overall impression im getting is that from a beginners standpoint is learning to play on one scale or the other shouldnt make a difference. And should i decide to get a guitar in the other scale its just a case of adapting what i already know?

Posted: Thu Nov 15, 2012 10:55 am

i prefer 25.5 sdince i tune low.

it also matters what you will be tuning to.

Joined: 05 Dec 2008 Posts: 910

Nicodemus wrote:

Thank you to everyone else as well, your advice has cleared things up a lot, much appreciated!
So the overall impression im getting is that from a beginners standpoint is learning to play on one scale or the other shouldnt make a difference. And should i decide to get a guitar in the other scale its just a case of adapting what i already know?

Well, close. You SHOULD look at and play BOTH to see IF there is an issue. MOST don't have a big issue. Some have a small issue with it, and a few (like myself) have a BIG issue with it.

If it's going to be a big issue, it's probably going to be due to hand size. You can always get different guage strings to match the tuning/tension you want.

For me, it was MUCH more difficult to play full chords (not power chords of even barre chords) on the 24 3/4 scale. I have HUGE hands. A friend of mine with small hands has the damnedest time trying to play a power chord with an added 9th on the 25.5 scale as it is too much of a stretch for him.

As mentioned before, I had to sell the coolest guitar I had ever seen. My 30th anniversary ML was AWESOME! it looked great, played great, and even sounded great! I ended up having to trade for an Ibanez RGR421EXFM....a $500 guitar!
The next day at my guitar lesson. my instructor was astonished at how easily I could now play what I struggled with!

It was then that I knew I just do NOT get along with 24 3/4 scale guitars. Breaks my heart as I loved that ML! Now I wan't to get rid of the Ibanez as though it looks cool, and plays well, I don't like the bridge, and it never sounds as good as my Michael Kelly or my Dean Ventetta 4.0.

Joined: 27 Feb 2006 Posts: 13402 Location: Earth

Remember this... Just putting on thicker strings to tune low isn't always the best answer. There are a lot of things I can play on my 25.5" guitar with 11s that I can't pull off on my 24.75" guitar with 12s... Yes the tension is similar but the thicker strings does make it more difficult to get the same tone and feel regardless of string tension. My 25.5" guitar with 11s tuned down a full step feels like a guitar with 9s tuned to standard. However my 24.75" guitar doing the same has a feel of it's own. It doesn't feel like a standard tuned guitar with 9s or 10s. I get more fatigue in a shorter period of time and string bends feel much different. The sustain is also quite different. Thicker strings also effects tuning and intonation on some guitars with shorter scale lengths regardless of who sets it up. I have seen some guitars that just WON'T intonate when tuned low with super thick strings. I had 2 Gibsons in fact that were sent back for just this reason, yet I have a Gibson custom that tunes and intonates fine with thicker strings.

I have big hands ( I wear large and sometimes XL gloves) and I can't feel the difference between the two scales. I don't notice a difference until the scale is over 26". It's different for different people... Thicker strings isn't always the answer though.

Joined: 23 Nov 2005 Posts: 8293 Location: Ontario, Canada

Bottom line, if you have special requirement like my man Lanning buy the guitar from somewhere with a rocking return policy or have them set it up and show you on a meter that its intonated perfectly.

Joined: 14 Nov 2012 Posts: 4 Location: Luton, UK

'87 sherwood wrote:

Bottom line, if you have special requirement like my man Lanning buy the guitar from somewhere with a rocking return policy or have them set it up and show you on a meter that its intonated perfectly.

Yeah thats good advice, especially about the returns policy. Definitely gonna keep my eye on that. Cheers

Joined: 14 Nov 2012 Posts: 4 Location: Luton, UK

So would the same advice apply to bass?
I know there is a specific bass thread but this is just a passing question, its mainly guitars i need to know about right now.

Joined: 29 Oct 2012 Posts: 18 Location: Fremont, CA

I'll throw this out there for consideration.

Between the two scales, For me, the difference is not so much the span between the frets, it's string tension.

I usually play 10 - 46 Ernie Ball regular Slinky strings on all of my axes. The longer scale 'feels' tighter, higher tension than the shorter scale. I also noticed the longer scale guitars have more attack and sustain than their shorter scale brethren.

Okay, body wood, cap wood, neck and fretboard wood all have something to do with attack/sustain but I have one axe, a Fender American Standard (alder body) that I put a Warmoth 24 3/4" conversion neck on. What a difference that made. Easier to bend, by far but certainly a slight loss of sustain. For the record, it was a maple neck, not a fancy wood with a plain rosewood fretboard and frets to mimic the Fender size.

As far as I'm concerned, scale length is nothing to get hung up on. Unless you're doing drop tuning, don't worry about it. Buy what you like and don't worry about scale length.

Kel