24inch or 24 1/4

Bill Lowe · From: Connecticut

I am about to order a new guitar. It is availabvle in 24inch or 24 1/4 inch scale. I would like to hear if anyone has an oppinion on either one. What would the pros and cons be and would there be a tone difference. Any info would be helpful.
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JCH D10, 71 D10 P/p fat back, Telonics TCA 500C--12-,Fender JBL Twin, Josh Swift signature.

Sonny Priddy · From: Elizabethtown, Kentucky, USA, R.I.P.

I Like The 24 Inch Best.And I Have Two 24's And One 24&a Quater. SONNY.

Bill Lowe · From: Connecticut

Thanks Sonny, Is there any difference that you could decribe or is it just your personl taste. I am looking to see if anybody can hear a difference, or if one is prone to break more strings, etc.

Thanks Bill
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JCH D10, 71 D10 P/p fat back, Telonics TCA 500C--12-,Fender JBL Twin, Josh Swift signature.

Jim Palenscar · From: Oceanside, Calif, USA

All other things being equal a 24 1/4" scale would be prone to break more strings than on with a scale of 24" due to increased tension on the string over a longer span being stretched to the same note. I don't believe that the scale length difference between the 2 is appreciable enough to truly warrant selecting the shorter scale due to possibly having less string breakage. That being said, it seems that a common thought is that a 24 1/4" scale has a bit more sustain and clarity- not gospel- just a general feeling.

Jim Bob Sedgwick · From: Clinton, Missouri USA

I might get slammed for this, but I have owned and played guitars with both scales. I noticed no difference in string breakage, and very little if any difference in tone. I will say this one more time.... POLISH the fingers with Mother's Mag and Aluminum polish and unless you have burrs on the fingers or have not wrapped enough wraps on the key shaft, String breakage will become a thing of the past unless you leave the strings on too long. Flame away, Dudes

David Doggett · Posted 12 Feb 2008 10:25 pm

Jim's covered all the theory. Given the same gauge and pitch, the higher tension of the longer neck should have more volume and sustain, and richer overtones. And of course, the lower tension of the shorter neck should reduce string breakage. Whether these theoretical differences can be observed with such a small difference is hard to say. The several guitars I've had with 24 1/4" necks would break the high G# string within a week or so of playing, so I had to change it almost weekly to avoid breaking it on a gig. The newest one I have has a 24" neck and will go months without breaking the G#. I'm inclined to think there is a connection. I don't hear any tone difference, but the guitars are all different in design and materials, so it's not a fair test.

John Fabian · From: Mesquite, Texas USA * R.I.P.

The shorter scale will require a slightly more accurate <strike>right</strike> LEFT hand technique to play in tune.

Bill Lowe · From: Connecticut

Thanks Guys, I also received a few private emails. My next question is where do I measure form to get an exact mearsurement to find out the scale length. Right now I have a 2006 D10 Rains. I don't see too many of the larger steel builders offering a choice in scale length.

Thanks Bill
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JCH D10, 71 D10 P/p fat back, Telonics TCA 500C--12-,Fender JBL Twin, Josh Swift signature.

Jim Palenscar · From: Oceanside, Calif, USA

center of the nut to center of the changer

Billy Knowles · From: Kenansville, N. C. 28349 usa

John
Right or left hand? I am confused?
Thanks
Billy

John Fabian · From: Mesquite, Texas USA * R.I.P.

Yeah, the other right hand (left is what I meant). Oh Well

Thanks for catching that.

Ulf Edlund · From: Umeå, Sweden

I have one of each and i can't really say that i feel any difference between them, The shorter one has better sustain. None of them breaks any strings.
But then again, since they are two different brands the comparison might tell us nothing, as does this whole post i'm afraid.. Oh Well

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Paul Redmond · From: Illinois, USA

The radius of the changer fingers has more to do with string breakage than the scale length. If that radius is less than 7/16", the changer finger must rotate more degrees to stretch the string than a larger radius would. The string is bending more as a result each time it's raised and/or lowered. A changer with a 7/16" radius on a guitar with a 24-1/4" scale would break strings less frequently than a 24"-scale guitar and, say, a 3/8" radius changer. In reducing the amount of arc-travel on the changer by increasing the radius, the mechanical accuracy of the rest of the pulling mechanism becomes a key factor. If stops are not repetitive or are 'soft' when bottomed out, the error is multiplied the larger the radius on the changer fingers. As I recall, Charles Reece uses a 1/2" radius changer on his guitars, but his pulling system is so accurate that the arc-travel issue is moot. String breakage on his guitars, though, is minimal as a result of the large radius. The wire in the string is flexed less than if his radii were smaller. I'm working on a Miller resto job right now that has a 23" scale and breaks strings like there's no tomorrow. I hope to alleviate this problem with larger-diameter changer fingers. The present radius is only 3/8", so the arc-travel is more extreme. The strings just don't hold up. I have re-configured the entire pulling system on this guitar to make the stops far more mechanically accurate than the prior Miller components afforded. This combination should make for a very accurate guitar overall and bring string breakage to a bare minimum. Hope this makes sense. Any time a changer radius drops below 7/16", it seems that string breakage really becomes an issue. That must be the magic number I guess.
PRR

Mitch Ellis · From: Collins, Mississippi USA

I've noticed what John Fabian has said. I have three steels. One has a 24 inch scale and the other two have 24 1/4 inch scales. From around the 18th fret and up, staying in tune is a little more difficult on the 24 inch scale. Once a player gets use to a 24 inch scale, it may not be a problem. To me, the 24 1/4 has a little more sustain. At least on my steels. I seldom play the 24 inch scale, so I couldn't say about string breakage. I much prefer the 24 1/4.
Mitch

Eugene Cole · From: near Washington Grove, MD, USA

This is your guitar being to your specs. So if you want a 23 inch or a 27 inch scale length you should spec it to whatever you want. With a few guitars like the carbon-fiber MSA guitars the tooling and molds limit the options with regard to changing scale length. But given how Gary constructs his Guitars you should should not have these constraints.

The difference of a quarter of an inch in scale length at around 24" is not particularly substantial; and has already been discussed in this thread.

Paul is right-on about changer finger raduis and string breakage. Yes other factors come in to play but I agree with what he wrote.
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Bill Lowe · From: Connecticut

Thanks for all the comments. I purchased a D10 Legend. Reece stands by his produts and Kyle makes the set-up and ordering process very easy. Transactions are very smooth and the products are top notch. MSA is a nice company to do business with. It is going to be a long 5 months!!!

Bill
_________________
JCH D10, 71 D10 P/p fat back, Telonics TCA 500C--12-,Fender JBL Twin, Josh Swift signature.

Donny Hinson · From: Glen Burnie, Md. U.S.A.

I seriously doubt most players would notice any difference in sound or playability between the two.

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