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Topic: Long Scale Fenders |
Rick Collins
From:
Claremont , CA USA
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Posted 2 Mar 2001 9:18 am |
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There have been discussions about slants played on long scale steel guitars. The 22&1/2" scale seems to be prefered.
I have played 22&1/2, 24&1/2, and 26 inch Fenders extensively. I find slants on the 26 inch very doable and not at all an annoyance.
If there is to be a trade-off between easy slants and sound/sustain; I'll take the 26 inch scale every time.
How do other players feel about this?
Rick[This message was edited by Rick Collins on 02 March 2001 at 10:48 AM.] |
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Jody Carver
From:
KNIGHT OF FENDER TWEED
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Posted 2 Mar 2001 11:11 am
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Rick,,,you bring up a good question,,,the 22 1/2 has its advantages,,,,the 24 1/2 has its good points,,,the 26" was the very first of the series of stringmaster guitars,,,,this was a design that Noel Boggs asked Leo Fender to build for him,,,I know that Noel liked the longer scale,,,but there was a problem with string breakage on the high G# or A first strings,,,,,
I have had all three and its really six of one half a dozen of another,,, I have a 24 1/2 four neck now and its great,,,I also have a 22 1/2 Custom which I also think is great ,,,,they are two different sounding guitars,,,,which do I like better????? They are all great,,,,Im partial to Fender steel guitars,,,I may get an argument Bigsby vs Fender guys,,,but I owned a Bigsby and while is was manufactured largely by hand with much expertise by Paul Bigsby,,,If I had to choose between the two it wouldnt be fair to either one,,,but I did like the Fender best. What ever you have as a string length be happy you have one,,,,those arent to be had any more "quote Speedy West" Jody |
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Dave Van Allen
From:
Doylestown, PA , US , Earth
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Herb Steiner
From:
Briarcliff TX 78669, pop. 2,064
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Posted 3 Mar 2001 10:46 am
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I had a 26" D-8 and lemme tell ya, the tone was awesome... it was so resonant it was almost acoustic! Blow off the amp, just put a microphone on the guitar. And the sustain was, to paraphrase Buddy Emmons, "you needed to throw a bucket of water on it to make it shut up!"
So why did I sell it? I've got small hands and the slant bar work in the lower frets was impossible for me, though fine north of the 12th fret. And because of the long scale, fast single note runs were also difficult. So I let it go lovingly to a fella in PA who hopefully gets flutters in his heart when he takes it out of the case.
I now have a T-8 Stringmaster 22.5", and that's the guitar I'm a-gonna keep for my Fender purposes. I have a 25" Bigsby, and I'm cool with that, too. It seems that extra inch really makes a difference for me.
But man, Noel really got the lush sound, didn't he? 
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Herb's Steel Guitar Pages
Texas Steel Guitar Association
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Dana Duplan
From:
Ramona, CA
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Posted 3 Mar 2001 4:38 pm
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Another consideration--with the 26" scale length you don't get the pickup blend pots for tonal variations. I like that feature and prefer the 24 1/2" scale length myself.
DD |
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Rick Collins
From:
Claremont , CA USA
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Posted 3 Mar 2001 4:46 pm
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That's a good point Dana. Setting each neck for a particular tuning by mixing the pickups is a great feature of the later guitars and the 24&1/2 vs. the 26 inch is a good trade off.
Rick |
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jsaine
From:
Charlottesville, VA
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Posted 3 Mar 2001 6:31 pm
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Herb kindly sold me his stringmaster 26". I've since bought a triple neck 26 as well. My 22.5 dual professional cannot hold a candle to the tone of the 26" stringmasters. The ability to blend the two pickups seems unnecessary. Bar slants are more challenging and the most difficult is string pulls. That extra 3.5" really forces you to tug hard for a half tone. Still I don't think I'll ever switch to a smaller scale. It has a lot to do with the style you play.
Jeff |
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Michael Johnstone
From:
Sylmar,Ca. USA
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Posted 3 Mar 2001 11:03 pm
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| I got a '65 mellow yellow D-8 24" w/blenders and it's so cherry I'm afraid to take it out of it's case let alone on a gig.The 24" scale seems perfect to me.I just wish Leo had seen fit to make D-10 Stringmasters.Think of it....... -MJ- |
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Herb Steiner
From:
Briarcliff TX 78669, pop. 2,064
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Posted 3 Mar 2001 11:24 pm
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| Quote: |
| I just wish Leo had seen fit to make D-10 Stringmasters.Think of it....... -MJ- |
And that is where Ricky Davis and Archie Cox come in with their D-10 SSHawaiian. A 24"er, SM pickups by Jason Lollar, machining by David Parker, the whole nine yards. Awesome guitar, though it's more like Stringmaster guts in a SM-shaped body with wood like a flame-top Les Paul. Really, really gorgeous.
Oh yeah, it's not in production yet, but if it's anything like Ricky's single neck, (phew), good night nurse!
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Herb's Steel Guitar Pages
Texas Steel Guitar Association
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Michael Johnstone
From:
Sylmar,Ca. USA
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Posted 4 Mar 2001 10:03 am
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| Yeah-I've checked out Ricky's Single 10 up close and it IS a thing of beauty.I recently came across a disembodied back neck off of a Fender 2000 D-10 cable guitar which I may make into an S-10 Stringmaster-like thang.If and when I do,I'll post pix. -MJ- |
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Jody Carver
From:
KNIGHT OF FENDER TWEED
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Posted 4 Mar 2001 6:24 pm
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| Dave in reply to your comment,,,ya mean my blood looks Fender"antiqued" butterscotch w/ checking in the finish.?....I would have blood like Count Dracula.....like Tommy LaSorda former Dodgers manager,,,,he bleeds Dodger "Blue,,,I would rather think I would bleed" Fender Tweed" Fender Of Course,,, |
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Ricky Davis
From:
Bertram, Texas USA
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Posted 5 Mar 2001 5:12 am
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Why Thank ya; Herb and Michael> Mighty nice of ya'll to speak so highly of the SS HAWAIIAN. Well we are just about ready to send the new Double-10 body design to David Parker. It is absolutely the most killer design I have ever seen, and folks freaked before on the single-10 SS HAWAIIAN; but this will just make ya pass right out 
Ricky |
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