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Author Topic:  Advantages?
Gary Watkins


From:
Bristol, VA
Post  Posted 9 May 2018 7:13 am    
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Is there an advantage from a 24 inch scale to a 24 1/4 inch scale?
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Ian Rae


From:
Redditch, England
Post  Posted 9 May 2018 7:20 am    
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Manufacturers choose the scale length that works best for their design philosphy. There's no difference to the player. I have two PSGs. One is 24", the other is 25½" and they sound slightly different because they are different brands; but they are no different to play.
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Gary Watkins


From:
Bristol, VA
Post  Posted 9 May 2018 7:24 am    
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Ian Rae wrote:
Manufacturers choose the scale length that works best for their design philosphy. There's no difference to the player. I have two PSGs. One is 24", the other is 25½" and they sound slightly different because they are different brands; but they are no different to play.


Thanks Ian. Does your 25 1/2" scale have longer sustain than the 24"?
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Ian Rae


From:
Redditch, England
Post  Posted 9 May 2018 10:06 am    
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Yes, Gary, I guess it does a little but it's a better instrument anyway! The received wisdom is that longer scale length gives more sustain but I know of no physical reason why it should be so. How quickly the vibrational energy in the strings is dissipated will depend on many other parameters.
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Donny Hinson

 

From:
Glen Burnie, Md. U.S.A.
Post  Posted 10 May 2018 6:38 pm    
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Ian Rae wrote:
Yes, Gary, I guess it does a little but it's a better instrument anyway! The received wisdom is that longer scale length gives more sustain but I know of no physical reason why it should be so. How quickly the vibrational energy in the strings is dissipated will depend on many other parameters.


(Yes...long clotheslines flop around more in the wind than short ones. Laughing )

A longer string would simply allow more movement, and more movement to start means a longer decay, all else being equal. Still, like you say, there are many other factors involved, and I'm skeptical about 1/4" being enough to make a significant difference.
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Georg Sørtun


From:
Mandal, Agder, Norway
Post  Posted 10 May 2018 8:39 pm    
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Longer total string-length for a given gauge, do mean higher tension. Higher tension tends to translate into increased sustain, but also shorter string-life on a PSG.

Total string-length does of course include string over changer and in keyhead – regular or keyless, so scale alone doesn't tell much.
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John Goux

 

From:
California, USA
Post  Posted 12 May 2018 12:38 am    
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24” vs 24.25” seems like an incremental difference but it does sound different. It reminds me of the difference between a Fender and a Gibson electric.
With all the variables between steels it would be difficult to generalize without the same instrument built with different scale lengths.

My personal opinion, I would say 24” has a richer midrange and better sustain above the 12rh fret.
I would say longer scale sounds bigger overall and sustains better in the low register.

This is my opinion YMMV. The shorter scale guitars are older MSA, Sho-bud, Desert Rose and GFI. The longer scale guitars are basically everything else.
It is an orange and a tangerine.
John
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Ian Rae


From:
Redditch, England
Post  Posted 12 May 2018 12:43 am    
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I would add to what I said above by admitting that the 25.5" scale makes the bottom strings on the C6 less flobby.
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