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Whats your prefered scale length for a 6 string?

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  • Whats your prefered scale length for a 6 string?

    Mine is 25 has been for many years. I love the feel and tone of 25. Snappier than the Gibson 24.75 scale with better upper fret access but fatter than the 25.5 Fender scale and has lower string tension. For me 25 is perfection what about you guys and why?
    20
    25.5 Fender Scale
    50.00%
    10
    25 PRS and Carvin scale
    15.00%
    3
    24.75 Gibson scale
    35.00%
    7
    Guitars
    Kiesel DC 135, Carvin AE 185, DC 400, DC 127 KOA, DC 127 Quilt Purple, X220C, PRS Custom 24, Washburn USA MG 122 proto , MG 102, MG 120.
    Amps PRS Archon 50 head, MT 15, Mesa Subway Rocket, DC-5, Carvin X50B Hot Rod Mod head, Zinky 25watt Blue Velvet combo.

  • #2
    It depends on where on the neck I'm playing. I prefer fender scale stuff when up higher than the 12th fret . . . I find that that tiny bit of extra space makes bending and hitting the right note a little easier. Near the nut I prefer a Gibson scale, less finger stretch.
    Join me in the fight against muscular atrophy!

    Originally posted by Douglas Adams
    This planet has - or rather had - a problem, which was this: most of the people living on it were unhappy for pretty much of the time. Many solutions were suggested for this problem, but most of these were largely concerned with the movements of small green pieces of paper, which is odd because on the whole it wasn't the small green pieces of paper that were unhappy.

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    • #3
      It really depends on what I am after sonically. In most cases I am happy splitting the difference and going 25. Not sure how scale length provides better upper fret access though in your initial statement. Maybe I am misunderstanding?
      The music business is a cruel and shallow money trench, a long plastic hallway where thieves and pimps run free, and good men die like dogs. There's also a negative side.

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      • #4
        If I could only have one scale, it would probably be 25", but it's not the most important thing to me

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        • #5
          Don’t some PRS guitars have a 24.5” scale? They could be called SC 245s maybe?
          I’ve only played Fender and Gibson scale, and if I had to chose one, I’d choose Gibson. But I like having both types.

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          • #6

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            • #7
              I like them all well enough, they all have a certain something. 25.5 is what I use the most though. 24" high E sounds and feels really nice but gets quite cramped on those higher notes.

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              • #8
                I'm just the opposite of the OP.
                I like the particular benefits of either 24.75" or 25.5" for electric.
                25" is an undefined in-between land where I don't get the full benefit of either option, a halfway-man's land I don't care for.
                Except on an acoustic, where it doesn't bother me one way or the other.

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                • #9
                  I have three guitars with Gibson scale, one with Fender. They're all great, but I do like the buttery quality of a Gibson-scale guitar, as well as the warmth and ease of bending.

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                  • #10
                    Generally, Fender. But my new Warmoth is the same scale as my new Gibson, and I am getting used to that, too.
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                    • #11
                      Originally posted by Bogner View Post
                      It really depends on what I am after sonically. In most cases I am happy splitting the difference and going 25. Not sure how scale length provides better upper fret access though in your initial statement. Maybe I am misunderstanding?
                      Easy answer is up above the 12th fret things get more cramped the higher you go. Playing really high up the neck I find the 24.75 really tight above the 17th fret.
                      Been playing mostly 25 scale since 94 or so when I built a couple Carvin DC's and fell in love with that scale. Been mostly PRS or Carvin Kiesel guitars since.
                      Guitars
                      Kiesel DC 135, Carvin AE 185, DC 400, DC 127 KOA, DC 127 Quilt Purple, X220C, PRS Custom 24, Washburn USA MG 122 proto , MG 102, MG 120.
                      Amps PRS Archon 50 head, MT 15, Mesa Subway Rocket, DC-5, Carvin X50B Hot Rod Mod head, Zinky 25watt Blue Velvet combo.

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                      • #12
                        I don't think I've ever played a 25 inch scale guitar. Does anyone other than PRS make them?
                        Join me in the fight against muscular atrophy!

                        Originally posted by Douglas Adams
                        This planet has - or rather had - a problem, which was this: most of the people living on it were unhappy for pretty much of the time. Many solutions were suggested for this problem, but most of these were largely concerned with the movements of small green pieces of paper, which is odd because on the whole it wasn't the small green pieces of paper that were unhappy.

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                        • #13
                          The difference between a Gibson and Fender scale is three-quarters of an inch, spread across over two feet. That means each fret is about 34 thousandths of an inch further apart on a Fender than a Gibson. That's about the thickness of a Yellow Tortex pick. Not trying to say it doesn't make a difference (as it obviously does), more of how little it takes to make a difference.

                          My preference is I don't care. I have all of them, including a multi-scale 8 string that goes from 25.5 to 27.5. Whether they're setup properly makes about a zillion times as much difference as the scale length.
                          Last edited by JB_From_Hell; 10-22-2021, 06:28 PM.
                          “I can play the hell out of a riff. The rest of it’s all bulls**t anyway,” Gary Holt

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                          • #14
                            I have all three scale lengths, and dig them all for certain stuff respectively.

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                            • #15
                              Originally posted by JB_From_Hell View Post
                              The difference between a Gibson and Fender scale is three-quarters of an inch, spread across over two feet. That means each fret is about 34 thousandths of an inch further apart on a Fender than a Gibson. That's about the thickness of a Yellow Tortex pick. Not trying to say it doesn't make a difference (as it obviously does), more of how little it takes to make a difference.

                              My preference is I don't care. I have all of them, including a multi-scale 8 string that goes from 25.5 to 27.5. Whether they're setup properly makes about a zillion times as much difference as the scale length.

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