Effect of Scale Length on Tone

[Jocelyn]

Re: Affect of Scale Length on Tone

Re: Affect of Scale Length on Tone

I remember Melvyn Hiscock saying in his book Build Your Own Guitar something like this:- I am often asked what is the most important thing when making a guitar Wood choice,construction, pickups. And he said the String is the most importnat in the guitar, because without the string you dont and wont get a sound. So scale length plays a bigger part in the tone.
IMO that is what makes a Gibson style ( read scale lenght) sound diff form a fender style guitar. That is why a humbucker sounds diff in Fender style guitars. even when same woods are used.

 

[DTrane]

Re: Affect of Scale Length on Tone

Re: Affect of Scale Length on Tone

I agree Joc.

I think the top 3 things that affect tone is pickups/circuit, scale length, then trem or ht. Im starting to think bolt on vs glued neck doesn't matter that much.

 

[uOpt]

Re: Affect of Scale Length on Tone

Re: Affect of Scale Length on Tone

Im starting to think bolt on vs glued neck doesn't matter that much.

Yeah that one is a doozy. I come to think bolt-on actually transports the vibrations better due to the compression.

 

[Brian Griffin]

Re: Affect of Scale Length on Tone

Re: Affect of Scale Length on Tone

To my mind, scale length has an absolutely enormous effect on tone, and bolt on vs. set neck has basically nothing to do with it. It is probably the most overlooked factor in tone discussions that compare Fenders and Gibsons. That's really why a Strat or Tele, even with all the Gibson appointments, will not sound like a Gibson (and vice versa). It has nothing to do with set vs. bolt neck. It's also why attempts to get various guitars to sound like the Red Special usually don't come anywhere close. People need to be starting with Jaguars for those projects, not Strats.

I don't know about that, I think Gibson sounds heavy cause it has more mass than Tele or Strat.

 

[uOpt]

Re: Affect of Scale Length on Tone

Re: Affect of Scale Length on Tone

I don't know about that, I think Gibson sounds heavy cause it has more mass than Tele or Strat.

Yeah.

I always smirk when people talk "recommend a pickup for a mahogany body mahogany neck guitar".

Well I don't know about you but a SG sounds entirely different to me than a Les Paul. There is more similarity between an alder-made Tele with a humbucker (and maple neck) and a Les Paul than between a LP and a SG.

 

[Chris of Arabia]

Re: Affect of Scale Length on Tone

Re: Affect of Scale Length on Tone

In my mind it all comes down to resonance and how the strings react to the things that are resonating. Different materials and designs resonate differently, therefore the string must respond accordingly. Introduce a varied set of pickup construction and material types into the equation, then push it through an amp (more designs and materials), and guess what?