Short scale
- Thread starter solspirit
- Start date
ItsaBass
New member
Use thicker strings.
I consider 11s the bare minimum for a short scale Fender (or a standard scale Gibson for that matter)...and you can easily go to 12s without them feeling stiff.
Remember that all the classic Fender and Gibson designs were built for 12 or 13 flatwounds with a wound G. In other words: very high tension strings. Rock-n-roll benders in the mid to late '60s moved the world toward roundwound 9s and 10s as the "norm"...but the basic guitar designs didn't change. Some guitars take the more rubbery strings well, like Teles and Strats. But they play hell on others, like Jazzmasters, Jaguars, Mustangs, Musicmasters, Duo-Sonics, etc. – due to bridge design and/or scale.
I consider 11s the bare minimum for a short scale Fender (or a standard scale Gibson for that matter)...and you can easily go to 12s without them feeling stiff.
Remember that all the classic Fender and Gibson designs were built for 12 or 13 flatwounds with a wound G. In other words: very high tension strings. Rock-n-roll benders in the mid to late '60s moved the world toward roundwound 9s and 10s as the "norm"...but the basic guitar designs didn't change. Some guitars take the more rubbery strings well, like Teles and Strats. But they play hell on others, like Jazzmasters, Jaguars, Mustangs, Musicmasters, Duo-Sonics, etc. – due to bridge design and/or scale.
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I use turbo slinky 9.5-46 at Eb on one of my 25" scales. That's about as loose as I can go and still feel "right" .
You quickly adapt your touch to whatever tension you play at, unless going back and forth of course.
Pinches certainly come out better for me with less tension.
I do think the tone is best at Eb with a touch bigger, like 10-48s, but lately I've really been enjoying it with more slack.
You quickly adapt your touch to whatever tension you play at, unless going back and forth of course.
Pinches certainly come out better for me with less tension.
I do think the tone is best at Eb with a touch bigger, like 10-48s, but lately I've really been enjoying it with more slack.
ICTGoober
Well-known member
Yes, slightly heavier strings help. Sometimes, a set of 21:1 tuners slow down the tuning enough to keep from overshooting the pitch. I have a Paul Gilbert Mikro that is fun as hell. I've also modded quite a number of the low-budget Disney/Washburn guitars like Hannah Montana, etc. for local players using good quality pickups and tuners. With a bit of fret work and a bone nut these guitars work great, and I can buy them all day at garage sales for $25. Most I ever paid for one of the CARS version was $45, and it was almost unplayed. The junior Strat is terrific, too. One of my clients has one that plays like a dream with a simple setup.
Clint 55
OH THE DOUBLE THICK GLAZE!
I don't get this viewpoint. 10s on a strat in standard don't exactly feel loose to me. They feel pretty tight. 10s ain't that thick either lol. Pretty much 10s on anything below 25.5 scale feels good to me. 10s don't even feel that loose to me on an LP or Mustang. Down to 22.75 mini scale they start to feel loose to me but really good. Easy to bend. The notes bloom more and are fatter cuz the strings can vibrate wider and more loosely.
You could always just tune up a note to F and use 9-42. I wonder why that's not more common. I mean you can still play in lower keys with 5th-string rooted power chords.
8-38 in F# on an LP scale,,,,,,,,,,,,,man just "forget about it"! (has to be a floyded LP for me though lol)
8-38 in F# on an LP scale,,,,,,,,,,,,,man just "forget about it"! (has to be a floyded LP for me though lol)
ItsaBass
New member
I have a set of the Billy Gibbons 7s on a Squier Mini, tuned up to A standard. These guitars are almost the same scale as the first generation Duo-Sonics and Musicmasters – about 22 3/4 inches, or about one fret shorter than normal Fender short scale (like Jaguars, etc.).
Really cool sound. Something a little bit like Nashville tuning, but with the whole guitar taken up, not just the wound strings.
Really cool sound. Something a little bit like Nashville tuning, but with the whole guitar taken up, not just the wound strings.
solspirit
Ultimate Post Liker
Not me
ItsaBass
New member
Yes, original Duo-Sonic, etc. scale.
24.75" is pretty much "medium" scale for a guitar. The standard for "regular" scale was that on Martin acoustics.
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