Why are'nt there more 24.75 scale 24 fret guitars out there?

[Phantasmagoria]

I love my Ibanez Saber with the 24.75" scale length & 22 frets. The tension is excellent for string bending and the tone is fat & warm. It also has a lot of low end chunk and really sweet highs. All this from a guitar that's probably a little over an inch thick at it's thickest point.

All things being the same otherwise (ie without compensating with fatter sounding pu's/thicker strings etc) , with a 25.5" scale notes sound thinner, there's more string tension and the bottom is'nt quite as chunky. There are exceptions with individual guitars ...but I'm talking about the rule here.

Anyway, the BC Rich Ironbird Pro I just bought has a 24.75" scale with 24 frets. I was pretty intrigued about that and I have to say It sounds incredible! The feel is excellent too, even less string tension than my Saber (I could easily move up to a thicker string gauge if I wanted to) and the really high notes, when you go for them, sound so round and full bodied and awesome, not shrill or thin at all.

The only downside is that it's (initially) slightly disorienting to play since the frets are (very marginally) closer to each other.

Which makes me wonder why it is that this (24.75" scale with 24 frets) is'nt a whole lot more popular than it is... :scratchch

 

[Redmist]

Re: Why are'nt there more 24.75 scale 24 fret guitars out there?

The only downside is that it's (initially) slightly disorienting to play since the frets are (very marginally) closer to each other.

Do you mean the 23rd and 24th frets?

Surely if the scale is 24.75, then frets will be the same distance apart as other 24.75 scale necks?

 

[nienturi]

Re: Why are'nt there more 24.75 scale 24 fret guitars out there?

Gibson released one;

http://guitarism-tr.blogspot.com/2011/09/24-fret-sg-from-gibson.html

 

[Phantasmagoria]

Re: Why are'nt there more 24.75 scale 24 fret guitars out there?

Do you mean the 23rd and 24th frets?

Surely if the scale is 24.75, then frets will be the same distance apart as other 24.75 scale necks?

I just looked it it up and it's a 24 5/8" scale ..not 24 3/4 (2.75). It definately feels like the frets are uniformly (but very marginally) closer to each other right down the fretboard.

 

[Phantasmagoria]

Re: Why are'nt there more 24.75 scale 24 fret guitars out there?

Gibson released one;

http://guitarism-tr.blogspot.com/2011/09/24-fret-sg-from-gibson.html

Is that a 24.75" scale 24 fret SG? It does'nt really say that anywhere...

 

[nienturi]

Re: Why are'nt there more 24.75 scale 24 fret guitars out there?

Is that a 24.75" scale 24 fret SG? It does'nt really say that anywhere...

It is an SG and it should be shorter scale guitar unless notified. But also i've found this coversation;

http://forum.gibson.com/index.php?/topic/62492-gibson-50th-anniversary-sg-standard-24/

 

[Edgecrusher]

Re: Why are'nt there more 24.75 scale 24 fret guitars out there?

I have a mid 90's Jackson Fusion and its killer. I really liked the idea there no clue why you dont see it more. I would think even with the popularity of the PRS SE models in 25 inch scale that other companies would start looking at doing guitars shorter than 25.5.

 

[Phantasmagoria]

Re: Why are'nt there more 24.75 scale 24 fret guitars out there?

Yeah, Jackson Fusion's & Kramer Nightswan's had short scales & 24 frets....(both discontinued)

...so how come it's such a rarity? ...is there some unknown disadvantage that I can't see? They just seem to win on all levels.

 

[Hoboman]

Re: Why are'nt there more 24.75 scale 24 fret guitars out there?

Here's my 1998 Les Paul Standard DC. 24 Fret & 24.75" scale.
Classic Les Paul tones and I ain't kiddin' when I say it "Plays like Buttah!"

 

[ItsaBass]

Re: Why are'nt there more 24.75 scale 24 fret guitars out there?

There are not more because they are not in demand. Gibson keeps selling guitars with fewer frets like hotcakes, so they have no incentive to change anything.

 

[Edgecrusher]

Re: Why are'nt there more 24.75 scale 24 fret guitars out there?

There are not more because they are not in demand. Gibson keeps selling guitars with fewer frets like hotcakes, so they have no incentive to change anything.

I didnt think the OP's question was really why arent there more 24 fret gibsons... Was more why dont the other makers make short scale 24 fret guitars

 

[Phantasmagoria]

Re: Why are'nt there more 24.75 scale 24 fret guitars out there?

Yeah, precisely. If the short scale works for 24 frets ...and has all the advantages I described above, why don't you see more guitars like that around?

 

[aleclee]

Re: Why are'nt there more 24.75 scale 24 fret guitars out there?

I didnt think the OP's question was really why arent there more 24 fret gibsons... Was more why dont the other makers make short scale 24 fret guitars

Maybe so, but Gibson is more synonymous with short-scale guitars than anyone else. Consequently, demand for Gibsons is somewhat indicative of demand for short scale guitars. There are scads of manufacturers who do 25.5" scale guitars. Most guitars in the sub-25" scale seem to be in that Gibson vein.

 

[St_Genesius]

Re: Why are'nt there more 24.75 scale 24 fret guitars out there?

Because Itsabass's answer applies to other companies too: fashion has moved away from them.

Also, seeing all y'all calling 24.75" "short scale" makes my head hurt. That's about two inches too long for anything I'd begin to call short scale.

Yeah, precisely. If the short scale works for 24 frets ...and has all the advantages I described above, why don't you see more guitars like that around?

 

[Edgecrusher]

Re: Why are'nt there more 24.75 scale 24 fret guitars out there?

Because Itsabass's answer applies to other companies too: fashion has moved away from them.

Not really... His comment was that gibson still makes 22 fret guitars and people buy them. But that doesnt address why doesnt Jackson Ibanez Fender ESP and a million others make short scale guitars or atleast more than they do

 

[St_Genesius]

Re: Why are'nt there more 24.75 scale 24 fret guitars out there?

Because they too believe that either a) they're selling enough already, so why bother or even b) they would sell fewer is they added the frets.

Honestly, I suspect for most people, it's a non issue. I don't think I've used fret count on an instrument as a purchasing decision since I was 15. Of course, that was back when there was a strong push towards "more frets is better" and people wanted the most modern-seeming, advanced instrument they could get. Or, at least, kids did. But that was back when there was some space-age SuperStrat on the cover of every guitar mag, every month. These days, it seems that the market has swung much more towards conservative interpretations of classic designs and mildly funky retro pieces. You'll find a 24.75" scale on a lot of instruments fitting those descriptions, but you won't find many 24-fret necks.

Not really... His comment was that gibson still makes 22 fret guitars and people buy them. But that doesnt address why doesnt Jackson Ibanez Fender ESP and a million others make short scale guitars or atleast more than they do

 

[nienturi]

Re: Why are'nt there more 24.75 scale 24 fret guitars out there?

I love my Ibanez Saber with the 24.75" scale length & 22 frets.

Your saber with 24,75" scale? Arent ibanez S series, a.k.a. "sabers", 25,5" scaled guitars?

 

[Kosh Naranek]

Re: Why are'nt there more 24.75 scale 24 fret guitars out there?

Mid-80's Hamer Chapparal.
The frets above the 12th fret do feel noticeably more cramped than on 25 1/2" scale guitars. It can sometimes be a little tight playing lead way up on the neck. This guitar offers excellent access to those frets though.
The shorter scale length has the advantage of making chords (or lead passages) that require a large stretch easier to do.
Hamer eventually changed this model to have a 25 1/2" scale, because in the late 80's, that's the direction things were going. There is a difference in the tone. The shorter scale offered more chunk and low mids. The longer scale offers more harmonics.

Another consideration is that the neck pickup has to be moved slightly closer to the bridge to accomodate two more frets. On guitars like this Hamer for instance, you'll never get the tone of a Strat neck pickup from its neck pickup because it's not in the same spot.

There seems to have been several models, by Hamer, Jackson, Ibanez, and of course Kramer with 24 3/4" scale and 24 frets in the mid-late 80's, and then guitars went back to more tried and true traditional recipes.

I also recall reading about Gibson offering some variations of the SG with 24 frets.

 

[Chuck_Norris]

Re: Why are'nt there more 24.75 scale 24 fret guitars out there?

B.C. Rich offers a lot of shorter scaled guitars.

 

[Phantasmagoria]

Re: Why are'nt there more 24.75 scale 24 fret guitars out there?

Your saber with 24,75" scale? Arent ibanez S series, a.k.a. "sabers", 25,5" scaled guitars?

Well, I thought so until you brought it up..lol.

Just googled it and (at least the new) Saber's appear to be 25.5

I have a '94 model (MIJ) S540Ltd but can't specifically find anything about it. I also read that all Saber's (2011) now come with 24 frets.

I always assumed mine was (24.75") because it has 22 frets and a whole lot less string tension than my other guitars which are 25.5" ...it's also very fat sounding and feels different from my other 25.5" scale guitars (if it is indeed a 25.5" scale guitar).