Is a longer scale necessarily better on gtrs?

[AD Chaos]

I've been thinking about getting me a second 25 1/2 scale gtr, as the one I have feels much better than any 24.75 I've played/tried.

I like 6 strings only, and tune normally to drop C standard, sometimes D (and don't plan to go any lower), so I'm wondering if something like a 26 3/16″ or even bigger is maybe too much for that setup, or if on the contrary, it could deliver more of the goods than a 25.5″..

Atm I have no way of testing a guitar above 25.5, so any advice or opinion I'd appreciate a lot!



Thanks much

 

[Joelegend]

My personal experience for is that 26,5" scale guitars suit me better then the 25,5" ones. Although i play in drop B tuning. The string dont need to be that thick to keep the tension high. Wich is good for me since thinker strings, the lowB one, slows me down alot. I just bought my second Ibanez RGD, I am pretty happy about it. My previous guitar, LTD MH-400 totally sucked balls compared to the ibanez, playing and soundwise.

 

[Ermz]

No way is ~26" too much for C standard. I've played my 26.5" Hellrasier in E many a time and it was fine.

It's a tension and tuning thing. I tend to dig in really hard, which usually causes any 24.75" scale guitar to crap itself almost immediately. The only counter is to put on strings which are way too thick and take all the sweetness and top-end out of the tone. I personally prefer to play longer scales and lighter gauges.

That being said, 25.5" should handle C standard fairly well.

 

[Jordon]

For me, extended scale length comes down more to comfortability. I play in B on a 25" scale guitar, and in G# on a 30" baritone. The big-ass baritone is just a more comfortable guitar for me, for whatever reason. I don't have particularly big hands, it's just a nicer feel....And I still use heavy strings on it, 14-74.

 

[MarcusGHedwig]

No way is ~26" too much for C standard. I've played my 26.5" Hellrasier in E many a time and it was fine.

It's a tension and tuning thing. I tend to dig in really hard, which usually causes any 24.75" scale guitar to crap itself almost immediately. The only counter is to put on strings which are way too thick and take all the sweetness and top-end out of the tone. I personally prefer to play longer scales and lighter gauges.

That being said, 25.5" should handle C standard fairly well.

Agree with all of this

 

[AD Chaos]

Thanks much for all your opinions. About the longer scale, I was talking yesterday with someone about it and he mentioned how a crappy Fender Squier also 'felt' better than his other (Ibanez) instruments, perhaps namely because of the longer scale. FWIW I don't have huge hands or super-long fingers (wish I had those) either.
I'm always wondering if a huge scale makes it hard to play barre chords over the first frets..

The only counter is to put on strings which are way too thick and take all the sweetness and top-end out of the tone. I personally prefer to play longer scales and lighter gauges.

That's surprising, as the 'vibe' I've gotten from this place generally seems to be 'the thicker the strings, the better'. I find overly-thick strings to be dull/muddy and often awkward to play.

25.5" should handle C standard fairly well.

Glad to hear that!

 

[electricred]

I own everything from 24.75" to 30.5". I feel more comfortable with baritone length guitars (typically 27"-28"), even when playing in standard tuning. The strings feel snappy and don't need to be as thick for down tuning, but the fret spacing most of all is what works for me. I have long fingers and it's more comfortable, less cramped especially above the 12th fret. I've never noticed any tonal loss due to the extended scale lengths.

 

[LeSedna]

I think what most people forget to mention is that it depends on your style of playing ! To me there is a huge difference of responsiveness from the guitar for bends and vibrato depending on the scale length, tuning, and string gauge. You won't get the same feeling playing a 24.75 and a baritone on E, the baritone will be tighter but at the same time maybe some guitarists will still prefer the 24.75 because they prefer spaghetti strings and are more expressive with those. If you're all about rhythm playing, usually a longer scale can only be a benefit to a certain extend. You can only know when you try it I guess !

I sort of understand the guy who says he prefers his squier to his ibanez, even though maybe it's because of the difference in their necks. I feel the same with two of my guitars, and I still can't isolate why I prefer the sensation from the cheaper why. It might be the scale but it might also be that i don't like the Floyd, or maybe that I prefer the wood choice of the cheap one.

I don't own a long scale (I just have a 24.75 and a 25.5) but I don't think it would be too much of a problem to play it in the low notes. At the end of the day, we are talking a few % of length more, so the frets are gonna be spaced only these % more. Of course if you get a 30, the difference is bigger but still manageable (around 15% more)

 

[MarcusGHedwig]

Yeah, I definitely like lighter gauge top-strings for maximum bendability/vibrato, so I just use a custom light top/heavy bottom set on my 26.5" Schecter in B-standard (62/46/34/24/16/11.5)

 

[Robert W]

I guess it depends on what type of music you're playing as well. If you're playing downtuned tech death metal, then I suppose you'd probably be better off with a longer scale. Conversely, if you're playing slow, sludgy sounding stuff, then you may be better off with a standard scale.

Best advice I can think of is to play a standard scale and extended scale guitar side by side and see which one you like better.