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  #1  
Old 02-07-2008, 09:53 PM
darylcrisp darylcrisp is offline
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Default Are there any drawbacks to the short scale necks?

I'm pretty green(new) to the guitar world so i have a lot of questions. This is a great site.

Daryl Crisp
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Old 02-07-2008, 10:25 PM
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Originally Posted by darylcrisp View Post
I'm pretty green(new) to the guitar world so i have a lot of questions.
Hi Daryl...
Depends on how short, on what guitar (who built it) and what use the guitar is put to.

I have one short scale that people don't know is a short scale till I tell them.
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Old 02-07-2008, 10:43 PM
darylcrisp darylcrisp is offline
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Default Oh, my bad. Concerning the Taylor short scale necks

I really like them, I measured and they are not that much shorter than my "standard" GS, but in playing my GC or the DDSM, I can tell a huge difference in comfort(both have the short scale neck length). I have noticed some of the frets are a little tighter but I'm molding to that pretty easy.

Just wondering if I like the shorter scale so much-and seems like everyone who plays one likes them a lot, why do we have the longer necks(the 25.5" length).

Where/what is lost with the shorter neck length? sound? intonation?string life?

I'm really new to all this so this may be pretty novice.

thanks
Daryl
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Old 02-07-2008, 11:27 PM
buddiesorg buddiesorg is offline
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I don't think there are drawbacks ... I don't really notice anything while I'm playing ... unless it's a 12-fret ... then it feels quite different.
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Old 02-08-2008, 01:56 AM
nikpearson nikpearson is offline
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Default Pros and cons.

A shorter scale on an otherwise identical instrument will be easier to play, easier to bend strings, and will probably respond to a lighter touch.

The downsides are probable loss of volume and punch. Less suited to heavier playing.
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Old 02-08-2008, 03:10 AM
Kaimana450k Kaimana450k is offline
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Originally Posted by darylcrisp View Post
Are there any drawbacks to the short scale necks?

Daryl Crisp
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Seriously though. This is a draw back if you are playing in slacked tunings. I have a GC wihich is short scale and a K12 that isn't. I find that when I slack the GC the strings viabrate too much and I get a bunch of buzz. I have remedied that by going to medium strings to get more tension, of course I won't tune to standard with the meds, but it works for me. IN standard tuning the short scale makes it easier to play...
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Old 02-08-2008, 04:45 AM
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To me there are only advantages. I can easily wrap my thumb around the neck and fret chords on the short scale. Only when I play dropped tunings I take a guitar with a full scale. Also, the neck of my short scale feels like the neck of the electric guitars I´ve been playing the last thirtysomething years.
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Old 02-08-2008, 07:51 AM
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I remember when Bob Taylor did a video discussing the short scale models he mentioned that another drawback was the tendency to have some intonation issues especially at the upper frets with the shorter neck due to the shorter distance beween the frets.
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Old 02-08-2008, 08:29 AM
Lewguitar Lewguitar is offline
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Originally Posted by nikpearson View Post
A shorter scale on an otherwise identical instrument will be easier to play, easier to bend strings, and will probably respond to a lighter touch.

The downsides are probable loss of volume and punch. Less suited to heavier playing.
Yes. And shorter scale guitars, IMO, don't sound quite as authoritive nor quite as deep and solid. I have some 24 3/4" scale Stratocasters that are fun to play but they don't sound as "big" nor have that deep twang that my 25 1/2" Strats do. Lew
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Old 02-08-2008, 11:01 AM
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Default This might help on scale length

It amazes me that there are some very "broad" points of view about scale length on acoustic guitars.
This scale length link seem to hit the "middle of the road" There are many different points of view on how scale length impacts the sound and playability of each guitar. Sometimes small changes in the scale length can make subtle or major differences in the way your guitar sounds and/or plays. I hope this helps. PS. I typically prefer a "short scale" guitar around 24.5 to 24.9 inches.
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Old 02-08-2008, 11:28 AM
Hambone Hambone is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by nikpearson View Post
A shorter scale on an otherwise identical instrument will be easier to play, easier to bend strings, and will probably respond to a lighter touch.

The downsides are probable loss of volume and punch. Less suited to heavier playing.
I just bought my first shortscale acoustic... a 000-28EC and my experience mirrors Nik's exactly. However, I knew that going in and it does just what I want it to. When I wanna rock out I grab one of my hog dreads.
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  #12  
Old 02-08-2008, 04:04 PM
darylcrisp darylcrisp is offline
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Default thanks folks, excellent answers

this is a great site!

Daryl
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Old 02-08-2008, 04:08 PM
mcphersonnut mcphersonnut is offline
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i had a short scale 510 ltd and i could not feel much of anything played great sounded great. No draw back here.
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Old 02-08-2008, 04:25 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by mckejoel View Post
It amazes me that there are some very "broad" points of view about scale length on acoustic guitars.
This scale length link seem to hit the "middle of the road" There are many different points of view on how scale length impacts the sound and playability of each guitar. Sometimes small changes in the scale length can make subtle or major differences in the way your guitar sounds and/or plays. I hope this helps. PS. I typically prefer a "short scale" guitar around 24.5 to 24.9 inches.

you would probably like PRS guitars as they are at 25" which fall in between Gibby`s and Fenders





I had a 710CE short scale and liked the playability but the slacker strings I would rattle the fretts easier and doing drop D or a full 1/2 step drop on all strings I would get real annoying rattles as the string were just too slack.
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  #15  
Old 02-08-2008, 09:54 PM
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Yes. You will not want to play anything else
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