Short vs long scale playability

[Bob from Brooklyn]

I find that things get a little tight above the 5th fret for me on the shorter scale guitars. Different horses for different courses.

[blindboyjimi]

Originally Posted by PeterMN

It's 25.5 inches, not feet? Are you sure?

Without a smiley face, I’m not sure if you are joking, but, yes, I’m sure. Scale is the length of the string from the inside of the nut to the bridge. Since the bridge is slanted for intonation you take the measurement from the inside of the nut to the 12th fret and double it. That’s why scale is called “nominal” scale.

If you were joking maybe this response will help someone else reading. 😉

[Mycroft]

It really comes down to how you play, how do you like the guitar to feel, how is the guitar braced, how it it set up, what gauges you use.

Myself, I have 9 acoustic guitars, excluding the Parlour and Baritone. One has a standard 25.4" scale. I like the tone and the feel of shorter scales between 25" and 24.75." I bend. I use vibrato. I tune down to Open C, D and G.

OMMV

[12barBill]

Originally Posted by mattwood

Are the frets noticeably closer together on a short scale vs. long scale? Big hands asking.

In regards to short scale being 24.75" and long scale being 25.4" or 25.5", above the 7th fret is where I start to notice that the fret spacing is a little closer on the short scale.
For a discussion like this those are the scale lengths that I consider to be "short scale" and "long scale." I don't think of a guitar with a 24" scale length as being a full size guitar.

[terrypl]

Subtle difference in playability, but significant enough to make a difference to me. I don't have long fingers, but it took me years to realize that I play more smoothly, more efficiently, more accurately on a short-scale neck with a 1-11/16-inch nut. I still CAN play guitars with other specs (have a wide-neck nylon string that's fun to mess around with, for example, and a long-scale Guild that I love), but for everyday playing, the short-scale, narrow nut works best for me. As others have said, it's a very individual decision.

[Silly Moustache]

Hi, I'm an old bluegrass rhythm player so I have a tendency to play hard with both hands.

So, to perform I always use one of my dreads with mediums.

I also have a "Roy Smeck" type jumbo with a shorter scale on which I also use medium gauge strings, but I tend to over play it as I do with my standard scale 12 fret 000 with light gauge strings.

The fret distance makes no difference but the lack of string tension does.

I'm old and have been sick, and my fingers aren't as strong as they used to, esp, with some hand issues, but, seems I still need that medium gauge tension on a standard (25.5") scale.

[Jeff Scott]

Originally Posted by raysachs

Kind of a funny thing. I had two VERY similar guitars, one with a 24" scale and one with a 25.5" scale. I could go back and forth between them and not consciously notice much difference.

-Ray

That's quite a significant difference in scale lengths between your two guitars.

[Bill R]

Since the OP asked about playability differences between short and long-scale, that's what I'll cover. I'm in my late 60's now, but have been playing since I was 15 years old. I've been through a wide range of guitars over the years (Martin dreadnaught, Taylor GA and GC sizes, Taylor 12-string, and Greven OOO).

I have preferred short scale guitars for many years. I find them physically easier to play. Any loss in volume or tone is minimal in my experience and worth the easier playability. I haven't noticed any problems using a capo on short-scale guitars.

It's nice we have so many options in today's guitar marketplace. Something to suit everyone.

Bill

[rokdog49]

My J45 is noticeably more comfortable to play than my D18. Likewise with my short scale Eastman. I have small hands, but my fretting hand is very strong from years of playing Barre' chords. I also like the neck on the J45.
The bending and other "tricks" are much easier as well. If I had it to do over again, I would have bought a custom shop short scale D18.
Right now I'm considering another short scale Gibby LG2.

[musicman1951]

It comes down to how you play and personal preference. I occasionally play a friends dread in church and it really makes no difference there as I am using a pick and, aside from a few runs here and there, generally playing chords.

But if I am playing fast, difficult music I much prefer a short scale.

[Paraclete]

It might depend a bit on the guitar and the builder as to playability. My LSV-11 is 24.75”, and I love it for acoustic fingerstyle. On the other hand, my classical is a full standard 650mm, which I think is about 25.6”. And I wouldn’t want anything shorter than that for classical (which is also fingerstyle). Is that weird? Maybe. I don’t notice a huge difference in playability between my LSV-11 and my friend’s C-10 Larrivée (which is 25.5”). If anything, his guitar tension feels a bit looser to me (which shouldn’t make sense).

[LemonCats]

One thing i noticed that was very prevalent on the shorter scale guitars is the 'slappy factor' they definitely prefer a lighter touch with your right hand if you dont want that slappy sound. Other wise you get the slappy clanky string tapping sound (which actually seems like its really popular now adays and is purposely used as a percussive effect, to me I'm not the biggest fan of the slappys because its overused by alot of people but yea)

[Ozzy the dog]

My two main guitars are 650mm and 640mm scale length. The shorter scale does feel easier with the same strings on. However, I use 11's on the long and 12's on the short which makes them feel about the same.

As for the narrower fret spacing, as stated by others, this isn't really a problem until you get above 7th fret. To balance this, the shorter scale nut is 48mm whilst the other is 45mm. whilst the frets are more noticeably closer together higher up the neck, the extra width gives more room for my fat fingers.

[Chipotle]

I have smallish hands (8" span from pinky to thumb tips when spread) and do notice the difference between 24.9" and 25.5" scales. It's just enough to make longer stretches a bit easier. Sometimes that .0025" can be the difference between a finger landing on a fret, or just behind and getting a clean fingering.

[lar]

By coincidence I just spoke with the west coast Eastman rep at a bluegrass festival about this. He said he doesn't notice any difference between 24.9 and 25.5.

But he said he can tell the difference between a Sitka and an Adi top when strumming with a pick; Adi being louder.