Importance of Scale Length

I have friends who like to modify or change things on their guitar. At times I have seen them do a job like replace their fingerboards because it may have chiped when replacing a fret rendering the fingerboard unusable only to wonder why the guitar will not stay in tune. This is because they my have gotten a fingerboard that was fretted to another scale length than what they originally had. Yes this is an armature mistake but it does happen. That is why when I buy a guitar I make sure I know the scale length.

When we say scale length on a stringed instrument, what do we mean? I get asked this all the time. Usually by players who are not technical about their instrument. The scale length is the measurement between where the bridge saddles and nut are located. Every type of instrument has it's own scale length. The scale length is what determines where the frets will be on what pArticular stringed instrument it may be. Scale length can also depend on the manufacturer of the instrument. A few examples are Gibson and Fender guitars. Gibson will use a scale length of 24.75 inches, while fender will use a 25.5 inch scale. PRS uses a 25 inch scale length.

Looking at this you might say well it's only a difference of about an inch, whats the big deal? It is a big deal if you ever decide to redo the neck on your guitar or add just a new fingerboard. If you don't know your scale length you will not know the positions to put your frets and your instrument will never be fully in tune. I have also been asked.Well how do I find my scale length? the answer is easy. Measure from your high e saddle to the 12th fret on your electric or acustic guitar (this is if your guitar is chromatically in tune) then multiply the sum by 2. Example if you measure from the saddle to the 12th fret and c ome up with 12 inches multiply by 2. Your scale length is 25. Easy enough.

So remember if you want to change your fingerboard on your guitar make sure you know your scale length. One more thing to know about scale length, the smaller the scale length the warmer the harmonics. This is a reason why Gibson guitars are so loved.

Sam Jaycox is a self taught guitar player who now plays as a hobby. he also designs and repairs his own guitars. Sam also runs an on-line musical instrument store at http://www.sjguitars.ecrater.com

Author:: Sam Jaycox
Keywords:: electric guitar, acoustic guitar, stringed instroments.
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