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Topic: Length of Scale Flexibility |
John Viterito
From:
New Jersey, USA
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Posted 23 May 2022 12:48 pm |
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Hello, fellow non-peddlers. Question(s): How many of you stick to one scale length only on your guitars (i.e. 22.5", 24", etc.) as opposed to being flexible regarding the scale length you play on? For those who switch around, what, or is, there a maximum deviation from a set length, such as 1/4, 1/2, 1", etc.? Thanks for your feedback!
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Emerald Solace acoustic laps and Rukavina steels. Can't play, but I try! |
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Noah Miller
From:
Rocky Hill, CT
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Posted 23 May 2022 1:45 pm
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I'm good anywhere between 22" and 25". Probably longer than that, too, but I haven't come across a steel longer than 25". Below 22" I get a little cramped.
The practical difference in that range is pretty small even though I do a lot of slanting. |
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Bill McCloskey
From:
Nanuet, NY
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Joe Cook
From:
Lake Osoyoos, WA
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Posted 23 May 2022 5:05 pm
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I started out on a long scale. I later bought a short scale NS Rickenbacher and found I much preferred a short scale. I haven't played the 25" since then. My muscle memory is not as good as it used to be!  |
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Doug Beaumier
From:
Northampton, MA
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Cody Farwell
From:
Sunland, CA
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Posted 24 May 2022 1:19 am
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| I switch back and forth between 22.5 & 24.5 throughout the day. Both 8 string. I used to think it made a big difference in playability, but once I got used to it, it's not really something I notice anymore. They're equally comfortable. |
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John Viterito
From:
New Jersey, USA
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Posted 30 May 2022 1:31 pm
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Thank you, fellow non-pedal players, for your feedback.
_________________
Emerald Solace acoustic laps and Rukavina steels. Can't play, but I try! |
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Jim Sliff
From:
Lawndale California, USA
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Posted 5 Jun 2022 8:28 am
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Whether pedal, lap, console, fretted - upright bass - scale length doesn't affect me. I can shift gears in seconds.
Visually, the bar size can be more of a "hitch" for some players than scale length. try switching from a 5/8" diameter bar to a tapered 3 1/2" bar that's 1 1/4" to 1 1/8" diameter.
Sneaky Pete played a long-scale (25") Fender pedal steel with that size bar his entire professional career; many of us use them now (custom bars made by Ezzee-Slide) and use them for both pedal and lap steel regardless of scale length. Not practical for Dobro because of the hammer-ons and pull-offs, but on everything else.
The "tricks" with changing scale length and/or bar diameter are 1)your position in relation to the guitar, i.e. where your nose is (assuming you sit straight!) - the 10th fret, 12th, 15th, AND 2) the bar diameter.
The combination of the two changes your visual perspective. A small bar is easier to place - especially at higher frets - but may sound thin depending on mass, where weight is centered (i.e. a Dobro bar held at a slant changes the center mass, moving it away from the the contact point) and the specific construction.
Other factors: Longer scale length usually provides better sustain (given same construction); larger-diameter nuts and/or saddles reduce sustain as can roller units if tolerances are not very close.
So playing in tune when shifting between scale lengths is one thing, but instrument sound (even with identical pickup(s) and height from strings) can vary widely depending on a combination of factors, scale length just one of them.
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No chops, but great tone
1930's/40's Rickenbacher/Rickenbacker 6&8 string lap steels
1921 Weissenborn Style 2; Hilo&Schireson hollownecks
Appalachian, Regal & Dobro squarenecks
1959 Fender 400 9+2 B6;1960's Fender 800 3+3+2; 1948 Fender Dual-8 Professional |
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