Understanding Guitar Scale Length
Many guitarists I talk to are confused, or often completely unaware, of how a guitar’s scale length affects string tension. I wanted to write a short article to clear up the confusion. It is a fairly simple concept and is so critical to understanding the tradeoffs between string gauge, tone and playability. So here goes…
A guitar’s scale length is the distance between the bone nut or zero fret and the bridge’s saddle. This measurement not only determines the placement of the frets for proper intonation, but has a profound effect on string tension, tone, and in some cases, tuning stability.
The physics is fairly easy to grasp. If two guitars of different scale lengths (i.e. Fender, 25 1/2″ and Gibson, 24 3/4″) are strung with equal gauge strings and tuned to normal concert pitch, the shorter scale Gibson will have less tension, resulting in a “looser” feel. You can prove this to yourself by capoing any guitar at the first fret (effectively shorting the scale length) and then retuning down to concert pitch. The strings will now be under less tension, making them easier to bend and vibrato. You may also notice that the instrument now has more “buzzing” and “fret rattle” when played, because of the increased vibrating amplitude of the looser strings.
While some electric guitarists use a shorter scale instrument to achieve less string tension and easier playability, others see it as an opportunity to get a “thicker” tone utilizing heavier gauge strings. For instance, take two identical electric guitar bodies, one fitted with a 25 1/2″, and the other with a 24 3/4″ scale neck. If you find your technique requires using .009 - .042 gauge strings on the longscale, you’ll probably get the same feel utilizing a heavier .010 - .046 gauge on the short scale instrument, The heavier gauge strings will also have the side-effect of inducing more voltage in your pickups, resulting in a “thicker” fundamental note, and more output.
On my own guitars, I typically string my Ibanez AS200 (335-type hollowbody) and PRS CE22, both 24 3/4″ scales guitars, with .011s while stringing up my Strat and Tele, both a slightly longer scale of 25 1/2″, with .010s. For all intents and purposes, the tension is nearly identical between all these guitars since the slightly heavier strings on the 24 3/4″ scale guitars require less tension to bring them to concert pitch. Although the tension may be identical, the heavier strings absolutely sound thicker and punchier. I remember the first time I bumped up the string gauge on my Strat from .009s to .010 - it was like getting a new guitar. Sounded better, played better and definitely stayed in tune better.
One of the infamous stories about string gauges involved Jimi Hendrix and Jeff Beck. Playing at a festival together, Jimi took one look at Jeff’s guitar and said, “Man, you need to get those rubber bands off there and get some real strings.” Jeff was using .008s on Telecaster at the time and took Jimi’s advice and bumped up a few gauges - he has used heavier gauge strings ever since.
Another famous story involves the horrifically heavy strings used by Stevie Ray Vaughn on his tortured “Number One” Stratocaster. Early in his career, he used string gauges of .013, .015-.016, .019, .028, .038, and .056-.060. However, these gauges became somewhat smaller as time went on. By 1989, Stevie was down to using .011’s and .012’s for the most part. Although the strings he used were heavy, Stevie employed a little trick used by Jimi Hendrix to make them a little easier to play - he tuned down a half-step (Eb). I’ve heard for years that was only done to make singing easier, but I’m convinced it has more to do with reducing string tension than anything else. Tuning down a half-step is much like going from .011s to .010s in terms of playability, but retains the fat tone of the heavier string - it’s definitely worth a try.
While I personally love playing heavier strings, I often hear the complaint from other players that you can’t play as fast with heavier gauges. My response is, “You say it like it’s a bad thing…” The truth is, your tone will be so much better, you’ll want to hang each note out there as long as possible and just let’em sing.