CS order - scale length

[EvileMatt]

hello. after a bit of advice on scale length, i have a KV2 25.5" scale, and for a custom im planning at the moment im wanting to know more about shorter scales as the 24 fret KV2 neck has always felt "long" so im after a 22 fretter for my CS and im curious to know what differences i will get tone wise with say a 25" scale length...

i assume string tension will drop (i play in E flat anyway) but i will get a warmer tone. what are the other pros and cons of a shorter scale, ive done some searching for information and not really found any satisfying answers, or maybe there are no definitive answers as other factors like body wood come into it etc...

i'm really after a bigger smoother tone, the KV2 seems to be lacking a lot of low frequencies to me, theres something missing from it, it doesnt have the body that im after..... any advice from the jackson experts please? what will be shit basically and not to do, or is it just personal preference like most other things?

its going to be mahogany body, 3 piece maple neck, 22 fret, tunomatic with hard tail.

thanks!!

[Newc]

The 24 fret KV2 neck is actually just as long as a Rhoads 22 fret neck, except for the KV2, the neck pickup is pushed further back to the bridge pickup. So, the neck doesn't actually extend further away from the body than on a 22 vs 24 fret Soloist.
There will be no difference in feel between a 22 fret KV and a 24 fret KV.


Anyway, 3 piece maple neckthrough is going to be tonally similar to being all maple. The mahogany wings won't have much tonal effect, if any. Acoustically it'll sound nice, but the pickups won't be affected nearly as much by the mahogany as they will the maple, so that's going to be your primary tonal character.

With a 24 3/4" scale, you will have slightly lower string tension, as well as a not-as-bright-as-25.5"-scale tone. Number of frets will have no bearing on the matter.

However, if you're going for a 25" scale like the Morton, you're not going to notice very much tonal difference between either the 25.5" or 24.75".



And V-shaped bodies are not known for their bass frequencies, so there's an inherent design issue to consider. Simply getting an all-mahogany V will not give you better low-end response, as can be proven with a Gibson V (mahogany AND short scale, still sounds closer to a Rhoads than an SG to me).

[EvileMatt]

thankyou sir,

i'll get myself into a guitar shop and try out as many combinations as i can before making my choice.

so the 25" scale has kind of a tone all of its own? might see if i can get myself into the UK jackson warehouse and have a go on ALL OF THEMMMMMM.

[Evil Homer]

And V-shaped bodies are not known for their bass frequencies, so there's an inherent design issue to consider. Simply getting an all-mahogany V will not give you better low-end response, as can be proven with a Gibson V (mahogany AND short scale, still sounds closer to a Rhoads than an SG to me).

u think it's a matter of mass, or actually the shape itself?

[Newc]

Shape more than mass. A Gibson V weighs about the same as a Strat (~8lbs), however, the path of resonance for a V is considerably different than that of a Strat, so you end up with a different tonal signature.

The resonance path for a V goes away from the pickups, whereas the path for a Strat is centered around the pickups.

If you want to improve bass response for a V, mount some Barcus-Berry DISQOS transducers to the wings and tie them into the main circuit.

[wilkinsi]

thankyou sir,

i'll get myself into a guitar shop and try out as many combinations as i can before making my choice.

so the 25" scale has kind of a tone all of its own? might see if i can get myself into the UK jackson warehouse and have a go on ALL OF THEMMMMMM.

There's a Jackson warehouse in the UK? Where?

[Newc]

There's a Jackson warehouse in the UK? Where?

It's right next door to the Ministry of Emergency Management wharehouse where they keep a billion tons of water and food stored in the event of a massive natural disaster. Same thing FEMA had when Hurricane Katrina hit. I mean, surely they had all that stuff already gathered and ready to go but were just being lazy, right?

[bombtek]

To the OP....

If all you're after is a warmer tone, just use heavier strings , you'll definitely notice a considerably warmer tone to whatever it is that you are playing. Especially if you're strung with the factory standard 9's like they come from Jackson. Plus, changing strings is way less expensive than a different guitar purchase.

My advice, get strung up with some 13's and notice the warmth you'lll get from those. I did it with one of my strats, and it is incredibly "thicker?" I guess is the better word, tonewise. Very rich and full. As a bonus, going from 9's to 13's will undoubtedly make your fretting hand stronger . It hurts for the 1st week or so, especially if you're into lots of bending.

That's my advice. Save a few dollars and go with the string change.

[Grahf]

wouldn't the string tension go up? The strings on my gibson feel much tighter then the ones on my jacksons

[Kisonen]

What pickups do you have on that KV2?

If you have stock JB in the bridge I would change it to something with more low end. Duncan Custom or Dimarzio Super Distortion are worth trying IMHO.

[84sups]

Try new strings. Try 10s, 11s, 12s, and 13s and see what you like. If your tuning to E flat i would run at least 10s anyways maybe 11s. I run Hybrid Slinky's and Skinny Top, Heavy Bottom slinky's on my Jackson. They get the highs and the lows. Try that first then try putting different pickups in it. I like the JBs I have in my soloist. You couls try a Custom 5 or an EMG 85. Alnico magnet pickups will give you fatter tone. The quest for tone is long hard fun and rewarding.

[Matt_B]

wouldn't the string tension go up? The strings on my gibson feel much tighter then the ones on my jacksons

No. All things being equal (string gauge, string height, neck relief and fret height/size), the shorter the scale length the looser the strings will will feel.

[customshopkv1]

No. All things being equal (string gauge, string height, neck relief and fret height/size), the shorter the scale length the looser the strings will will feel.

This

I run 11-54's on my ESP Eclipse in Drop D

[EvileMatt]

cool thanks guys, i have 52, 42, 32, 16, 11, 9 on my KV2 as ive tried loads, thinner/thicker, and these feel most comfortable to me on this guitar.

i have a custom due in a matter of weeks:

silver double rhoads.



i know A LOT of jcf folk hate black binding but im going for a "classic" guitar vibe and i preferred it with the silver anyway. but this is about scale length and i just wanted to get some opinions, if shortening the scale loosens the strings then that probably isnt the way for me to go because i need decent string tension for fast alternate picking, i'll probably stick with the 25.5. cheers guys!!

[Hellbat]

Interesting control layout. I'm going to go out on a limb and assume you don't do an interpretation of Van Halen's Cathedral during your solo break.





That looks like it will serve you well. I like the chevron inlays too. They especially suit a V body shape.