Dilemna with scale length

[bluescorpx93]

hey there people.. im a bit confused n (actually not sure)..

which guitar should i buy..

a guitar with 24.75 inch scale length..
or a guitar wiht 25.5 in ch scale length??

i play death .. heavy.. power metal.. (hence the brutal tone n fast solos.. so i just wanted to know which guitar would best fit for this style..

thasnk

[Matt_B]

This is going to come to opinions but I'll throw in mine anyways.

I would go for the 25.5" because it will give you a tighter sound overall and a longer scale length is better for drop-tuning.

[DonP]

That is correct.

[Oblivion99]

I think it really has more to do with how much you really plan to de-tune. With a 24.75 scale guitar, you can still play lower-then-standard tunings quite easily(drop-D, D standard, etc), but the other guys are correct, if you plan to drop super low (A or B standard) then 25.5 would be the best of those two options.

If you are mainly interested in higher dropped tunings such as drop-D (think Lamb of God) than 24.75 might actually be better for you. It will make bending easier and if you use heavier gauge strings it will still be tight enough to do whatever you want.

If you want to go down to A or B, and you plan to do that often, 25.5 will be your best choice, but you might even want to check out baritone scale guitars (27 inch scale). Thosee are better than both 24.75 or 25.5 if you plan on staying in those tunings for most of the time IMHO.

[Matt_B]

I'm pretty sensitive to string tension so even with standard tuning, a guitar with 25.5" scale length gets 10s and one with 24.75" gets 11s. If I dropped either guitar's tuning down to D, I would probably go up a gauge in either case. I just do not like floppy strings.

[Oblivion99]

In the end, this will come down to what you personally prefer. Matt B likes his strings tight, and I like them quite tight as well, so if you prefer tighter, go with 25.5. However, with 24.75, I find the string tension in D to be pretty good, though a little floppy. I like that feel at times From my experiences with 24.75 and 25.5 though I find that overall both have their positives and negatives, but if you do plan to go lower than D, then I'd for sure go with 25.5.

[Spivonious]

Yep, it all comes down to string tension.

Longer scale = higher tension

Thicker strings = higher tension

[Ben...]

hey there people.. im a bit confused n (actually not sure)..

which guitar should i buy..

a guitar with 24.75 inch scale length..
or a guitar wiht 25.5 in ch scale length??

i play death .. heavy.. power metal.. (hence the brutal tone n fast solos.. so i just wanted to know which guitar would best fit for this style..

thasnk

Please, PLEASE proofread your posts before you post them. Posting like you're a 12 year old trying to look cool by using "internet talk" gets you nowhere here.

25.5" will give you much tighter strings. Also, if you have huge hands like me it is much harder to play higher frets on 24.75" scale guitars.

[Spivonious]

25.5" will give you much tighter strings. Also, if you have huge hands like me it is much harder to play higher frets on 24.75" scale guitars.

That's a good point. The longer the scale length, the farther apart the frets are.

[dg]

Please, PLEASE proofread your posts before you post them. Posting like you're a 12 year old trying to look cool by using "internet talk" gets you nowhere here.

I like you, Ben, but you need to chill out with this stuff, imo. It's not hard to understand him at all, and I don't think he deserved the insult. Ask Ron about how popular nitpicking is around here. He stopped doing it 2 or 3 years ago, and people still think of him as the spelling & grammar police.

[Newc]

Wait a sec - do you or do you not already play the music you mentioned? If you don't play guitar, then get whichever scale and learn on it.

If you do already play, then stick with what you've got.

[SEEGERMANY]

I like you, Ben, but you need to chill out with this stuff, imo. It's not hard to understand him at all, and I don't think he deserved the insult. Ask Ron about how popular nitpicking is around here. He stopped doing it 2 or 3 years ago, and people still think of him as the spelling & grammar police.

Agreed. Father BillZ would not approve.