I have 2 CBG that were made by other folks.
One has a Nut-to-Bridge measurement of 23-3/4" and the other is 25-3/4".
1. What is the shortest Nut-to-Bridge measurement that a CBG should have?
2. What determines what that measurement should be?
3. Are there any pros-and-cons to consider when determining the length?
Thanks....
kieta
Replies
Here is a link from the distant past when I was thinking of how small a scale I could aim for with standard guitar tuning.
http://www.cigarboxnation.com/forum/topics/smallest-scale-possible-...
1. What is the shortest Nut-to-Bridge measurement that a CBG should have?
I'm pretty sure everyone would agree that it doesn't matter. There are alto guitars with ~21" scale up to baritone that go 30". Average steel string scales are 24-26 inches. Baritone ukuleles have a scale length of 19". You have a lot of room to play with.
2. What determines what that measurement should be?
You, the builder. The scale has a relationship with the fret spacing and string tension, the important part is laying out the frets correctly for the scale you choose.
3. Are there any pros-and-cons to consider when determining the length?
Some people describe shorter scale guitars as having less clarity or a muddier sound but then many people love a muddier sound. The scale will also affect the tuning with shorter scales generally being tuned higher and vice versa.
I measure from the nut to the 12th fret then I mark the same distance from the 12th to the box lid and place my bridge there. sometimes I have to tilt the bridge a bit for harmonics on the 1st string, seems to work ok....Marcus
Keith,
Question #1 - it depends (don't you hate that?) - - Seriously though, 25 - 3/4" is a pretty "normal" scale length, but there's nothing wrong with going shorter to some extent - there are pros & cons to long and to short. I'm probably only touching on a couple out of many, but here are the ones that come to mind. Longer requires more string tension for the same tuning & same string gage as compared to shorter, and a long neck has more flex than a short neck of the same thickness. So . . . this means if you're intending to finger the frets, you'll have to be more careful on a long scale to minimize your neck deflection or you'll have ugly string action (way too high). But . . . . a longer scale gives you more fret spacing, which is particularly important if you want to end up with a lot of frets. If a "normal" guitar has 20-22 frets, those closest to the bridge are going to get incredibly close to each other as you shorten the scale. If you don't care for 20-ish frets, then you can shorten it up more - take a look at the various on-line fret spacing calculators & see what happens as you play around with the scale length & number of frets.
#2. Kind of the same answer as the last part of #1 above - - your scale length, number of frets desired, and fret spacing are all inter-related, so you have to play around a bit to find the right compromise.
#3. Duh, I wasn't paying attention to what I was doing, I also answered some of this in #1. If you want a nice short one you can play while sitting next to your spouse in your Smartcar, then 25 - 3/4" isn't the right answer. If you're going to be sitting on your couch at home with lots of room, go longer! How big are your hands, how long are your arms, what kind of tunes do you want to play, how many strings do you want, etc - - lots of things to think about. Here's the real cool thing - you can make a whole bunch in different scales & just keep tinkering 'til you find what you prefer (or for that matter you might prefer all of them for different reasons). Dive in & have fun, as Wichita Sam has stressed repeatedly to all the rest of us rookies at one time or another. You will learn something new every single time.