25.5 or 27 in. scale? Whats your opinion?

[Diminished]

Hello sevenstring.org! I am about to plunge into the world of extended range guitars and would like to get your expert opinions on scale length. I am looking at getting an Agile Interceptor Pro from rondomusic.com and have a bit of a dilemma with regards to scale length.

I play mainly death metal (Vital Remains, Origin, Nile etc...) and am debating the switch from 25.5 to 27 in. I like the idea of larger frets, that is not an issue for me, but I am concerned about the additional tension created by lengthening the strings.

How significant is the tension difference in your experience and how much more difficult are bends and pinch harmonics with lighter gauge strings?

As the guitar is mail only and my local guitar shop does not stock many seven string guitars, let alone seven string 27's I do not have the luxury of trying out a 27 inch seven and would greatly appreciate any advice you can give.

Thanks in advance!

 

[TasmanSam]

Everyone reacts differently to longer scaled guitars.
For example, I play 25.5" 6 string ibanez guitars, but I had no trouble at all playing a friends 27" agile interceptor 7

However I met a guy once who was selling his agile because he couldn't handle the scale length.

Bit of food for thought for you

ps, 27" will be better if you want to tune low, you will have more tension on the strings and the lower notes will be clearer.

 

[MaxOfMetal]

You should really search this topic on this forum, there are easily dozens and probably hundreds of threads that cover this exact topic, the pros and cons of 25.5" and 27" scale guitars.

Basically, there's very little difference between the feel of both scales, especially with the "proper" gauge of strings. In fact they can both feel 100% identical if using complimentary string gauges. As far as the spacing of the frets, it's almost non-existent, you're dividing only 1.5" across over twenty frets, it's not going to be a huge change, especially in the upper register.

Where things get different the most is the tone. A set of 9s stretched over a 27" scale sound different than a set of 10s over a 25.5" scale. Is the difference in sound extreme? Not really. Is it enough to tell, especially when not adjusting amp settings? Yes.

Look at it this way, Agile (Rondo) has a fantastic return policy, if you wind up hating the 27" scale, just return it/exchange it for a 25.5" model.

 

[Skanky]

Rather than give you a rundown of my story, here's a link for you.

http://www.sevenstring.org/forum/beginners-faq/133671-should-i-agile-interceptor-727-a.html


In short, the tension IS greater, and it's quite a bit harder to do bends (initially). however, I got used to it pretty quick. The string spacing and fret spacing differences are minimal impact, and I actually like it much better this way (on the agile).

Of course, YMMV.

 

[MaxOfMetal]

Rather than give you a rundown of my story, here's a link for you.

http://www.sevenstring.org/forum/beginners-faq/133671-should-i-agile-interceptor-727-a.html


In short, the tension IS greater, and it's quite a bit harder to do bends (initially). however, I got used to it pretty quick. The string spacing and fret spacing differences are minimal impact, and I actually like it much better this way (on the agile).

Of course, YMMV.

The tension was greater only because the string gauge was similar to that of a 25.5" scale guitar. Put some .007s or .008s on there and you'll have tension the same, or lower than most 25.5" scale guitars which tend to have .009s or .010s on them.

 

[Skanky]

You should really search this topic on this forum, there are easily dozens and probably hundreds of threads that cover this exact topic, the pros and cons of 25.5" and 27" scale guitars.

Basically, there's very little difference between the feel of both scales, especially with the "proper" gauge of strings. In fact they can both feel 100% identical if using complimentary string gauges. As far as the spacing of the frets, it's almost non-existent, you're dividing only 1.5" across over twenty frets, it's not going to be a huge change, especially in the upper register.

Where things get different the most is the tone. A set of 9s stretched over a 27" scale sound different than a set of 10s over a 25.5" scale. Is the difference in sound extreme? Not really. Is it enough to tell, especially when not adjusting amp settings? Yes.

Look at it this way, Agile (Rondo) has a fantastic return policy, if you wind up hating the 27" scale, just return it/exchange it for a 25.5" model.

^this. MaxOMetal - thanks for helping me out initially too. I'm SO glad I took the plunge!

And for the OP - if you're upgrading from a 6-string, you'll want to worry more about the wider neck than the string tension / fret distance. ESPECIALLY if you are a "thumb hook" kind of player. Luckily, I wasn't so it worked for me.

Also, as I think it was stated, if you normally down-tune, the string tension issue won't be a problem. It WILL take more to do proper bends, though. Again, you'll get used to it.

 

[Skanky]

The tension was greater only because the string gauge was similar to that of a 25.5" scale guitar. Put some .007s or .008s on there and you'll have tension the same, or lower than most 25.5" scale guitars which tend to have .009s or .010s on them.

Crikey - 007's??? i've never used anything less than 009's. Worry about breaking strings all over the place. Besides, the intonation on the Agile is PERFECT as it is... would 007's throw it off do you think?

 

[TXDeathMetal]

I have a 25.5 scale Ibanez and I recently received my Agile Septor Elite (non trem model) in a 27in. scale and I can't notice any major differences except when doing stretches from like the 1st-5th frets (keep in mind that the extra inch and half scale length is not just within the first few frets or the last few frets but is spread across the entire fretboard). I feel just as comfortable on a 25.5 scale as I do a 27. As far as your question about strings is that I think the stock 9-56 gauge strings they put on them are too small for my liking and I'm going to switch them out and buy a normal 6 string set of 10-52 gauge and add a 60 for the low B and see how I like that but that is all a matter of personal taste, hope this helps.

 

[MaxOfMetal]

Crikey - 007's??? i've never used anything less than 009's. Worry about breaking strings all over the place. Besides, the intonation on the Agile is PERFECT as it is... would 007's throw it off do you think?

There are also .006s!

Actually, they don't break anymore than other string gauges. The lower tension in fact, tends to make them more forgiving in that aspect. Though, it really depends on tuning. Personally, I haven't broken a string in years. String don't want to break. Typically they break because either A) they are incredibly old, B) there is a burr on the guitar's hardware, C) insanely heavy, angular picking closer to the bridge, or D) a combination of all that mentioned.

Your Agile's intonation is not "fixed" it's capable of being adjusted, and is meant to be as you change string gauge and/or tuning. Luckily, this is a fairly easy process, intonation, and only has to be done once for a given gauge and tuning.

 

[IDLE]

I've been playing extended scales for quite a while now 27" and 27.5" and more and more I've come to the conclusion that it really doesn't matter. That or I just don't care. It doesn't seem to effect how the guitar sounds too much and the difference in tension isn't all that noticeable. Just find a guitar that sounds great and you're set. Just adapt to playing it.

My guitars are 27", 27.5", and 25" scales and I have no problems playing any of them and they all sound great to me.

 

[leonardo7]

I put this together myself. A 27" scale guitar can be thought of as a 23 fret 25.5" scale guitar, only it has one lower fret added instead of a higher 24th fret. Thats all there is to it. So, if you were to tune a 25.5" scale guitar half a note higher than you would have it tuned on a 27", then its exactly the same scale length in feel when playing the same exact notes, only minus the one lower fret that is 1.5". I know its confusing but makes perfect sense to me. Can someone perhaps explain it better?

 

[Krankguitarist]

What you tune to can make a difference as well.

Standard B to e tuning works fine on a 25.5" scale. Hell, I'd argue that it works fine on a 24.75" scale too.

Start tuning lower...and you *might* want to get something a little longer, as going thicker with string gauges can often have unwelcome side effects. That said, I've got my RG7620 tuned GDADGBe and it holds that just fine, and intonates well. I am saving some cash for something with a longer scale, though.

 

[uni777]

I recently bought a schecter V7-FR with 26,5 inch scale lenght. Adapting to it was no big deal. But i do not like the sound of the longer scale... I cannot put my finger on it, and find it hard to describe. But to me there is a added bass/piano like "clang" in the sound. (also when played clean) I prefer 25,5 sound wise. Which sound a bit more woody and organic to me.

 

[Metalus]

What you tune to can make a difference as well.

Standard B to e tuning works fine on a 25.5" scale. Hell, I'd argue that it works fine on a 24.75" scale too.

Start tuning lower...and you *might* want to get something a little longer, as going thicker with string gauges can often have unwelcome side effects. That said, I've got my RG7620 tuned GDADGBe and it holds that just fine, and intonates well. I am saving some cash for something with a longer scale, though.

What kind of strings are u using on the RG7620?

 

[bostjan]

The scale length makes a bigger difference in tone than it does in tension: Thread about inharmonicity and scale length

Also, with a .007" at 27" you will have much less tension than a .009" at 25.5". If you stick with the same strings, the difference in tension on the plains should be barely noticeable, a little more noticeable on the wound strings, though.

By the way, a .007" won't need extreme intonation adjustments if your guitar is set up for .009", just a little tweak should do.

 

[Danxile]

I jumped from a 25 6 string to a 30 inch scale 8 string and got used to it really quickly. I can't see 27 being all that much different. Plus the extended scale gives for lower tuning. I say go for it

 

[Diminished]

Wow, hot forum - 15 posts overnight!

So it appears that the longer neck doesn't affect tension too much, I will be playing in primarily drop A or drop B so no crazy down tuning to 8-string stuff. I had heard/read that the increased tension makes harmonics and bends more difficult, apparently its no big deal? Yea, I'm not too worried about the physical switch from 25.5 to 27" and like the heavier sound of thick gauge strings, getting used to .007's will be a bit of a change. Won't .007's give the guitar a thinner sound though? From my experience with 6 strings and downtuning the thinner the strings the "tinnier" the sound, perhaps that is just a fact of life with a 7 though. Sorry for beginner questions, new to both baritone scale/tension...

 

[bostjan]

Yngwie gets a pretty good tone with .008"s. I honestly don't think you should be using this thin (.007") of a string unless you are tuning up or using a scale length greater than 31" for the high E. If you are tuning down, then .009" is pretty floppy. Remember that the shift from 25.5" to 27" is equal to one semitone, so tuning a 25.5" standard or tuning a 27" guitar down a half step yields exactly the same tension (as does a 28 5/8" scale tuned D standard).

 

[Leon]

Multiscale

 

[usagi]

At the begining of the year I got an Agile 28" 8 string. I had 9s on it. The fret spacing did not seem to be an issue to me. The size of the neck did make my hand sore after about an hour. The tension on the strings made bending notes difficult for me. I wound up selling it (mostly because I wanted to buy a BRJ not because I was unhappy with it). I am thinking about getting another 8 in the distant future maybe in 27". My 2 cents.