# Schecter's change from 26.5" to 28" scale length...



## mnit1965 (Apr 1, 2014)

I'm on the market deciding on my first 8 string. Having my share of Ibanez and Jackson guitars, i want a different brand, and the Schecter Blackjack ATX C-8 Satin Black seems lovely.

My problem is that i don't have the money *right* now to buy this model. And to make things worse, the pre-2014 models have 26.5" scale, while the new 2014 models (as most of the 2014 Schecter 8 string models) have now 28". There are some online stores that still sell the older model (26.5") but i suspect that by the time i have enough money they all will be sold and i will be left with the 28" models... 

Having only played 25.5" guitars, i wonder if this would be a "problem" for me. I don't have big hands/fingers (maybe a little girly hands, if you will) and this would be a jump on my playing habits from 25.5"->26.5"->27"->28"... 

Having never played a scale longer that 25.5" (the stores in here simply don't have any model with a scale longer than 25.5", let alone 28"...) i wonder on these 28" scale models...

I just don't want to play chuga chuga riffs, but also shred and lead work. My references and influences: Animals As Leaders of course (for all the versatility in riffs and leads), Allegaeon (for those sick riffs)... Lead work (not 8 string players, but just the style i play): Paul Gilbert, Petrucci, Guthrie Govan... 

Do you guys find a huge or massive difference from 26.5" to 28"? For "normal sized hands" would a 28" scale unconfortable to play lead/shred stuff? Or should i really look to a 26.5" model (or maybe 27") and forget the 28" Schecters?

Please share with me your opinions


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## Michael T (Apr 1, 2014)

I have average size hands, play mostly death/melodic & black metal. I'm good up to 27" scale but cannot adapt to 28" and up. The fret spacing from frets 1-5 make it difficult for me to reach rapid note changes accurately and causes discomfort. 

Personally I'm content with nothing larger than 26.5". I don't even notice the difference and the added 1" is just enough for the tunings I use.


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## Letuchy (Apr 1, 2014)

on 28 scale solo playing is very uncomfortable, especially with standart 0.10 sets. So for me maximum is 26.5. Better variant for 8 string is fanned fret 25.5-27, but it isn`t your case.


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## petervindel (Apr 1, 2014)

I guess we're all different, but I went from a standard 6 string to a 28" 6 string baritone with no problem. I then jumped to a 30.2" 8 string, and had no problem with it at all. 
To be honest, it felt more natural for me to play an 8 string with 30.2" scale than a standard scale 6 string. 

I mean no disrespect to anyone here, but I think the scepsism to extend 27" is almost hysterical at times. Bass players don't all have giant hands you know, and they've been jamming on 34"+ scales for ages


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## Señor Voorhees (Apr 1, 2014)

petervindel said:


> I guess we're all different, but I went from a standard 6 string to a 28" 6 string baritone with no problem. I then jumped to a 30.2" 8 string, and had no problem with it at all.
> To be honest, it felt more natural for me to play an 8 string with 30.2" scale than a standard scale 6 string.
> 
> I mean no disrespect to anyone here, but I think the scepsism to extend 27" is almost hysterical at times. Bass players don't all have giant hands you know, and they've been jamming on 34"+ scales for ages




Bass players don't typically play how a guitarist does, especially when it comes to chording. It's much more difficult to make a 3-4 fret stretch on a bass than even a 30 inch scaled guitar. Chords are definitely a bit trickier on a 28 inch scale, and at the very least it takes getting used to. It is a matter of personal preferance, and some people feel right at home on a 28, but that's not the case for lots of people. Even though it gives me a bit of trouble, I personally really like the scale length for the simple fact that you can get away with some really light gauges with comfy tension. The lighter gauges make those low notes sound dandy. It's a nice trade of, imo. I wouldn't exactly buy one before trying one out though. That's something that's got "buyers remorse" written all over it.


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## Go To Bed Jessica (Apr 1, 2014)

I'm not a shredder by any stretch of the imagination, so my opinion may not be all that relevant here.. but I feel right at home on the M80M's 29.4" scale. I find it easy enough to play lead lines and for rhythm, the longer scale just KILLS my 26.5" Schecter.

I found the shorter scale, while feeling more natural for lead stuff, was just too much of a compromise for a decent rhythm sound. On a shorter scale 8, you can either have good tension or snappy response - never both at once.

I think 28" is a good middle ground. You'll definitely notice it, but probably not as much as you think... and after a few days it will feel natural - and then your 25.5" scale guitars start feeling like ukuleles when you pick them up after playing the long scale 8. 

Unless you are shredding in the lowest four or five frets, the difference isn't going to be huge.


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## chopeth85 (Apr 1, 2014)

Well....im 1,75 and i dont have big hands... Now i have a banshee 8 (28" ) and i play it as fast as the other guitars i have ( 25,5" ) even for me is more confortable than some of my 25,5". The string gauge is 0,10-0,80 and i have it in E Standar and i dont find too much tension at all. In my case the transition between those scales was inmediately.


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## Stuck_in_a_dream (Apr 1, 2014)

I'll be thinking out loud here. Say that you'll be shredding on the first 5 frets, and that may be problematic on the 28" scale. Can't we just assume that this will be on strings 1-4, or 1-5, and in this case can't you just play the same notes on strings 4-7, or 4-8 but at higher frets so it'd be much easier? 

Same thing with chords, unless you're playing a bar chord spanning 7 or 8 strings you could always find another position/voicing higher up the neck.


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## RagtimeDandy (Apr 1, 2014)

First seven I bought was a 28.725" Agile Septor. It was an absolute baseball bat, but it got the job done. Only 8 I ever owned was 27" and I found it plenty comfortable. As long as you don't do large, augmented chords on the first 7 frets (or have huge hands), you shouldn't have any issues, and even then you may not have issues at all. If you're doing more modern Meshuggah single note stuff, you'll be glad you have that scale length


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## troyguitar (Apr 1, 2014)

Perspective from someone who is primarily a lead player: I don't even like the 26.5" scale very much. The 28" they used on the C8 with Floyd Rose was extremely uncomfortable for lead work IMO. That's why I didn't buy one. Going to 28" for all of their 8's is a mistake IMO.

A solution as mentioned above is to play things at a higher position, which is what I do with my 9-strings. They are 27.5" scale but have 30 frets which helps a lot. I basically just tune it a whole step lower than I'd like, capo the 2nd fret, and effectively have a 28-fret ~25" scale guitar tuned F#BEADGCEA with the low note clarity of the 27.5" scale.


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## facepalm66 (Apr 1, 2014)

^that's some rocket science...

If you don't mind some 'getting used to' thing - no it's not a problem at all. You will just have to 'stretch' the memory of them finger muscles. 

I can't even play a 25.5" anymore, to be honest.


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## shawnperolis (Apr 1, 2014)

Tiny hands right here and I play on a 30" scale 9 string. It just takes some getting used to.

Edit: I play shred, punk, and funk... so plenty of chords and other weird stuff. It all works out if you are patient and willing to practice.


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## guitarjitsumaster (Apr 1, 2014)

Yeah I think its all dependant on how you play and body/hand size/type. I personally always felt 27 was the best scale for a compromise between decent 8 string tone and a small enough scale for advanced chording and leads for the median size player. 

So I dont really understand the jump from 26.5 to 28. All I can think is that there more concerned with pleasing what they perceive to be the main clientèle for the instrument which I would guess they think are rhythm focused players. I really wish schecter would do 27" as I love there guitars and have mostly been a schecter player till I began playing 8's as I dont like the sound of 26.5 on low F and don't like the feel of 28". So they drove me to Ibanez

As a players with smaller hands and plays leads 27" scale tends to be the cutoff for me to play and feel comfortable. Though I might consider a longer scale on the base side if it were fanned and most strings fell into the 27" or less size. 

Though as much as we can tell you about our experiences you really have to try out and spend time with the different scale sizes yourself to see what you can and can't handle.


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## technomancer (Apr 1, 2014)

I love watching the trends shift on this place. A couple of years ago everybody was outraged that 27" was too short a scale for an 8 string and what was Ibanez thinking etc

Now suddenly 28" is too long 

That said I've played 8s at varying scale lengths and had no problems at 28" scale. YMMV The extra 1" spread over the length of the fretboard between 27" and 28" really isn't that significant


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## jwade (Apr 1, 2014)

28" is just fine for lead work, you may have to tinker with your string gauge a bit, but really, it's not a very big difference in the fret spacing up high on the fretboard anyway, so the only thing that might trip you up is the different tension, but all that takes to correct is a slight drop in the gauges you normally use.


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## troyguitar (Apr 1, 2014)

technomancer said:


> I love watching the trends shift on this place. A couple of years ago everybody was outraged that 27" was too short a scale for an 8 string and what was Ibanez thinking etc
> 
> Now suddenly 28" is too long
> 
> That said I've played 8s at varying scale lengths and had no problems at 28" scale. YMMV The extra 1" spread over the length of the fretboard between 27" and 28" really isn't that significant



It's 5.6% longer than 26.5" and 12% further than my 25" scale...

In what universe is 5-12% not significant?


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## Chuck (Apr 1, 2014)

Technomancer's hands:


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## mnit1965 (Apr 2, 2014)

chopeth85 said:


> Well....im 1,75 and i dont have big hands... Now i have a banshee 8 (28" ) and i play it as fast as the other guitars i have ( 25,5" ) even for me is more confortable than some of my 25,5". The string gauge is 0,10-0,80 and i have it in E Standar and i dont find too much tension at all. In my case the transition between those scales was inmediately.



Do you feel any "stress" playing fast lines/riffs on the first frets and on the lower strings (1-5)?

The kind of riffs I'm talking about are along the lines of the first song of Nevermore's Obsidian Conspiracy (The Termination Proclamation), where there's a constant stretching between 1-4 and 2-5 (although this is played on a 7 string).


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## mnit1965 (Apr 2, 2014)

technomancer said:


> I love watching the trends shift on this place. A couple of years ago everybody was outraged that 27" was too short a scale for an 8 string and what was Ibanez thinking etc
> 
> Now suddenly 28" is too long
> 
> That said I've played 8s at varying scale lengths and had no problems at 28" scale. YMMV The extra 1" spread over the length of the fretboard between 27" and 28" really isn't that significant



Yes, there's only a little 1" spread between 27 and 28. But add a little 0.5" more from 26.5"... and then add a little from 25.5" that I'm used to play. Suddenly, there's a 2.5" spread between all my guitars and a new Schecter 8 string. 

I just wish I could walk on to a store where I could try some 8 guitars with various scale lengths...


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## Go To Bed Jessica (Apr 2, 2014)

If you want to get a good idea of what it's going to be like playing lead on the longer scale you could find some lead parts which don't employ open strings and play them 2 frets lower on your current guitar (according the chart above there is roughly 1 fret difference between 26.5" and 28" scales so add another one for good measure). That will give you a feel for the fret spacing on the longer scale - well, the higher frets at least.


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## mnit1965 (Apr 2, 2014)

troyguitar said:


> Perspective from someone who is primarily a lead player: I don't even like the 26.5" scale very much. The 28" they used on the C8 with Floyd Rose was extremely uncomfortable for lead work IMO. That's why I didn't buy one. Going to 28" for all of their 8's is a mistake IMO.
> 
> A solution as mentioned above is to play things at a higher position, which is what I do with my 9-strings. They are 27.5" scale but have 30 frets which helps a lot. I basically just tune it a whole step lower than I'd like, capo the 2nd fret, and effectively have a 28-fret ~25" scale guitar tuned F#BEADGCEA with the low note clarity of the 27.5" scale.



I would love to play them side by side and check for myself if 28" would be too uncomfortable to play some lead stuff and fast riffs on the first frets (I'm talking riffs like this one, very first song Termination Proclamation from Nevermore's Obsidian Conspiracy, although this is a 7 string).



I think Schecter should at least have some 8's with 26.5". I didn't read all the specs of the 8's they have now, but the ones I saw are all 28".


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## mnit1965 (Apr 2, 2014)

Go To Bed Jessica said:


> If you want to get a good idea of what it's going to be like playing lead on the longer scale you could find some lead parts which don't employ open strings and play them 2 frets lower on your current guitar (according the chart above there is roughly 1 fret difference between 26.5" and 28" scales so add another one for good measure). That will give you a feel for the fret spacing on the longer scale - well, the higher frets at least.



Thanks for the tip, I'll try this! 

Another concern of mine is playing on the first frets and low notes some fast death metal riffs. I think the spacing on the first frets would be more noticeable...


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## mnit1965 (Apr 2, 2014)

jwade said:


> 28" is just fine for lead work, you may have to tinker with your string gauge a bit, but really, it's not a very big difference in the fret spacing up high on the fretboard anyway, so the only thing that might trip you up is the different tension, but all that takes to correct is a slight drop in the gauges you normally use.



This table is awesome, thanks!


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## Go To Bed Jessica (Apr 2, 2014)

I have the 29.4" Meshuggah sig, and while the extra length is definitely noticeable for playing stuff low down I don't find it uncomfortable. It's a bit more work at times, but the tone imparted by the longer scale is (for me at least) completely worth the additional effort needed.


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## Stuck_in_a_dream (Apr 2, 2014)

technomancer said:


> I love watching the trends shift on this place. A couple of years ago everybody was outraged that 27" was too short a scale for an 8 string and what was Ibanez thinking etc
> 
> Now suddenly 28" is too long
> 
> That said I've played 8s at varying scale lengths and had no problems at 28" scale. YMMV The extra 1" spread over the length of the fretboard between 27" and 28" really isn't that significant



You make a very interesting observation, and I wonder if these 'fads' have to do with the quality of 8-string sets available on the market. Maybe (I'm guessing here) that the reason many people go for 27" these days is that it is easier to find strings maintaining good tension.


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## insanebassninja (Apr 2, 2014)

facepalm66 said:


> ^that's some rocket science...
> 
> If you don't mind some 'getting used to' thing - no it's not a problem at all. You will just have to 'stretch' the memory of them finger muscles.
> 
> I can't even play a 25.5" anymore, to be honest.



I play a 35" bass so 25.5 feels insanely small for me. Am willing to frock out the money for a 30" scale 8 stirng those.


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## Luppin (Apr 2, 2014)

Switched from a 25.5" RGA7 to a 28" Schecter Blackjack SLS C8 almost exactly a year ago. Honestly the biggest change for me was in the width of the fretboard, other than that the only differences I've noticed that could be considered negative would be that strings seem to be more flexible at the same tension on the longer scale (Makes no difference to me really) and stretches down low are slightly more difficult. In my opinion the tone that the extended scale gives you more than makes up for any small annoyances I may have found so far.

Also, the extended scale is going to make your plain strings sound more harsh than they used to, which is mitigated by switching to the neck pickup but is something to consider if you do a LOT of noodling in the higher registers.


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## HeHasTheJazzHands (Apr 2, 2014)

mnit1965 said:


> I think Schecter should at least have some 8's with 26.5". I didn't read all the specs of the 8's they have now, but the ones I saw are all 28".



All of their 8-strings were 26.5'' for years. A lot of people complained because of the short scale length. They changed that in 2011 when they introduced their first 28'' scale 8-string. A lot of people liked that so they introduced more 28'' 8-strings, and then eventually converted all their 8-strings to 28'' this year. They did it because apparently more people wanted 28'' guitars, so they're just going where the money is.

TL;DR: People bitched about the 26.5'' model so they extended it. Now, like Techno is saying, people are bitching because it's too long.


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## troyguitar (Apr 2, 2014)

HeHasTheJazzHands said:


> TL;DR: People bitched about the 26.5'' model so they extended it. Now, like Techno is saying, people are bitching because it's too long.



2 different kinds of people buy 8-strings and they generally prefer very different scale lengths... call them "shredders" and "chuggers" if you will.

From a business standpoint it makes sense for them to have more long scale options than short, since by far there are more chuggers than shredders - however I don't see why they can't keep 1 model with the shorter length: particularly the one with the Floyd Rose. 

Introducing the long scale with the Floyd still seems like it was a stupid move to me. Shredders are more likely to want the Floyd but they also want the shorter scale. Chuggers just want a hipshot and a long scale.

(Obviously there are exceptions to all of these generalizations)


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## HeHasTheJazzHands (Apr 2, 2014)

They do have one model, unfortunately it's the Omen model.


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## Hexatticus (Apr 7, 2014)

For big bends, long reaches, and wide vibrato any extension of scale is highly noticable to me.


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## 7stg (Apr 7, 2014)

I really appreciate the extra scale length the new Schecters have and it was a great decision for several reasons. From a business since it distinguishes them from the competition there are several brands that make 27" scale 8's and a few that make 26.5" scale 8's. 

The longer scale gives more clarity and note definition due to reduced inharmonicity. I play the m80m with a 29.4 inch scale and the way it sounds is amazing. I have never found a 27 inch 8 string where the lower notes did not sound muddy. According to http://www.sevenstring.org/forum/extended-range-guitars/10064-string-gauges-inharmonicity.html "The results have me thinking that a low F# is destined to be muddy as hell on any scale less than 28 5/8", no matter what gauge is used." And I would have to agree.

For a low F#1, a 30 inch scale will have 32% better harmonic content and 15% more tension than 28 inch scale guitar. 

It's important to determine what scale length is comfortable for the styles desired to be played. If you can't find a guitar with a particular scale length to try and see how it feels, find a bass with a 34" scale and capo at the 2nd fret for 30.3, 3rd fret for 28.6, and 4th fret for 27, or a 35" scale bass can be capoed at 2nd fret for 31.2, 3rd fret for 29.4, 4th fret for 27.7, 5th fret for 26.2.


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## Konfyouzd (Apr 7, 2014)

27" is my treble side limit. If going bigger the frets have to be fanned for me. I played a straight fretted 28.625" axe and wasn't into it. I've been told my hands are relatively big.


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## Hexatticus (Apr 9, 2014)

27" is great for a Baritone Six as well. I had an RG470XL 27" Scale 6 String. Detuning and selecting the right strings can give great lows and extremely comfy tensions on the high side. I never miss the upper range that is sacrificed when playing detuned sixes. The high strings still seem appropriately high when going into shredville. The next best for easy/comfy playability is a detuned 7 string. When you go to 8 string you have so much range that the high side is usually not detuned and then you have really tight treble strings not comfy for shred. Its a trade off. The 8 string giveth and the 8 string taketh away.


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## Suho (Apr 14, 2014)

I am also a bass player, and I play 34 and 35 inch scale basses. I have average size hands- maybe on the small end of average. Having said that, I find that 27 inch scale 8 strings are about the most comfortable length. 

I started with a 28.625 inch Agile, and although it was very nice it was a bit beyond my comfort for chording. And I play chords a lot (so I guess that puts me between the chuggers and the shredders). I tried a fan fret 25.5-28 inch scale, and while also very nice it sucked for the chords. I then fell in with the Ibanez 27 inch S8, which was just the best all around. I recently sold it because I wasn't playing 8s enough and needed the money, but I will definitely look for another 27 inch scale 8 when my finances are better.


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## mdeeRocks (Apr 14, 2014)

Go To Bed Jessica said:


> I have the 29.4" Meshuggah sig, and while the extra length is definitely noticeable for playing stuff low down I don't find it uncomfortable. It's a bit more work at times, but the tone imparted by the longer scale is (for me at least) completely worth the additional effort needed.


Same here. I had mine for about a week, playing it 2-3 hours a day. It does require some muscle, I take break when I feel any tension/strain, but it's just like lifting weights - need to get used to more "weight".. I already noticed improvement and I am sure that in about a month I won't even think about it.

You won't be bending much though.... 

Bonus: 25.5" is silly easy to play after playing 29.4".


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## 1337metalfan (Apr 14, 2014)

Personally, I have a Schecter Damien Elite 8 with the 26.5 scale. I have relatively normal size hands, and sometimes the scale length is a bit too much for me. I've actually changed from using my ring finger for the 5th of a power chord to using my pinky (for the lower frets) so it's definitely different. I would assume that a 28 scale would be even more stress on my hand.

For the sake of both arguments, I would find one benefit in a longer scale: the lower strings (the F# for the most part) CAN be a bit loose (I'm just using the Ernie Ball 8's), especially if you want to tune to Drop E or lower. I'm pretty sure a larger scale would remedy that problem.

TL;DR version: unless you ABSOLUTELY HAVE TO drop tune very, very low, I'd go for the 26.5 if you have smaller hands.


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## DMONSTER (Apr 16, 2014)

I transitioned from my 25.5 inch 7 strings to a 30 inch agile and noticed it for the first 5 minutes, and now find no discomfort when playing unless im playing technical riffs in the lower frets (like 1-5). I absolutely love the tone that the 30 inch scale gives the low strings, I think 28 would be perfect


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## technomancer (Apr 16, 2014)

troyguitar said:


> It's 5.6% longer than 26.5" and 12% further than my 25" scale...
> 
> In what universe is 5-12% not significant?



In the universe where you look at the 1" change in scale length I was referring to from 27" to 28" and not the change from the other scale lengths you decided to throw in. 

To put it in simpler terms since what I said obviously wasn't clear enough, if you can try out a 27" scale 8 string and get along with it, you should probably also be able to handle the 28" scale without huge issues.


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## Explorer (Apr 17, 2014)

troyguitar said:


> *2 different kinds of people buy 8-strings* and they generally prefer very different scale lengths... call them "*shredders*" and "*chuggers*" if you will.
> 
> *(Obviously there are exceptions to all of these generalizations)*



Being as I'm not either of the two types you mention, I'm glad there are exceptions to handle people like me. *laugh*

I've faced this conception for as long as I've been on SS.org, though, that many members can't really imagine someone using ERGs for something other than what that particular member would consider.

That idea is at the core of other discussions, like, "I play high gain distortion, and so there is no reason anybody else would even want a tone knob!!! Why do they put one on there?!!!" *laugh*

(end non-shred/chug content)


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## DanielLunardi (Apr 23, 2014)

i have 1,65 cm tall , small hands, but the improvement in tone that 28" scale does with the guitar is awesome.. here in Brazil we don't have the oportunity to test many guitars, but i can tell you, 27" for a 8 string will be the minimum for a good tone ...


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## OmegaSlayer (Apr 23, 2014)

My 2 cents...
The thickness of the neck is more important than the size.
My Ibanez RG2228 28" (Prestige instrument with super mega flat wizard neck D shape) is more comfortable than my Ibanez Xiphos 25.5" (Indonesian instrument neck through with C shape).
If your thumb is closer to the other fingers you'll be able to stretch a bit more with less fatigue.
So, build quality and other spec will affect your stretch more than scale.


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## CanniballistiX (Apr 23, 2014)

I was a 6-string bass player for the past 10 years so I am used to a 35" scale. That said, when I switched to guitar in bands I already had an RG7421's 25.5" scale which felt small. I got an RG8 and it was better with the 27" scale, but I'm finally home on my 28" scale Banshee-8A and SLS C-8. Not going back and I sold the RG8 immediately.


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## Stuck_in_a_dream (May 15, 2014)

Sorry for the late bump, but I think you'll appreciate this. Take a look at this pic:







This is an overlay of the Banshee 7 (26.5" scale) on top of the Banshee 8 (28" scale). Images that were downloaded from SW seem they had same focal length since the EMG pickups 707, 808 widths matched (their actual widths match, both are 1.5" wide), so no zooming was required on the original images prior to overlaying.

Now as you can see, the difference between frets is not that substantial. What do you guys think?


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## 7stg (May 15, 2014)

Stuck_in_a_dream said:


> Sorry for the late bump, but I think you'll appreciate this. Take a look at this pic:
> 
> This is an overlay of the Banshee 7 (26.5" scale) on top of the Banshee 8 (28" scale). Images that were downloaded from SW seem they had same focal length since the EMG pickups 707, 808 widths matched (their actual widths match, both are 1.5" wide), so no zooming was required on the original images prior to overlaying.
> 
> Now as you can see, the difference between frets is not that substantial. What do you guys think?



It took a second, but I see the nut is lined up for both guitars and from there it is plain that there is not that much difference to how the frets line up. By the 12th fret there is about 1/2 a fret difference and 2 frets by the end.

I like long scales my self as I love what they do for the lower strings. I guess it could be summed up like this.
27 Lead Player - Compromising low end clarity and definition to have the easiest multi-step bends.
28.625 Balance - Not the best of either but not the worst of either.
30 Rhythm Player - Wanting the clearest well defined low end, but giving up full step bends for it. 1/2 step bends and vibrato are still fine.
23.5-26.5 multiscale - high A4
27-30 multiscale - Well rounded.
29.5-32.5 multiscale - When you want even more clarity and definition than possible from a single scale.


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## Cloudkicker112358 (May 15, 2014)

7 stg, you are probably one of the most valuable inputs on this forum. You know your stuff!


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## 7stg (May 15, 2014)

Cloudkicker112358 said:


> 7 stg, you are probably one of the most valuable inputs on this forum. You know your stuff!



Thanks man. One of many, there are many valuable contributors here.


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## 7stg (May 15, 2014)

Here's the distance from the nut for given scale lengths as generated by http://www.ekips.org/tools/guitar/fretfind2d/. The difference between a 28 inch and 26.5 inch scale to the 4th fret is 0.309 inches and to the 12th fret is 3/4 of an inch. Edit:It looks like I reduplicated jwade's efforts, oh well.


Sca| 25.50 | 26.50 | 27.00 | 28.00 | 28.63 | 29.40 | 30.00

Nut| 00.00 | 00.00 | 00.00 | 00.00 | 00.00 | 00.00 | 00.00
01 | 01.43 | 01.49 | 01.52 | 01.57 | 01.61 | 01.65 | 01.68
02 | 02.78 | 02.89 | 02.95 | 03.05 | 03.12 | 03.21 | 03.27
03 | 04.06 | 04.22 | 04.30 | 04.45 | 04.55 | 04.68 | 04.77
04 | 05.26 | 05.47 | 05.57 | 05.78 | 05.91 | 06.07 | 06.19
05 | 06.40 | 06.65 | 06.77 | 07.02 | 07.18 | 07.37 | 07.53
06 | 07.47 | 07.76 | 07.91 | 08.20 | 08.38 | 08.61 | 08.79
07 | 08.48 | 08.81 | 08.98 | 09.31 | 09.52 | 09.78 | 09.98
08 | 09.44 | 09.81 | 09.99 | 10.36 | 10.59 | 10.88 | 11.10
09 | 10.34 | 10.74 | 10.95 | 11.35 | 11.60 | 11.92 | 12.16
10 | 11.19 | 11.63 | 11.85 | 12.29 | 12.56 | 12.90 | 13.16
11 | 11.99 | 12.46 | 12.70 | 13.17 | 13.46 | 13.83 | 14.11
12 | 12.75 | 13.25 | 13.50 | 14.00 | 14.31 | 14.70 | 15.00
13 | 13.47 | 13.99 | 14.26 | 14.79 | 15.12 | 15.53 | 15.84
14 | 14.14 | 14.70 | 14.97 | 15.53 | 15.87 | 16.30 | 16.64
15 | 14.78 | 15.36 | 15.65 | 16.23 | 16.59 | 17.04 | 17.39
16 | 15.38 | 15.98 | 16.29 | 16.89 | 17.27 | 17.73 | 18.09
17 | 15.95 | 16.57 | 16.89 | 17.51 | 17.90 | 18.39 | 18.76
18 | 16.48 | 17.13 | 17.45 | 18.10 | 18.50 | 19.01 | 19.39
19 | 16.99 | 17.66 | 17.99 | 18.66 | 19.07 | 19.59 | 19.99
20 | 17.47 | 18.15 | 18.50 | 19.18 | 19.61 | 20.14 | 20.55
21 | 17.92 | 18.62 | 18.97 | 19.68 | 20.11 | 20.66 | 21.08
22 | 18.34 | 19.06 | 19.42 | 20.14 | 20.59 | 21.15 | 21.58
23 | 18.75 | 19.48 | 19.85 | 20.58 | 21.04 | 21.61 | 22.05
24 | 19.13 | 19.88 | 20.25 | 21.00 | 21.47 | 22.05 | 22.50



Sca| 32.00 | 34.00 | 35.00 | 37.00 | 38.00 | 39.00 | 40.00

Nut| 00.00 | 00.00 | 00.00 | 00.00 | 00.00 | 00.00 | 00.00
01 | 01.80 | 01.91 | 01.96 | 02.08 | 02.13 | 02.19 | 02.25
02 | 03.49 | 03.71 | 03.82 | 04.04 | 04.15 | 04.25 | 04.36
03 | 05.09 | 05.41 | 05.57 | 05.89 | 06.05 | 06.21 | 06.36
04 | 06.60 | 07.01 | 07.22 | 07.63 | 07.84 | 08.05 | 08.25
05 | 08.03 | 08.53 | 08.78 | 09.28 | 09.53 | 09.78 | 10.03
06 | 09.37 | 09.96 | 10.25 | 10.84 | 11.13 | 11.42 | 11.72
07 | 10.64 | 11.31 | 11.64 | 12.31 | 12.64 | 12.97 | 13.30
08 | 11.84 | 12.58 | 12.95 | 13.69 | 14.06 | 14.43 | 14.80
09 | 12.97 | 13.78 | 14.19 | 15.00 | 15.41 | 15.81 | 16.22
10 | 14.04 | 14.92 | 15.36 | 16.23 | 16.67 | 17.11 | 17.55
11 | 15.05 | 15.99 | 16.46 | 17.40 | 17.87 | 18.34 | 18.81
12 | 16.00 | 17.00 | 17.50 | 18.50 | 19.00 | 19.50 | 20.00
13 | 16.90 | 17.95 | 18.48 | 19.54 | 20.07 | 20.59 | 21.12
14 | 17.75 | 18.85 | 19.41 | 20.52 | 21.07 | 21.63 | 22.18
15 | 18.55 | 19.70 | 20.28 | 21.44 | 22.02 | 22.60 | 23.18
16 | 19.30 | 20.51 | 21.11 | 22.32 | 22.92 | 23.52 | 24.13
17 | 20.01 | 21.26 | 21.89 | 23.14 | 23.77 | 24.39 | 25.02
18 | 20.69 | 21.98 | 22.63 | 23.92 | 24.56 | 25.21 | 25.86
19 | 21.32 | 22.65 | 23.32 | 24.65 | 25.32 | 25.99 | 26.65
20 | 21.92 | 23.29 | 23.98 | 25.35 | 26.03 | 26.72 | 27.40
21 | 22.49 | 23.89 | 24.59 | 26.00 | 26.70 | 27.41 | 28.11
22 | 23.02 | 24.46 | 25.18 | 26.62 | 27.34 | 28.06 | 28.78
23 | 23.52 | 24.99 | 25.73 | 27.20 | 27.94 | 28.67 | 29.41
24 | 24.00 | 25.50 | 26.25 | 27.75 | 28.50 | 29.25 | 30.00


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## shikamaru (May 15, 2014)

think about it this way:
at 28&#733;, your first fret will be at 26.428&#733;. So, a 28&#733; is like a 26.5&#733; with an extra fret. Unless you have particular fingerings that involve a lot of open strings, I doubt your lead work will be less proficient on 28&#733; than on 26.5&#733;, except you will miss one fret higher on the neck.

IMO 28&#733; is definitely worth it because you will have better intonation, especially for that low F#


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## DreamError (May 19, 2014)

I went with an Ibanez 27" 8 because I have a 6-string S I love, and I played an RGA8 recently and handled it nicely. I'm curious about the Schecter Hellraiser Hybrid C-8 and its "thin c" profile, though. 28" scale doesn't scare me after playing a 27". But I'm still drawn to the sleekness of the Ibanez S, feels so light and fits against the body nice, and just sounds perfect to me.

And I need the bendy.

Chording bothered me a little, it's a bit of a stretch, but I don't really do a lot of it down near the headstock anyway. And that was just playing one at a store, not owning one and building up that strength/stretch.

For single note runs and stuff, it's fine, and I don't see a 28" being much different in that regard since I've played a 5-string 35" bass for years. Actually makes me think I'll be fairly okay on upgrading to a 6-string bass; the nut width is the same on 8-strings  

My fingers:
Index and Ring: 2.5" (6.4cm) long.
 3" (7.6cm) long.
Pinky: 2" (5cm) long.

TL;DR - don't fear the 28" scale thinking your fingers are too short. I wish I could play one in person to be absolutely sure, but I say go for it.


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