your opinions on 24 3/4 conversion necks compared to 25.5 ?

[KOABUILD]

Hey guys Im considering the 24 3/4 conversion neck v. the 25.5 option, I was looking at Tom Anderson Cobra T's for reference, but Im using an Alder slab tele body and the Andersons, as far as I am aware, are hollow bodies hence a slight difference in tone and response.

Im using humbuckers Duncan Custom TB-5 ceramic 14.75 DCR in the bridge, and a Duncan Whole lotta humbucker SH-18n Alnico 5 in the Neck, so pretty much a rock; classic rock guitar, putting on a Hipshot Ibby HM bridge so definantly not traditional also love jam band style playing, long solos, lots of guitar oriented music if that helps.

Would you guys with experience please weigh in and tell me would you go with the conversion neck again knowing what you know or do you prefer the 25.5 scale....I've heard some say the 24 3/4 lacks the character of Gibson necks for what ever reason, or that it is too muddy compared to the 25.5 ?  I have no experience so I dont know, but I would like to make an informed decision.....thanks for any feedback.

 

[Fat Pete]

Consensus on here seems to be that it's mainly just a difference in feel and that's my experience too. Obviously, for a given string gauge, the tension is lower - a 24.75" 0.01" E string probably doesn't sound exactly the same as a 25.5" 0.009" E string, even if the tension is about the same, but I don't believe the tonal impact is anything like as significant as pickup choice etc.

Don't expect your Tele to feel like a Gibson though, whatever options you go for - construction methods, neck length and geometry are all very different.

Also bear in mind that the conversion necks are all built with Warmoth's 'modern' construction dual truss road design. This, arguably, has more of an effect on tone/response than the scale length.

I've put together 2 Warmoth Teles with 24.75" necks and have another 'short' neck here waiting for a job.

If the idea appeals to you, go for it.

 

[Rick]

The first thing is size. The smaller your hands are, or if you like to play likeBo diddly , the short scale neck, thin, is great.
It also, to me has thicker sound, and because the string tension is less, it's easier to bend.  The only way to know is to buy one and if you don't like it sell it.

The 25.5 scale with a 1 3/4 neck is easier to play because there's more room for your fingers and sounds brighter, and you can alway eq more bass but can't go the other way.

 

[stratamania]

The 25.5 scale with a 1 3/4 neck is easier to play because there's more room for your fingers and sounds brighter, and you can alway eq more bass but can't go the other way.

Somewhat subjective Rick, that size is easier to play for you. It may not be for most people.

 

[spe111]

In my opinion you can definitely tell they feel different, it's pretty subjective which feels better and which is easier to play. There are pros and cons to each. I have a few each of 25.5, 25, and 24.75 and I can't say I overall prefer one over the other, but some seem better for playing different types of things.

For me the main difference in the feel is string tension. The distance of frets is a factor, but playing the shorter scale feels like you're playing maybe a fret higher on a longer scale. Fretboard radius makes a bigger difference in feel to me.

Obviously, a lot of things impact the tone at varying levels but if I want to know what type of impact guitar construction type things (wood types, scale length, geometry) have I take the pickups out of the equation and just listen to it unplugged. If nothing else, attack and sustain are impacted by scale length with the longer scale length having a faster attack and slightly more sustain.

There are obviously other factors like bracing, but listen to the difference between a Martin D-18 and Gibson Hummingbird, which both use similar materials but have different scale lengths. 

 

[Logrinn]

I don’t like either the 24,75” or the 25,5” scale length necks. I prefer mine to be 24”. The reason? The size of such a neck relative to the size of my hands.
I’ll say it again (like I always do when these questions arise) - get a neck that’s right for you. Smaller hands = shorter scale length, bigger hands = longer scale length. Just like shoe sizes - get the ones that fit, not what someone tells you sound look better. The difference in sound between 25,5” and 24,75” is much less than what you get if you change pick from one type to another. Now, that, can really change your tone.

You want great tone? Listen to Brian May. His guitar, the Red Special, is a 24” scale guitar.
His pick? A coin.

[youtube]https://youtu.be/DoIWHKfW3P4[/youtube]

 

[rgand]

To confirm what has already been said here, I have both 25-1/2" and 24-3/4" necks and they don't make much difference in tone. I see more difference with the pick I use. The shorter neck is just like playing a longer one with a capo on the first fret. I use 10-46 strings and they feel about one size slinkier on the shorter necks. For future purchases, I'll just go with 24-3/4". I will also try a 24" neck as Logrinn likes on a future build.

 

[Cagey]

As has been pointed out, shorter scales play a bit easier. Past that, it's difficult to compare tones as it's primarily the Gibsons that use the shorter scale and their neck attachment methods are different. The SG/Melody Maker necks are barely attached and to thin bodies with what are essentially lap joints, while the LP necks are buried deep in high-mass bodies with mortise & tenon joints, and in both cases they're glued in rather than bolted on. They also issue a lotta Mahogany necks, and always use humbucking pickups and low-mass trapeze bridges. All that stuff adds up to a pretty unique character.

My collection is about 50/50 short/long scale necks, and I don't notice a great deal of difference in tone that I could attribute to the scale length. But, who knows? There's a pretty wide variety of neck woods, body woods, pickups and bridges in that collection. Pickups are far and away the largest contributor to tonal character, so all the other stuff is kind of a crap shoot as far as their contribution goes.

 

[KOABUILD]

Thanks for the responses, I appreciate what you guys have to say as I know everyone of you have a vast amount of experience in regard to the issue, and God knows Brian May has unbelievable to die for tone so 24" scale necks sound pretty great from that perspective thats for sure....

I think I may just go with the 24 3/4 on this as my hands arn't exactly made for basketball, though I do like to tune down to "D" alot, I guess I will have to weigh my interest in down tuning as my next bit of criteria when I do buy ......and of course if there is a piece in the show case that I just cant do without, well shucks.... you gotta do what ya gotta do...lol!

Thanks guys, a wealth of straight talk that puts my worries aside, much appreciated, I don't feel I will go wrong which ever I choose at this point.

I think it was the Tom Anderson hollow body sound all round and subdued that kinda threw me and made me concerned, not that its a bad sound, it just seemed to lack the punch and sting I was expecting, but then again they have all their own pickups and the kit they use to demo etc. etc.  anyway thats what led me to have doubts about whether it would be right for me or not, but the 24 3/4 does interest me, hell Buckthead sounds amazing in all his early stuff and the appeal of easier bending and fretting is a plus when over playing .....which I like to do on my own when Im jamming ..

I will say though that I traditionally go with Vintage Modern; stuck on that old school tone thinking, as Fat Pete said the truss rod and construction of the 24 3/4 will have a greater impact on tone than the scale and I don't doubt that a bit, but just to be fair, one can hardly shake a stick at the set up stability involving the modern construction, so alot of good points to consider outside the scale length itself.

Im already facing the fact that more guitars are better...lol simple as that. :laughing7:

 

[rgand]

The simple solution is to build several guitars. :icon_biggrin:

 

[Fat Pete]

The simple solution is to build several guitars. :icon_biggrin:

[/thread closed]

 

[GoDrex]

in my experience with Warmoth guitar bodies routed for humbuckers, there's a difference in the spacing between the bridge and the pickups. Because Warmoth builds it's bodies for 25.5 scale, the spacing comes out not quite the same as a guitar built intending from the beginning to be 24.75.

there's a pic around here somewhere of the comparison between my Warmoth LP and a real LP. It's a pretty drastic difference. It certainly would create some difference in tone since the pickup isn't in the same place relative to the bridge.

If I can find it, I'll post it.

 

[spe111]

That's definitely an often overlooked factor in tone.

One other thing, the difference in tone between the two scale lengths would also depend heavily on what you're plugging into. It would probably be a bigger difference plugged into a twin reverb versus less difference plugged into a cranked triple rectifier.