ShortScale.org

Given the strat thread in the other subforum I became curious as to why you all actually play shortscales.

For some I know it's because of size, small hands and short arms make them far more comfortable to play.

I imagine some of you do it because they look neato.

Perhaps it's the unique tone of some of them, like the Jaguar or Mustang or Bronco that you can't get with other guitars?

If not one of the above, then why? Just curious, why are you here?

I always thought Jags and Mustangs looked fucking rad, and then I DISCOVERED they were short-scale and way easier to play.

Ill sound like an ass, but I enjoy this forum because of the people, but Ive never actually played a shortscale : D

In my mind I'm like, 'yeah this guitar sounds fucking sweet!', while at the same time pondering, 'Can I really look this good playing a guitar!?'.

I put Sloan because my reason wasn't there. I have big hands and used to play bass a lot, but for some reason short scale necks feel more comfortable which doesn't make any logical sense, but it seems to be true. Doing chords and bar chords fees easier to me with short scale. The frets being a tiny bit closer maybe so I don't have to stretch to reach notes as much? I A < B'ed my Jaguar and Jazzmaster over the course of a week since they have similar controls and body shapes to decide "What is my FAVORITE guitar?" (Lord knows I have a few of them.) The Jaguar won by a little. I like my guitars and play the other scale ones, but my Jaguar won as my favorite. That is why I have worked more on gathering those. (The one Andrew is making me will be my fourth.) It also could be why I like the Jag-Stang so much. The bigger body and short scale just work for me.

Also kind of related to this topic, the Tokai plant makes my FAVORITE necks. They have a similar feel to a Jag-Stang neck which many love even if they hate the guitar. It has a slight flatness to the back that fits my hand just right.

Wanted a jaguar cos it looked cool. Ultimately I didn't like it. I bought mustang cos of the body shape and I wanted a ss for the playability

I'll post my own, I thought Jags/Jazzies were kinda neato from seeing pics of Sonic Youth with them since they weren't the usual Strat/Tele, but didn't think much about it. Until I saw a lefty Jag at my local guitar shop and figured I'd try it out, and found it to be the most comfortable guitar I'd ever played. Later I learned about the scale length as the reason why they were so comfy, but initially it was just my short arms and small hands made me love them.

To be honest I almost never play my Jag anymore because it's so damn big and heavy and I have enough other shorties instead. The Mustang body style is very light in comparison so I use my Musicmaster more than anything else.

I have wimpy arms and hands so a Mustang is comfortable to play. I want a Jag, but the body looks too big and unwieldy for me - they look even bigger than a JM for some reason. So yeah. It's not just the scale length; it's the physical size too (I put up with the size of a JM body because I love the sound).

Yeah it's the comedy of the jag that its short scale and delicate but also big and heavy. I mean, ostensibly a shortscale is characterised as being easier to play with small hands but my squier mustang is a pig of a neck

That could be why I prefer the jag then, I'm not a small guy like a lot of the Mustang fans here seem to be, but I do enjoy the easier reaches of the 24" scale. Tried a Mustang special and it seemed comically small.

HNB wrote:I put Sloan because my reason wasn't there. I have big hands and used to play bass a lot, but for some reason short scale necks feel more comfortable which doesn't make any logical sense, but it seems to be true. Doing chords and bar chords fees easier to me with short scale. The frets being a tiny bit closer maybe so I don't have to stretch to reach notes as much? I A < B'ed my Jaguar and Jazzmaster over the course of a week since they have similar controls and body shapes to decide "What is my FAVORITE guitar?" (Lord knows I have a few of them.) The Jaguar won by a little. I like my guitars and play the other scale ones, but my Jaguar won as my favorite. That is why I have worked more on gathering those. (The one Andrew is making me will be my fourth.) It also could be why I like the Jag-Stang so much. The bigger body and short scale just work for me.

Also kind of related to this topic, the Tokai plant makes my FAVORITE necks. They have a similar feel to a Jag-Stang neck which many love even if they hate the guitar. It has a slight flatness to the back that fits my hand just right.

Damn I should have thought of that option. Sorry bout that.

GreenKnee wrote:Tried a Mustang special and it seemed comically small.

While I loved that little beauty, she didnt "fight back" enough so I had to get Teh Kurdtz instead. Plus I kept whacking my hand on the 3-way switch.
The SuperSonic seems like the best of all shortscale worlds.

I'm a small guy and I prefer my Jaguar to any Mustang I've played.

MEDICAL REASONS FUCK OFF

If I were able to play 25.5, I probably would have a Tele or something but I'm pretty sure that I'd still be mostly into Mustangs too.

I can't select all? not cool.

izodiak wrote:Ill sound like an ass, but I enjoy this forum because of the people, but Ive never actually played a shortscale : D

It's cool, we don't 'scriminate here.

I voted 'looks cool'. I wanted a Jag before i even learnt to play guitar.
In the late 80's it seemed to me anyone that was anybody 'different' used a Jag, with the odd exceptions like Mascis with the JM and Sonic Youth.

My conclusion now is the Jag is still the best looking guitar ever made but for me it sonically and functionally falls behind the Strat and Tele.
A good Mustang plays and feels exceptional but the sound has never done anything for me, much the same for a stock Musicmaster.

Never really been anything to do with scale length for me.

You really dont ! Thats why I enjoy this place so much..
But I am saving some money for the 'Kurtz Jaguar'(or Cabronita Tele)..because I dont have a humbucker guitar, and it has switchable coils..

But You all are saying good things about telecasters, now Im confused..
So Ill keep following this thread ! ; D

I don't usually play a short scale. I think I play Gibson scales the most. I've tried quite a few short scales and honestly, it's like this. I originally became interested in offsets from MBV, but the Mustang was the only offset I could afford at the time (this is when Mustangs were cheap) so I bought that. It was a '69 RI, MIJ, and my first nice guitar. I really enjoyed playing it but I still wanted a Jaguar. I eventually ended up trying a lot of Jags out and didn't really care for any of them, whereas Mustangs stayed my favorite.

At this point, I think I'm a Mustang fan more than I'm a short scale fan. Something about the Mustang just completely works for me, esp. the contoured body models. I love how the neck feels, and I love the unique pickup configuration that gives them their own voice. Although I use Strat pickups, they sound different (better) in a Mustang. Moreover, I have come to appreciate other things about it. I love how the tailpiece is so close to the bridge so I can use the vibrato without a bar. I also love how Competition Mustangs look.

A very underrated feature of the Mustang is the slanted neck pickup positioning. Sure, it contributes to the look, but to me, it makes the neck pickup much more useful. It gives it a tad bit more articulation. Moreover, it is not where the 24th fret would be, as it is on most other guitars, it is somewhere between where the middle and neck pickups would be on a Strat. That means that it just has a little more punch and allows for more harmonics in the sense that you can do the 5th fret harmonic on the upper strings and still have them work, whereas on a Strat, you can't use the neck pickup for that. As a result, I can stay on a Mustang neck pickup all night where on other guitars, I have to switch pickups depending on the situation. I've just gotten used to these kinds of things and when I go to other guitars, it just isn't quite the Mustang, and that makes it less fun for me.

So yeah, I play a short scale because Mustangs are the greatest guitars in the world for me. If Mustangs didn't exist, I'd be perfectly happy playing Gibson scales all day and every day.

The jag-Stang was my first shortscale but I never really played it. Surprisingly I played my Squier mini strat. The neck just felt so much more comfortable. I would probably really enjoy 22.5 scale. But lately I've been playing my teles and once in a while my compstang.