Scale Length

[varkunus]

heya there just a general question, what affects how tight the strings feel. I mean on my SG it feels really tight, where as on my strat its really loose. And my strat feels easier to bend on, although surely having a 25.5 scale length it means more tension is needed to keep the string at the same pitch.

Could someone explain to me how it works, because the ibanez 1570 im thinking of getting is 25.5, and btw whats better a 3 peice wizzard neck or a 5 peice? I assume the 5 peices, but some websites say the nez is 3, and others say 5, could someone clarify, thanks!

[Will]

Age of strings, fret size, fretboard radius, length of string behind nut, length of string behind bridge that flexes etc can all change how the bend feels

does it matter, 3pc or 5? eithre way, its going to strong enough for whatever you do, you aren't going to be bending the neck or anything like Jake E Lee does, and I am guessing his was a one piece maple

[Fikealox]

Not to mention string gauge :D The angle that the strings go over the nut can affect the feel, too... eg: a strat without a string tree will feel looser.

Just like you said, the greater the string gauge, the more tension you need to get it to pitch; and the greater the string length, the more tension you need to get it to pitch. As for why, check out:

http://www.noyceguitars.com/Technotes/Articles/T3.html

[noodleplugerine]

String gague.

If there are 9s on the strat and 10s on the SG, the 1 inch increased scale length won't account for just how agile a set of 9s are.

[WezV]

some other things to consider:

i assume the strings in your strat are attached to a trem thats attached to some springs, and i guess the sg has a TOM -

excess string length  - the strat has more excess string behind  the nut on the high strings, this comes into play when bending


i wouldnt say there is much to destinguish a 3 or 5 piece neck - both give good stability.  For me when building 3 or 5 are both good choices that give me some control over how i want the guitar to sound... more than 5 tends to get a bit samey

[varkunus]

hhhm so on the ibanez im thinking of getting will it feel more like my squire or more like the epi?

[Transcend]

hhhm so on the ibanez im thinking of getting will it feel more like my squire or more like the epi?

the ibanez will feel quite different to both imho

it will feel smoother and the neck will feel faster, also i've never had problems with bends on ibanez,

To put it simply ibanez play like nothing else, theyre quite unique feel wise

[Antag]

Fretboard radius has an impact on how bends feel too.

The Ibanez will have a very flat radius (16" - maybe even 17") so really big bends will feel easier than either a strat (9½" IIRC) or Gibson (12" I think) all other things being equal

The strings on the SG most likely feel "tighter" than the strat due to being heavier gauge and/or higher action offsetting the shorter scale length...

[varkunus]

no thats the strange thing my epi has flatter radius, lower action and same guage (9-42) which is why i was thown. But the epi feels really tight, its strange. Also i find with the epi the fretboard is almost sticky, even after thouroughly cleaning it with 0000 grade wool. And get ive never cleaned my squires board is it seems smoother. The board on the epi almost look like ebony, as in its darker and the grain is smaler. So how can this be?

[Will]

How old are the strings though?
older strings = tighter

[varkunus]

no the strings on my squire are like 5 months :p cause i dont usually play it, but was doing some floyd so needed that neck sound, and it does sound pretty close to a fender. And my epi strings are never older than around 1 months, also what about the nut. Whats difference does that make

And my epis headstock is bent if that makes a difference