Gibson Melody
Sunday, July 31st, 2011
What’s the difference between a guitar with less frets and a guitar with more?
I’d like to buy a Gibson Melody Maker but obviously it’s got a shorter scale then the majority of guitar so does this make a difference? Are chords all the same?
Im going to disagree with everyones answer… but only parts of Adams.
Different scales effect 2 things on the guitar. The scale is the length of string used between the nut and the bridge. Changing the scale of the string in use changes the layout of the frets as well as the tension of the string in use.
Additionally, the 21 fret and 22 fret guitars are typically the same scale. For example, Fender MIM strats come with a 21 fret neck and the MIA strats come with a 22 fret neck. The only difference in the necks is that the freboard actually hangs over the body a little bit. This negates the reasoning for having the pickup under the 24th fret because in either situation the pickup can still be located there.
However, a common misconception about having a pickup at the 24th fret which is referred to as a harmonic node is…
The argument that Adam raised would be true. The 24th fret is a harmonic node, which is a location where the string has a harmonic and is an equal division of the string (this would be the 25% mark. However, this is untrue because the harmonic node is only a factor when the string is played in an open position. As soon as you fret a note, the harmonic node on the string changes. You can see this if you play the harmonic note on the 12th fret and then fret the F# (2nd fret) and now look for where that harmonic is. Now its fret 14. Well, the same applies for the 24th fret. That would be the sweet spot if you never fretted a string. But since we do fret strings to make chords and play notes, the arguement for a sweet spot is irrelevant.
The reason for having a pickup in the neck position is because the string moves in a wider elliptical pattern and makes a different sound and tone at that position. The note is still the same, but the tone is different. For an example of that, try picking a note near the bridge, and then pick the same note closer to the neck. Its a lot smoother and warmer near the neck and twangy near the bridge.
The chords on any guitar are the same as long as you tune the guitar the same. A shorter scale pushes the frets closer together and may make it easier for people with smaller hands, or even to make a longer reach if you have larger hands.
Edit: Also, there are also some guitars with more than 24 frets. Ibanez just put out 2 guitars with extended freboards. One is the Xiphos XPT700 which I think goes up to 27 frets. They had another one at NAMM that went even higher if I remember correctly. Michael Angelo Batio also has a few guitars that go higher as well. And I think ESP came out with a guitar with more frets as well.
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