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I'm building a 24" scale steel string. Do I need to adjust the saddle compensation?

If so, how do I calculate that?

Neil

Yes, you will need to compensate. Try Stewmac's fret position calculator. It is straight forward and should get you close. Here's the link: http://www.stewmac.com/FretCalculator

Aaron

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Aaron Craig

I have some numbers on compensation for scale lengths of 24" , 25" and 25.5". I will dig them up in the shop today and post them later.

M

On my 24" scale length guitars I add 1/32" to the amount of compensation that I use on my 25.5" scale length guitars. This has worked well for me.

M

You add more compensation on the shorter scale guitar?

Yes, more compensation on shorter scales. The shorter strings sharp out more when fretted than longer strings.

M

Hey, glad I asked. I would have thought less compensation too.

Thanks M.

That's certainly been my experience as well. The Stew Mac calculator seems to do the opposite. Any idea what's going on there?

Another thing that really helps with shorter scales is shortening the distance from the nut to the first fret. It helps prevent the first 2 or 3 frets from playing sharp.

I actually do this on all my guitars regardless of the scale length. I take off about .020" on scale lengths over 25" and .030 on scale lengths of 25" or less.

I also recommend tuners with at least 16:1 gear ratios on scales less than 25". 18:1 or 21:1 is better. Tuning a short string with a 12:1 tuner can be really touchy.

M

+1 to a bit of shortening at the nut end. You can always add some length back by shaping the nut, but much more annoying to try to shorten it (which I think my first one, 24.75" scale, needs). On my last one (25.5") I cut it 1/16" short and added some nut compensation ramps, which seems to have helped.

It does confuse things for the measure-nut-to-12th-fret-and-multiply-by-two method of finding scale length, however.