Compensation for short scale

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kominak

Posts: 135
Joined: Apr. 20 2010

Compensation for short scale

Hello,

I'd like to ask about bridge placement vs scale length. When building my #1, which has 660mm scale, I used compensation as per Anders' recommendation: 1mm for treble side and 1,5mm for bridge side (resulting in 661 / 661,5mm scale length).
I'm building small Torres-style guitar now, which has much shorter scale (604mm). Can I use the same compensation or should it be more/less?

Many thanks,
Martin

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Martin Kominak
Slovakia

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Jun. 21 2017 10:59:21

Stephen Eden

Posts: 914
Joined: Apr. 12 2008
From: UK

RE: Compensation for short scale (in reply to kominak)

Yeah no problem. I've recently made a 570mm with a flat 1.5mm compensation with no problems.

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Classical and Flamenco Guitars www.EdenGuitars.co.uk

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Jun. 21 2017 11:33:39

Njål Bendixen

Posts: 65
Joined: Aug. 25 2016

RE: Compensation for short scale (in reply to kominak)

Classicals require a little bit more compensation than flamecas, because on a classical there is a little bit more string height, thus more need for compensation. Just one more thing to consider (and confuse).

I have always scaled scale length and compensation up or down by the same factor. Eg if I increased the scale length by a factor of 1.01539; then I would also increase the compensation by a factor of 1.01539.

Scale 650mm x 1.01539= 660mm.
Compensation 2mm x 1.01539= 2.094mm

As you can see it is almost not enough to make a practical difference.

One thing to remember: The scale length is the theoretical uncompensated string length, so if you change the amount of compensation, but you leave the frets and the nut be, then you have not changed the scale length, only the vibrating string length.

Njål

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Jun. 21 2017 19:25:09

Anders Eliasson

Posts: 5780
Joined: Oct. 18 2006

RE: Compensation for short scale (in reply to kominak)

To make a really good compensation, its better to make it a tad shorter than longer. That way you can do the final adjustment in the saddle-bone. Thats impossible if the saddle-bone is to far behind.
I have never done a guitar with such a short scale, so I would just do as SEden wrote. flat 1 - 1,5mm depending wheather its a flamenco or classical setup.

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REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Jun. 22 2017 6:40:17