5-string scale length

[rico mando]

upon inquiring the scale length of a 5 string emando - i was told that it was a 14in scale length which " is preferred for the darker tone " than the 14.5 scale .

Any thoughts ? agree or disagree ?

I own one of each scale and i prefer the 14.5 Ryder but it is also the better mando as my 14 scale is a fender FM60e

[Ed Goist]

Rico, very interesting you should ask this!
While researching for my current e-mando custom build, I posed this very question to several builders and got a wide range of responses. Here they are:

Builder 1: "I recommend a longer 14.5" scale on electric mandolins because it give a fuller tone and the E string doesn't sound tinny."

Builder 2: "If you are in standard mando tuning a longer scale actually works against you in the "beef" dept. Here's why:
The less tension on a string the more it vibrates (larger orbit) ...the more it vibrates the louder it is because the magnets "read" vibrations ....(This is also why the E string is weak on some emandos..high tension, low mass)....Ideally the scale length would need to be shorter to "beef" up the output...because this would loosen the tension thus strings vibrate more...
When you stretch the scale length the tension is higher ..if it's tuned to standard and gauges are the same. so more tension means less vibration...less output."

Builder 3: "This is mostly a set-up/electronics issue, and doesn't have anything to do with scale length or string gauge...Many of the pickups on emandos just aren't placed in the right position. On one or more strings they will sound dull or dead. Because of the lower gauge, this dullness is most obvious on the E string. Other issues are weak pick-ups and improper pick-up height....Also, most of the amps these emandos are played through aren't set-up EQ-wise for the mandolin range. So I think these problems aren't due to the scale, but due to engineering, set-up and amplification."

So, I have no idea!

[Travis Wilson]

This conversation really takes us into physics, doesn't it?

It seems Builder 1 offers an opinion based upon his ear, which is most likely due to how he sets up his instruments.

Regarding Builder 2, there were a lot of things that just did not sound correct. I dug out my old physics texts and looked-up some old equations. From my physics book, frequency = (1/2*L)*(sqrt(T/mu)). L=length, T=tension, mu=linear density So--if everything else is held constant: 1.) a longer string produces a lower frequency. 2.) a lower tension produces a lower frequency. 3.) a lighter string (lower string density) produces a higher frequency. If a string is plucked producing waveforms (with the associated fundamentals), then that waveform will produce a certain frequency. The the string should vibrate at said frequency. In other words, if you want frequency x, you will manipulate the tension, length and density to produce the waveform you desire. Even more simply, one string should not "vibrate" more than another if set-ups are different but designed to produce the same frequency. Phweew,...that kind of hurt, and I hope I got it right. College physics was a long time ago.

In the end, I think Builder 3 has it correct.

[Tom Wright]

Having spent some time with a 14.5" scale on my 10-string I would probably choose that for 5 now. But I do fine with 14". It's like Gibson and Fender electrics, slightly different tone, slightly different ease of fingering.

Definitely no fanned frets for me; I want the same ease of fingering on the low strings as on the higher ones.

[thistle3585]

I am guessing that I am builder #1 and I would rephrase that to say that I think a standard mandolin scale has too "piercing" of a tone on the E string and as you go up the neck it becomes more of a "plinking" tone. How is that for technical jargon?

I agree with #3 in that it has a lot to do with pickups and amps and not so much with #2, but primarily because its difficult to get a decent C string tension on a standard scale. Regardless, I think most builders travel a little bit of a different road to get to where their going and its up to you to decide whether you like where they have ended up.

[craig.collas]

the two problems I can see are the c string being muddy- solved by longer string scale
the e string being too bright - solved by a shorter scale
This observation is based on the difference between a strat tone and the standard gibbo and this difference is quite pronounced in the shorter scale fender jobs as well.

[John L]

Mine is actually in between - 14-5/16". I found it quite a manageable transition from an 8 string. Not a lot of thought went into this - the builder had a jig for doing the fret slots that resulted in this scale length.

[mandroid]

My P5 Pentaula is a 15" scale , I have it stringed heavy-gage and tune it as a GDAEB, an octave an down.
transposition in my tired brain was easier . as sold, they promoted a lighter strung arrangement,
then it's tuned AEBF#C#.. very key of Emaj friendly.

Fan fret combines the best of both worlds.. this thing has parallel frets .