If you think of an electric mando-cello what are your thoughts?
Four or eight strings?
What scale length?
I believe the scale length of an actual cello is about 27.3 inches for a full size cello down to about 22 inches for a 1/4 size cello.
As an electric guitar and bass maker, my frame of reference is that shorter scales become finicky when you depart from the average 22 to 25 inch scale length for pitches in the guitar range and 30 to 35 in the bass range. The higher pitched strings tolerate the shorter scale with increasing the string gauge but the lower pitch strings don't sound as commanding and true. When you get into shorter scale, the resonant qualities of the instrument's structure can make or break the quality of the tone. Some 22" scale guitars work while others don't regardless of setup and string geometry and the same applies to 30" scale basses.
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