Is there a Hamer with Gibby scale length?

[zorrow]

(...)

I used to have a late -70's Guild S-60D and S-300D (the 'bellbottom' models) with the 24 fret neck and Gibson-length scale. I didn't like them, gimme 22 fret anyday. I prefer having that pickup under that harmonic area, regardless of what Ed Roman says.

I knew it was a matter of time for someone here to explain why Ed Roman might be wrong.

[velorush]

I'll just throw in a little more detail to muck this up even more: many of Gibson's big jazz guitars (the 17" lower bout or wider guitars, think L5, Super 400, etc.) usually have 25 1/2" scales (noted exception being Uncle Ted's (the Nuge) old Byrdlands - 23 1/2"). The Johnny Smith model (kind of like a thinner depth L5 with floating P/U(s)) uses a 25" scale.

Gibson scale confusion aside, there is a marked difference between the neck P/U on my Phantom (24.75" scale) and the neck on my Strat (25.5" scale), but I still haven't decided how much of that is due to scale length, or due to maple vs. RW fretboard, alder vs. mahogany body, Texas Specials vs. DiMarzio P/Us... Given all those differences, the scale length probably is the least of the factors guitar to guitar.

My Gibson (with the lower string tension) is absolutely easier to note and bend than the Strat. I have remarked to one of the guys I play with that, after playing the Fender for a long time and picking up the Gibson, it feels like cheating. I read where Joe Bonamassa (who has switched from mostly Fenders to mostly Gibsons) has upped his string gauge to 11's to compensate for tension and harmonic content. I thought I'd try that on my Gibson as soon as I finish this box of 10's.

Edited to add: there was an article on scale length in one of the magazines in the past few months. It seems like it was Guitar Player, but I can't seem to lay hands on it. I'll keep looking if anyone is interested. The conclusion was that neither was better or worse, just different, but they did have a few tips for compensating for the differences.

[mfreyer]

(...)

I used to have a late -70's Guild S-60D and S-300D (the 'bellbottom' models) with the 24 fret neck and Gibson-length scale. I didn't like them, gimme 22 fret anyday. I prefer having that pickup under that harmonic area, regardless of what Ed Roman says.

I knew it was a matter of time for someone here to explain why Ed Roman might be wrong.

Ed Roman has a very valid argument.....

.....if you confine yourself to only playing open strings.

[HSB0531]

Scale References:

Gibson = 24.75"

Fender = 25.5"

Hamer Standard, Artist, Improv, Monaco Elite, & Special are all 24.75"

Hamer Monaco Subtone is 26.5", while the Talladega, Monaco, & Monaco SuperPro are all 25.5".

[MTM105]

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