stratman50th
September 11th, 2006, 01:14 PM
This is a very good post by dmt on playability and neck sizes, and scale length. A perfect thread for Trade Secrets.Thanks dmt!
A Les Paul might seem like a big, bad machine, but in fact the Lester is more suitable for those with smaller hands and fingers. A Les Paul (and most other Gibson electrics) have a 24 3/4" scale length (actually 5/8ths, but anyway...), whereas a Strat (or Tele, for that matter) has a 25 1/2" scale length. What that means from a hand and finger-size perspective is that the frets are farther apart on a Strat than they are on a Les Paul, and thus chords and lead patterns require a greater distance between your fingers. For those with really short fingers, stretches that might be impossible on a Strat come within reach on a shorter scale guitar like a Les Paul. Other stretches that might be just possible on a Strat can cause strain (which can lead, over time to tendonitis and other over-use injuries). Chords that require big stretches might be difficult to play cleanly (to play all the notes of the chord clearly, without inadvertently muffling any string adjecent to your target strings/frets).
In addition, the nut width on a Strat is wider than on a Les Paul. A quick measurement of my Strat here shows a nut width of 43.5mm, whereas my Les Paul shows 42.5mm.
Basically, they're both guitars and almost anybody should be able to play either one, but the Les Paul neck is slightly smaller in both length and width, with the frets slightly closer together. This makes it slightly easier for those with small hands to play.
All that doesn't necessarily mean you can't play a Strat! If you are more attracted to Strats (which you say you are), by all means check them out for yourself. Not all Strats have the same neck profile, so try a few (they all have the same scale length and nut width, but the amount and profile [shape] of the wood on the back of the neck varies and can make a difference to someone with small hands). You will probably (I don't know just how small your hands are) be able to find a Strat you can play just fine. If you can't, you should then probably look into a shorter scale guitar (at least 24 3/4", or even smaller). You might start with the 24 3/4" Fender Cyclone (http://www.fender.com/products/search.php?partno=0130600304), or the even shorter 24" scale length models, the Jaguar (http://www.fender.com/products/search.php?partno=0100900800) and Mustang (http://www.fender.com/products/search.php?partno=0273706554).
A Les Paul might seem like a big, bad machine, but in fact the Lester is more suitable for those with smaller hands and fingers. A Les Paul (and most other Gibson electrics) have a 24 3/4" scale length (actually 5/8ths, but anyway...), whereas a Strat (or Tele, for that matter) has a 25 1/2" scale length. What that means from a hand and finger-size perspective is that the frets are farther apart on a Strat than they are on a Les Paul, and thus chords and lead patterns require a greater distance between your fingers. For those with really short fingers, stretches that might be impossible on a Strat come within reach on a shorter scale guitar like a Les Paul. Other stretches that might be just possible on a Strat can cause strain (which can lead, over time to tendonitis and other over-use injuries). Chords that require big stretches might be difficult to play cleanly (to play all the notes of the chord clearly, without inadvertently muffling any string adjecent to your target strings/frets).
In addition, the nut width on a Strat is wider than on a Les Paul. A quick measurement of my Strat here shows a nut width of 43.5mm, whereas my Les Paul shows 42.5mm.
Basically, they're both guitars and almost anybody should be able to play either one, but the Les Paul neck is slightly smaller in both length and width, with the frets slightly closer together. This makes it slightly easier for those with small hands to play.
All that doesn't necessarily mean you can't play a Strat! If you are more attracted to Strats (which you say you are), by all means check them out for yourself. Not all Strats have the same neck profile, so try a few (they all have the same scale length and nut width, but the amount and profile [shape] of the wood on the back of the neck varies and can make a difference to someone with small hands). You will probably (I don't know just how small your hands are) be able to find a Strat you can play just fine. If you can't, you should then probably look into a shorter scale guitar (at least 24 3/4", or even smaller). You might start with the 24 3/4" Fender Cyclone (http://www.fender.com/products/search.php?partno=0130600304), or the even shorter 24" scale length models, the Jaguar (http://www.fender.com/products/search.php?partno=0100900800) and Mustang (http://www.fender.com/products/search.php?partno=0273706554).