I've been building quite a few shorter scale guitars recently, mostly 23" scale, but just starting on a 21" scale guitar. I'm wondering if there is a formula or just string suggestions for these scales? If I use a recommended string diameter made for a standard scale, then do I size up or down for a shorter scale? I am building both 3 and 4-stringers. Here in Hawaii people seem to like the shorter scale - maybe because of the familiarity of the ukulele.
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I built a 17&1/2 inch scale headless 3 stringer recently and it's great fun to mess around with. I throw it into my rucksack whenever I head out of the house it's just so versatile. I used a 1 3 4 on it but I tend to tune my CBGs different from everyone else with my thinnest and middle tuned to the fifths and my bass strung tuned to fourths if that makes any sense.
I will say though that having a really small instrument that you don't need to care about is great at parties. Everyone wants to try it out, even the non-musicians. I think because it's so small that people are not afraid of it. They hear it and they don't mind if they sound rubbish on it because it looks like a child's toy. Of course it's not and in a musician's hands it can kick a tune just like any other instrument.
It was really fun to build this small and I found out that it was easier to set string action as the strings don't need as much space for vibration circumference (I don't know the right term for this). I did think about putting heavier strings on it but decided that because every small instrument for hundreds of years has thin high pitched strings then people must know more about this stuff than I do.
Here's a photo of it
Love it!
That's a real nice git there Fomhorach.
Thanks
That's cool Fomhorach. I'm with you on the lighter strings for a short scale. I've tried heavier strings on my 18" and they just sound dull. I think uke strings work great in this type of situation too.
I'm interested in this tuning of yours. When I hear 134, I think (if G is the tonic) - GBC. But when you talk about the fifths and fourths, I'm not so sure that's what you're doing. Could you expand on that a bit?
I think that Fomhorach meant he used the #1, #3, and #4 strings from a pack and he tunes it 1-4-8 ( G C g )
OK it's like this on most of my 3 stringers..
I tune it backwards from thin to thick because I never want to tune my thin so high that it breaks but for talking sake I will describe it from thick to thin because it's easier.
I come 5 frets down on my thickest (a fourth) for the note of my middle string. Then from my middle string I come 7 frets down (a fifth) for the note on my thinnest. So the the thickest and thinnest are an octave apart.
This is similar to most turnings I've seen for CBGs but kinda upside down.
It's not that unusual and CBGs are tuned in all sorts of ways.
I sometimes tune it all fifths or all fourths for a bit of fun and reverse it to play normal YouTube CBG how too's.
There really is only 4 standard 'tuning patterns' for 3 stringers but I've seen many non standard (downright strange) string tunings including all the same note right down the 3 strings.
Edit.. I take back my "4 standard ways" statement.. Lol. I'm sitting here thinking of at least another 5 simply based on the way a normal guitar is tuned.
Anywhoo..
Now I gotcha. That's a tuning I've been using lately and trying to think like a shamisen player. Yep, it's a good one that doesn't seem to be used very much for CBG, but it's so easy to get to from standard 151 tuning. Thanks for the explanation.
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