Changing scale length

[St Drogo]

Hi. I was wondering if, theoretically, one could just simply switch out a regular 34' neck for one with shorter scale and play it without problems. I suspect you'd be changing the tone slightly too, due to the pickups being located under a different section of the strings (a bit more towards the neck, relative to where they were on the longer neck).

I ask because I have a longscale ric copy i love the tone of, but due to the neck protruding outward a bit more than the original is a bit unwieldy. It has neckdive and overall feels just an annoyingly little bit 'off'. It has a set neck so I understand actually replacing it with a different one might be unpractical, not worth the time or money and simply difficult (I'm not a luthier at all), I just wonder if it's even theoretically possible.

So say you have a bolt on neck, and don't care about the change in tone (which may be minimal), could it be done? Or would you run into insurmountable problems with tuning it or intonating it?

[Hopkins]

Originally Posted by St Drogo

Hi. I was wondering if, theoretically, one could just simply switch out a regular 34' neck for one with shorter scale and play it without problems. I suspect you'd be changing the tone slightly too, due to the pickups being located under a different section of the strings (a bit more towards the neck, relative to where they were on the longer neck).

I ask because I have a longscale ric copy i love the tone of, but due to the neck protruding outward a bit more than the original is a bit unwieldy. It has neckdive and overall feels just an annoyingly little bit 'off'. It has a set neck so I understand actually replacing it with a different one might be unpractical, not worth the time or money and simply difficult (I'm not a luthier at all), I just wonder if it's even theoretically possible.

So say you have a bolt on neck, and don't care about the change in tone (which may be minimal), could it be done? Or would you run into insurmountable problems with tuning it or intonating it?

The bridge would also have to be moved more forward on the body.

[mrbell321]

More specifically, the distance from the nut to the 12th fret(determined by the neck) should be the same as the distance from the bridge to the 12th fret(generally determined by the placement of the bridge. but also the neck pocket and possibly the neck)

[St Drogo]

Of course. This is exactly the info i was clumsily looking for, thanks. Seems really obvious now.

Though i'd be curious to hear what would happen if i did not move the bridge. The frets would all be too much towards the nut, relatively speaking, which i'm guessing would make their individual spacing out of whack. So would every fretted note simply sound lower than intended?

[Geoff St. Germaine]

If you're installing a new, custom built neck, there is no requirement for the bridge to move. The new nut needs to land at 32" (+intonation) from the current bridge. On your current neck, this is approximately where the 1st fret is located (1st fret on 34" scale is ~1.9" from the but).

[macmanlou]

Originally Posted by St Drogo

So say you have a bolt on neck, and don't care about the change in tone (which may be minimal), could it be done? Or would you run into insurmountable problems with tuning it or intonating it?

It certainly can be done, but for neck dive you could try using a non-slip strap - or you could install a strap button on the back of the peghead. Remember that you'll be using different strings with the shorter scale. Your 34" scale strings would have different tension on a 32" scale. You could put a capo at the second fret of your current neck and detune the bass to EADG - that would give you some idea of how you would be changing tone and tension.