Scale length, tuning, and string tension.

[honeyiscool]

So I've been playing around with this formula I found on D'Addario's website:

T (Tension) = (UW x (2 x L x F)^2) / 386.4.

This gives you Tension in pounds, given Unit Weight, Length of scale, and Frequency of a string.

Anyway, the important thing in this formula is the (2 x L x F)^2 factor.

So here's the pertinent information we can get from the formula. Let's say we start out with an E string at 35.2 pounds of tension, which is the tension of a .095 Chrome Flat Wound.

Going from 34" to 32" and tuning to E, you are now at 31.2 pounds of tension.

Going from 34" to 30" and tuning to E, you are now at 27.4 pounds of tension.

Now, let's suppose that we're in the 34" scale length here. Going from E to Eb, you're now at 31.4 pounds of tension. Going from E to D, you're now at 27.9 pounds of tension.

It makes you kind of realize, anyone who complains about short or medium scales not having enough string tension to sound good yet regularly plays with a low D is kind of talking out of their behind.

Of course, there's the issue that 30 scales won't tune to D very well, since the same string would only have 21.8 pounds of tension at that point. So that is an issue to consider.

It seems that with D'Addario's lineup, generally you need 105s on a short scale to reach the string tension of 95s on a 34" scale. The more you know!