How do you like the XL scale length?

Zeek · #1 11-07-2002, 11:18 PM

I'm just about to pull the trigger on a 7421XL (you'll probly never hear from me again cuz the wife will slaughter me but....) Please tell me about the extended scale lenghth. Love it? Hate it? Barely noticable? Beneficial? Too hard to deal with at the nut? String tension a plus? Should i even think about a 7321 (non XL Korean) or not?

You know, i feel bad about constantly bugging you guys here, but dudes, you're all i got. I live out in the toolies and have a) no place to actually play these guitars, and b) no one else to talk to about it. Besides, i'm an old fart and you should feel sorry for me

Wound · #2 11-08-2002, 06:34 PM

I would have to say I love it! The string tension is perfect (I use 010 - 065 strings), after playing my XL the strings feel REALLY floppy on my other 7's, but since I do not have huge hands I do have problems playing some riffs I made on my other sevens cause my fingers just don't extend that far, but once I got used to it, I don't even really notice it anymore.
It plays beautifully!

Kim

germX · #3 11-08-2002, 09:16 PM

very nice single note definition

however, i find it lethargy-inducing when playing fast.

Zeek · #4 11-08-2002, 10:12 PM

Are you saying it's tiring to play fast on it?

caprile · #5 11-08-2002, 10:16 PM

First of all, it IS very noticeable.

I personally hate XL necks. They feel very uncomfortable for me, and I don't really notice such a big difference in note definition

darren wilson · #6 11-08-2002, 10:22 PM

Wow, Kim... you play .010 to .065? I thought my GHS Boomers were heavy at .010 to .060! But i have to say, being a player of 9-42s my whole life, the transition to 10s was really easy, and they're perfect on my Dean.

I'd love to try an XL myself... i've got rather long fingers, so it might be just fine for me. But some of the chords i play are already a bit of a stretch on the 25.5" scale, so 27" might be a bit extreme, given the amount of time i tend to play down in the first position.

Zeek · #7 11-09-2002, 03:14 PM

I see the Ibanez site shows the 7421XL as a "Prestige" model. Is that right? What all makes a Prestige model, besides a higher price tag?

trajectory fish · #8 11-09-2002, 03:24 PM

i think mostly the level of tlc that they put into the neck and frets. . .

Moonchild · #9 11-09-2002, 07:18 PM

Today I played a L.A. custom designed RG6 CSD 2. This one has the XL neck, but only six strings.
I liked the extra tension, because I tend to strike my strings quite firmly.
I'm no 7-string player, but I tried some 7's today, from the RG series. And man, I would NEVER buy a 7 stringer (except Universe, which I like a lot) which doesnt have the XL neck, the strings were so floppy.
The strange thing is, that the UV's didnt really have this overly-floppy feel to them.

germX · #10 11-10-2002, 01:32 AM

i personally tried the XL alongside the Universe. for some peculiar reason, the XL has better single note definition- could it be due to its slightly more maple from the neck? minute difference this one...

zeek, you can still play fast on this one but IMO, i need to stretch more...

Zeek · #11 11-10-2002, 10:21 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by germX

zeek, you can still play fast on this one but IMO, i need to stretch more...

That's what i thought you meant. I'm NO shredder by any "stretch" so it won't really affect me in that respect. I've been playing bass for some time so i'm used to big stretches there. Hoping that'll help the curve some.

Jim Soloway · #12 11-10-2002, 07:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by darren wilson

Wow, Kim... you play .010 to .065? I thought my GHS Boomers were heavy at .010 to .060! But i have to say, being a player of 9-42s my whole life, the transition to 10s was really easy, and they're perfect on my Dean.

I'd love to try an XL myself... i've got rather long fingers, so it might be just fine for me. But some of the chords i play are already a bit of a stretch on the 25.5" scale, so 27" might be a bit extreme, given the amount of time i tend to play down in the first position.

I recently picked up a 7421XL. I have a custom instrument on the way and I bought this one just to get used to the 27 inch scale. I have it strung .012 to .072 tuned with the six basic string in standard tuning and the low string tuned to an A. I play a lot of complicated jazz chords and after about 2 days, I was able to reach pretty much anything I could on a 25.5 inch scale. The low string both articulates and intonates much better than on a standard scale length. I think it's a much more natural scale length for a 7 string.