effect of string length

[Earl Norton]

Does anyone here have a feeling for the net effect of a longer string length? what would be the effect of more string above the nut and behind the bridge with the scale length remaining the same? (all other things being equal). Speculations also welcome.

[Joe Bee]

The longer the string the closer it is to an ideal string, i.e. there will be less nonlinear effects from the stiffness of the string and the overtones will be in tune to the fundamental etc. Ever noticed how the open e string sounds a lot nicer than the same pitch on the low E string in the 24th fret?
Probably the harmonic spectrum will also change, since on a short, fat string the harmonics will dissipate their energy more quickly. This will probably give the impression of morea attak, or a more precussive sound. Of course this is also true for the fundamental to some degree, so the longer string will probably have more sustain.

I dont think there would be any effect of having more string behind the nut, except you make it long enough that it would have a pitch similar to the original string. Then it would resonate and probably make the sound richer, some early violin-type instruments used to have extra strings that were not played but would just resonate with the other strings.

[Sock Puppet]

I would think that the string tension would increase, increasing pressure on the nut/bridge (a good thing) but what I can't visualise is how string bending is going to change though I imagine the string would better "return to pitch".

Interesting,

S.

[Mark Hammer]

Two questions, really. One about overall string length, and one about length of the freely vibrating portion of the string.

A string is a vibrating body whose continued vibration and whose capacity to produce harmonics (vibrations within vibrations) depends on the degree to which it is self-damping. In other words, think about all those things that would impair the strings ability to keep vibrating.

One of them is certainly the tension placing on the string. Too much, and it self-damps. Too little and its vibrational energy dissipates quickly too. Some suggest that by reducing the angle at which the string rests at either the nut or saddle (which often, though not always, implies more string on the headstock side of the nut and tailpiece side of the saddle), one reduces some of the self-damping, and the string is allowed to vibrate more freely. The influence of saddle-to-tailpiece angle/distance is maintained for most notes, but the tuning-key-to-nut distance/angle essentially washes out the moment you fret a note, I would think.

Certainly, as a string is shortened going up the fretboard, a few things happen. Like any object that gets shorter, its compliance (ability to bend) decreases, increasing self-damping and reducing the capacity and flexibility to produce harmonics. This is true of both wound and unwound strings, but certainly more true of wound ones. To my mind, self-damping is also increased by virtue of the changing angle at which the string sits on the fret when fretted, and the increasing influence the fretting finger plays in damping the string, compared to the influence the fret has in maintaining anchored free movement. So, as string length increases, one would expect that you'd still have some capacity for harmonics retained a little further up the fingerboard than normal.