Long Necks and Big Bottoms - The 27 Inch Scale
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The 27-inch scale length is
probably the most important design element to the Soloway Swan guitars, and the
elongated neck that results from longer scale length is the inspiration for the
model name "The Swan".
The scale length (the
distance from the nut to the bridge) is a critical characteristic of the design
of any guitar. The shorter 24 ¾-inch scale length that is typical of
Gibson guitars make string easier to bend and contribute to the rich tone.
The longer 25 ½-inch scale length of Fender guitars help provide the twang and
snap that has made them so useful for country players and the bite that has made
them a staple of R&B. When PRS first rose to prominence, one of the
characteristics that set them apart was a then unique 25 inch-scale length that
emphasized mid-range tones and provided a compromise between the traditional
Gibson and Fender formulae.
The 27-inch scale length of the Swan produces a remarkable level of clarity, presence, and articulation that most guitarists have never experienced. When playing a Swan, the notes just seem to jump off the instrument.
The
Swan Long Neck guitars are not baritones. While
they can be very effective in lowered tunings, they are designed to be played at
standard pitch.
Even
with the longer scale length, the Swan was designed to be a very player friendly
guitar. A very thin neck profile, a
flat fingerboard radius and extra large frets make the Swan extremely easy to
play, so easy in fact that most people don’t even notice the extra length.
Difficult chords
and intervals are still easy to reach, even at the bottom of the neck.
The
7-string models get an even greater benefit from the longer scale length.
Most 7-string guitars present a choice between two compromises.
Either the added string is too loose, producing a muddy tone and poor
articulation, or the string has to be too heavy which makes it both much louder
than the other six strings and causes intonation issues at the bottom of the
neck. The longer scale length of
the Swan LN eliminates this compromise and allows the use of a string that
produces a balanced tension and volume with the other 6 strings while also
providing tonal clarity and proper intonation.