Hi, I just put my american standard on my mexi strat body. I was told that the scale length wouldnt change but now when I measure from nut to the middle of the bridge i get 26". Any ideas?

measure from the fretboard side of the nut to the center of the metal of the 12th fret. Double that figure and theres your scale length.

Scale length is breakpoint at nut to breakpoint at saddle average across all six strings when as near perfectly intonated as possible. The measurement from nut to C12th fret is the theoretical scale length.

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No no and no

That doesnt make sense. That means Any neck can fit on any guitar without changing scale.

No it doesn't. i think what Niki was meaning, is you need to measure the length from Nut to crown of 12th fret. If it isn't exactly half your length from Nut to (average,) center of bridge then you have a wrong scale neck on your guitar.

It is my understanding ( and experience,) that all Strats are the same scale length. I have done the swap you speak of a couple times, and never had a change in scale length.

Where did you get the American neck? Was it off an existing guitar you own, or was it from ebay or something?

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I'm not an expert, but I play one on the internet.

I think it's just fine.

String it up and see if you can get it intonated.

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Member #26797
My other guitar is a Strat.

How does it mean that? What doesnt make sense about it. Your guitars scale length is from nut to 12th fret center doubled, end of story. Its not nut to bridge as the break points are the saddles which are invariably set at different lengths from the nut to compensate for different string mass's. Which break point under which gauge string do you pick to measure, they will all measure differently. Thats why you have to reintonate when you change string gauge. If its center of the bridge then a telecaster would have a scale length of roughly 24" as the bridge is 3" long and encompasses the bridge pickup. What about bigsby equipped guitars or trapeizoid equipped hollowbody jazzers?

If your setting a bridge in place you need to be measuring your length to the High E allowing a decent amount of forward saddle travel but favour that saddle as being the most foward seated. With a set of 10's i've found the high e saddles peak is bang on 25 1/2". On a vintage style trem the front edge of the baseplate sits at exactly 25 1/32" from the nut, which gives you a center of the trem as 25 3/4". Dont ask me what a 2 point sits at i havent fitted one in donkeys years.

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No no and no

Whatever . Well it works so I dont care.

I understand his question, niki. The scale of a neck and a body can be different, IF one is talking about a non-Fender body (like some Agile or SX so-called "strat" copy). Doubling the length from the nut to the 12th fret center gives you the scale of the neck.

Once the neck is sitting in a body's pocket, the neck's scale better equal double the distance from the 12 fret to the high E saddle break-point.

I bet you are always dealing with Fender bodies, niki, so that issue doesn't come up!

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Member #26797
My other guitar is a Strat.

The question is, does it intonate? If you can get it pretty much in tune along its whole length, some discrepancy might just be due to manufacturing tolerances. If it's the one you just posted, it looks really really good like that.

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I'm not an expert, but I play one on the internet.

I'll bet you bought your tape measure at Lowes!