Nine-string guitar Nine-string guitar A nine-string guitar is a guitar with nine strings instead of the commonly used six strings. Such guitars are not as common as the six-string variety, but are used by guitarists to modify the sound or expand the range of their instrument. There are two common variations of the nine string guitar: The first style is often employed with three pairs of coursed strings similar to a twelve-string guitar. Often the three wound strings are single and the three thin strings are doubled to six strings. This allows dry power chords on the lower three and a more
Scale length (string instruments) maker. Antonio De Torres (1817–1892) used a scale length of 25.6 in (650 mm), and later makers have followed suit. However, from the mid- 20th Century luthiers seeking increased volume have moved to a 26 in (660mm) scale, which is now the standard for such leading makers as Ramirez. Unlike Stradivarius, Torres had no strong tradition on which to build regarding scale length, so the 25.6 in figure can be attributed to him with confidence. The steel-string acoustic guitar typically has a scale slightly shorter than the classical instrument, the most common scales ranging between "short scale" : 24 inches