Getting woods together for a 4 string solid body octave mandolin thing, it will be time soon to decide on a scale length. I'd like the shortest scale possible without causing a floppy G string.

I used to be under the impression that 19" was the shortest, that is until I saw Wayne Benson with his 17" in a video.

If 14.5" is the shortest for a 5 string electric mandolin C string (info from old MC threads), the 17" OM scale doesn't seem unreasonable.

So I'm trolling for opinions and experiences here. And what about string gauges? What say you?