run strings on top of tail piece (les paul)

[the crush 36]

i have 3 lespaul guitars 2 classics and 1 custom what is the puprose of running strings thru front and over top of tail piece i see alot of people that do this or see it in alot pictures zakk wyldes les pauls are set up like this whats the difference thanks

 

[tripstan]

Its suppose to give a looser feel in the string tension and more sustain.

 

[university81]

can also reduce spring breakage by reducing the angle from the stopbar to the bridge from what i've understood

 

[SFW]

It gives the strings a looser feel. I do this to make 11s feel more like 10s. It changes the angle that the strings come over the bridge at, therefore relieving some of the tension. I only do this on my guitars when I have 11s or higher on them.

 

[billm408]

I've been top wrapping my LP's for as long as I've been playing. I honestly don't notice more sustain having the pole pieces tightened down to the body, but understand it intellectually. I just like the slinkier feel and haven't broken a string in years.

 

[rlord1974]

Its suppose to give.....more sustain.

Don't quite understand why there would be any more sustain? It's not like the string is vibrating behind the bridge anyways, so the angle it crosses over the bridge saddles shouldn't affect the instrument's sustain.....

 

[Anonymous]

Its suppose to give.....more sustain.

Don't quite understand why there would be any more sustain? It's not like the string is vibrating behind the bridge anyways, so the angle it crosses over the bridge saddles shouldn't affect the instrument's sustain.....

i would guess people assume this because more of the string is in touch with the TP, therefore more energy transfer.

YMMV though. i notice a bump in sustain, but i also use graph tech saddles.

 

[Shawn Lutz]

Some folks do it for feel and tone. Some do it to change the angle just enough so the string doesn't hit the back of the bridge when the tail piece is flush with the body.

 

[billm408]

Its suppose to give.....more sustain.

Don't quite understand why there would be any more sustain? It's not like the string is vibrating behind the bridge anyways, so the angle it crosses over the bridge saddles shouldn't affect the instrument's sustain.....

The theory is that with the tailpiece flush with the body of the guitar that there is better resonance through the wood, thus more sustain. Looks good on paper, but I haven't ever noticed an appreciable difference. YMMV.

 

[TheMagicEight]

Its suppose to give.....more sustain.

Don't quite understand why there would be any more sustain? It's not like the string is vibrating behind the bridge anyways, so the angle it crosses over the bridge saddles shouldn't affect the instrument's sustain.....

The theory is that with the tailpiece flush with the body of the guitar that there is better resonance through the wood, thus more sustain. Looks good on paper, but I haven't ever noticed an appreciable difference. YMMV.

More resonance = less sustain. A guitar made of steel instead of wood, for example, would sustain for a long time since the steel would absorb nearly no energy. Wood - being porous - absorbs quite a bit of energy (aka, resonates).

Since the wrapped strings make a smaller angle of contact with the bridge, they put less pressure on the bridge, thus decreasing energy transfer. In theory, the guitar should resonate less and sustain more.

That said, I've never really tried comparing the two. Take my thought with a huge grain of salt!

 

[tripstan]

Its suppose to give.....more sustain.

Don't quite understand why there would be any more sustain? It's not like the string is vibrating behind the bridge anyways, so the angle it crosses over the bridge saddles shouldn't affect the instrument's sustain.....

The theory is that with the tailpiece flush with the body of the guitar that there is better resonance through the wood, thus more sustain. Looks good on paper, but I haven't ever noticed an appreciable difference. YMMV.

Not speaking from my own experience. That's just the word I've heard.

 

[Aristocat]

I've never tried it on my own gear, but when customers bring in Les Pauls or Teles; it seems to be common (at least in NC) to wrap the strings around. When I jam out on the stuff, I notice a slinkier feel but not much more in the sustain department. I'm gonna try it on my own Les Paul tomorrow.

Just my own experience. Would love to hear a true A/B test between both methods.

 

[joepete77]

Its suppose to give.....more sustain.

Don't quite understand why there would be any more sustain? It's not like the string is vibrating behind the bridge anyways, so the angle it crosses over the bridge saddles shouldn't affect the instrument's sustain.....

The reason they claim more sustain is that in order to top wrap over the tailpiece usually requires the tailpiece be tightened all the way down to the body which helps with sustain some say. I like the feel of this as it does give a slinkier feel to the strings for bends etc, and it feels closer to my old lp jr with a wraparound type bridge.

 

[Ventura]

Cool thread.

Ah yes, the ever-elusive "resonance versus sustain" theory. Lest we forget in the "resonance diminishing sustain" argument that such things as "resonant frequency/ies" can have the opposite, in theory and in effect, to diminishing sustain. If extrapolated to its truest form, it proposes a guitar may explode/crack/warp or the like when that "perfect frequency" is generated - and the sustain would be self perpetuating.

However, LSD and psilocybes aside, I don't wrap mine - and I love my Lesters just as they are. I've seen it, wondered it, thought about it, and pondered it - but the TP wraparound has never happened in this guy's playing experience.

Peace,
Mo

 

[fek]

Some folks do it for feel and tone. Some do it to change the angle just enough so the string doesn't hit the back of the bridge when the tail piece is flush with the body.

+1. With the Nashville bridge on the Trad Pro's I have, the strings would hit the back of the bridge so I wrap them to allow the tail piece to sit flush. The Trad Plus I had didn't have this issue but I wrapped the strings anyway. It's just how I string LP's.

 

[squank]

Because it looks cool.

 

[Mark Day]

-I like the tailpiece sitting on the deck.

I also slide an extra ball end on E, A, D and two extra on G, B, E that way the string wrap doesn't get all messed up and kinked from being tail wrapped.

-My LP was jealous about how long it took to change strings on a Floyd so I figured I would I would give them the same string change time.
I've been doing it for years, then I found out Billy Gibbons does it too.

-It looks cool and makes people ask "WTF do you do that for?"
I usually just answer, "Because it looks cool, I'm old, I need something that looks cool."

-I actually find it does feel slinkier. I have had several LP's strung normal and tail wrapped with same gauge, string brand, same action and tuning.....did a test and found it was slinkier. Compared two different LP's at the same sitting This was years ago when I had 4 LP's at the same time.

Mark

 

[FourT6and2]

Length of string and its break-angle over the bridge affect string pliability and, in some cases, could affect resonance and/or sustain. The original idea of the adjustable stop-tail was to be able to adjust the pliability of the string. In old Gibson literature that came with the guitar, you can see instructions for how to adjust the stop-tail to give you a "slinkier" feel when bending.

Top-wrapping is usually done so people can screw the tailpiece down to the body all the way (which, in theory, gives you more of... something...). But by screwing the tailpiece down, the strings cut into the back of the bridge. So, top-wrapping solves the problem by decreasing the strings' break angle so they no longer come into contact with the back of the bridge. The "slinkier" feel comes from both the decreased break-angle as well as the longer length of string behind the bridge.

One thing I don't understand, though, is WHY it's bad for the strings to come in contact with the back of the bridge in the first place. If it's to keep the strings from forming a groove in the bridge... then it's a silly solution because top-wrapping causes the string to form grooves in the tailpiece all the same...

Same thing goes for the nut/headstock. The break-angle off the back of the nut to the tuning pegs will affect string pliability, resonance, sustain, "tone," and etc. And that angle is dictated by headstock angle.

THE MORE YOU KNOW, BITCHES!

 

[Shawn Lutz]

^^^longer winded, well worded version of some of what I stated.

I also agree on the headstock. I'm a mass is good for tone guy so I wind my strings for as much as can safely wrap around the tuner post with one layer. This change lowers the angle of the string going to the nut and also adds a little more mass to the headstock which will improve sustain somewhat.

 

[the crush 36]

wow!!! some great posts i am gonna try this on my les paul for sure now thanks for all the great info