Les Paul owners , wrap your stop bar ?

1poorplayer

1poorplayer

Power User
I was wondering if any of you Les Paul owners insert your strings from the pickup side of the stop bar , and let the string go up and back over the top of the stop bar and across the bridge ?
I see Joe Bonamassa puts his strings on this way. I never have , but may give it a try. ??
 
1poorplayer said:
I was wondering if any of you Les Paul owners insert your strings from the pickup side of the stop bar , and let the string go up and back over the top of the stop bar and across the bridge ?
I see Joe Bonamassa puts his strings on this way. I never have , but may give it a try. ??
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I do…the string angle is flatter if you know what i mean o_O
 
That'll reduce the break angle over the bridge. In theory, that could reduce sustain, but it might not make an audible difference. It's also a little bit more of a hassle to string it up that way.

That also places some torsion on the stop and may wear the stop-to-post connection unevenly. With the traditional method, the tension is transverse through the stop.

Note that some stop tails are designed to work that way. There's no separate bridge, and intonation compensation is built into the stop.
 
i do it so that i can screw the tailpiece right down onto the body. big change in tone for me. and very slightly less string tension. try it and see if you like it.
 
simeon said:
i do it so that i can screw the tailpiece right down onto the body. big change in tone for me. and very slightly less string tension. try it and see if you like it.
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Same tension (if the tension were different, the pitch would be different). But there will be very slightly less resistance to bending. But you have to bend very slightly farther for the same pitch change. It all evens out, but it does make bends feel a tiny bit softer.
 
Rex said:
Same tension (if the tension were different, the pitch would be different). But there will be very slightly less resistance to bending. But you have to bend very slightly farther for the same pitch change. It all evens out, but it does make bends feel a tiny bit softer.
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+1 here, I do it for the exact same reasons. I remember a Joe B interview sometime ago where he said the same thing, which is why I gave it a go. I have 2 Les Pauls, on 1 I have it over the top and the other is through as standard; the difference is definitely there on the bends when I play both guitars.

It does come down to personal preference, but if you go over the top as an experiment then you need to decide if you are going to stay that way soon - before it starts to leave marks. I'm happy with a few marks cos I intend to keep my guitar wound that way.
 
1poorplayer said:
That's interesting. The tonepros site is a bit vague , but worth a look.
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I've got 2 LPs and have the same hardware on both. I like the locking tsilpiece nd saddle because they are solid and won't come off the guitar when you pull off all the strings for a string change. The Fabar locking studs have spacers that create a solid connection between the tailpiece and the studs.
 
Rex said:
Same tension (if the tension were different, the pitch would be different). But there will be very slightly less resistance to bending. But you have to bend very slightly farther for the same pitch change. It all evens out, but it does make bends feel a tiny bit softer.
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Yes - I feel like you are able to go up a gauge in strings - for example - 11's feel like 10 1/2's , 10's feel like 9 1/2's etc etc....
 
I used to do it, but once I switch all the hardware to TonePros, I couldn't hear a difference anymore, so now I string as designed.
 
Admin M@ said:
I used to do it, but once I switch all the hardware to TonePros, I couldn't hear a difference anymore, so now I string as designed.
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I'm not so sure I can actually hear a difference, its more about the feel for me. Somehow the bends are a little easier, that's me switching between 2 very different Les Pauls tho.
 
Feeling a bit like back at school when the teacher explains a theory and says 'Is that understood?' and everyone else goes 'Yeah' so I go 'Yeah' too .... but .....

A string has 2 end points, the tuner and stop tail, and 2 pivot points, the nut and saddle - the tension of the string provides the pitch so therefore has to remain constant. So how is it a different feel if the tension is the same whatever way you string up?

... and why don't clouds fall down?
 
I have absolutely no idea, I strongly suspect its a placebo thing. But I've tried it the normal way around and it "felt" different. If it is placebo, then it still does something good for me anyway.
 
Count me as +1. Billy Gibbons, Jimmy Page and other LP players do this. I believe it does add a certain degree of sustain, as the bar can be lowered to make better contact with the body...
 
maxdown said:
Feeling a bit like back at school when the teacher explains a theory and says 'Is that understood?' and everyone else goes 'Yeah' so I go 'Yeah' too .... but .....

A string has 2 end points, the tuner and stop tail, and 2 pivot points, the nut and saddle - the tension of the string provides the pitch so therefore has to remain constant. So how is it a different feel if the tension is the same whatever way you string up?

... and why don't clouds fall down?
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See post #5 above. In this case, the difference is very small. It's undetectable to me.

In most cases, the lip on the post prevents the bar from actually contacting the body, even when it's screwed down all the way. And for a given height, wrapping actually reduces the break angle.

It's more hassle, and I don't perceive a difference, so I don't do it.
 
chucma said:
I'm not so sure I can actually hear a difference, its more about the feel for me. Somehow the bends are a little easier, that's me switching between 2 very different Les Pauls tho.
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I do it, and same result here. There's something slightly different on the feel. Tonally, I've never noticed a difference.
 
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