Les paul ?

[lucifer666]

hi quick question about les pauls i have seen some people pull the strings through the tail piece the other way and pulling them over the stopbar tail piece then to the tune o maticwhy do they do that ? does it make any diffrens in sound o something ?

 

[Rook]

No, it just leaves nasty marks on the tailpiece and makes them more liable to breakages.

This should only be done on PRS Stoptails.

 

[LLink2411]

Some people do it because it decreases the string break angle over the saddles and therefore usually keeps the strings in tune better over play wear. At least that is why you have to raise the tailpiece on Bigsbys if you want to use smaller gauges of strings.

If if changing the break angle of the strings actually makes a difference on guitars without Bigsbys, I have no idea.


The only person I know who does this is Billy from ZZ Top on his "Pearly Gates" Les Paul.

 

[stuz719]

The only person I know who does this is Billy from ZZ Top on his "Pearly Gates" Les Paul.

I think Joe Bonamassa does it, too.

To me it just sounds like yet another of those "you-get-better-tone-from-a-Duracell-than-an-Ever-Ready-when-you're-playing-through-a-cranked-100-watt-stack"-type myths.

 

[SkullCrusher]

l-than-an-Ever-Ready-when-you're-playing-through-a-cranked-100-watt-stack"-

AHAHAHAHA

I LOL,

It also stops wound stings 'cracking' thus keeping them stronger.

 

[vlad drac]

It's also for a best palm mute, i saw Zack Wilde do that.

 

[Prydogga]

I don't see how it could affect palm muting, as you shouldn't really by resting on that part anyway.

 

[MaxOfMetal]

I think Joe Bonamassa does it, too.

To me it just sounds like yet another of those "you-get-better-tone-from-a-Duracell-than-an-Ever-Ready-when-you're-playing-through-a-cranked-100-watt-stack"-type myths.

 

[Customisbetter]

OK how about some actual expirience.

I used to do this on some guitars with TOMs. I found some guitars the break angle was pretty intense, like on this SG standard at the time. Screwing the tailpiece all the way into the body seemed to add a touch of "oomph" to the guitar so i was always at odds with myself trying decide what i liked better, lower string break angle or more sustain. Wrapping the strings over the tailpiece allows you to get best of both worlds.

Keep in mind everything said here is EXTREMELY subjective. A lot of people will tell you there is NO difference in sustain with tailpiece height or slinkyness with break angle. However you need to try it for yourself to see.

Hope this helps.

 

[Ckackley]

I tried it on my Les Paul ONCE. Didn't notice any huge difference and it scratched the shit out of my stopbar. lol

 

[CFB]

I do it all the time, it just feels better for my right hand. It will scratch up your tailpiece though so if you want to baby the guitar it's not the way to go. Tonally it makes no difference at all.

 

[Miss D Corona]

apparently it makes it easier to bend strings, but I'm not ruining my SG or Les Paul tail-piece to find out

 

[Xk6m6m5X]

it does make bending easier...and call me crazy but it helped the sustain on mine

 

[Rook]

I'm not starting a big debate, this is a bit mythy for my taste, if someone can produce some evidence I'm there; this can go in the pile with £300 HDMI cables, "burning in" transistor amps and NOS tubes lol.

Ok I admit, I'm exaggerating, but I can't see it making any difference, it's just one of those things that seems a little 'placebo'.

 

[Demiurge]

I do it, but it's kind of a habit thing. It decreases the break angle from stop-bar to bridge, but then again that hairpin angle around the tailpiece probably negates it.

Is it the most egregious act of tone voodoo? No, but I guess I'll keep doing it for no goddamned good reason.

 

[Unknown Doodl3.2]

NOS tubes lol.

....

'placebo'.

You've never actually played NOS tubes have you? Mind you the market has gone nuts over certain brands/types (long plate Mullards for example) but they really DO make a difference, especially in older amps that were designed around these tubes. The feel is completely different; Not to mention Sylvania STR-415s or RCA blackplate 6L6s for example can last you up to 11-12,000 hours. Find me a production power tube that will last you that long before fainting/failing.

 

[DesertBurst]

^trve

I've tried some German made NOS tubes, and they are superior to chinese ones in every aspect.

 

[Rook]

You've never actually played NOS tubes have you? Mind you the market has gone nuts over certain brands/types (long plate Mullards for example) but they really DO make a difference, especially in older amps that were designed around these tubes. The feel is completely different; Not to mention Sylvania STR-415s or RCA blackplate 6L6s for example can last you up to 11-12,000 hours. Find me a production power tube that will last you that long before fainting/failing.

I was purposely being a bit crass haha.

There are NOS tubes which I absolutely agree are great in the right amp, but a valve simply being NOS doesn't make it so.

My 'doesn't make a difference' comment was regarding the bridge. NOS is becoming one of those things that people write in any old tube an that people who don't know better associate with being good.

I think you either got the rhetoric of my comment or you didnt, it seems to be a British thing. To clarify for those who didn't, I was not denouncing NOS tubes lol.

 

[Bloody_Inferno]

To me it just sounds like yet another of those "you-get-better-tone-from-a-Duracell-than-an-Ever-Ready-when-you're-playing-through-a-cranked-100-watt-stack"-type myths.

Pretty much this.

it does make bending easier...and call me crazy but it helped the sustain on mine

This is supposed to be the main reason Billy Gibbons, Zakk Wylde and Joe Bonamasa do this due to the wraparound giving more tension IIRC. I did this on my LP Studio as well. I couldn't really tell much difference to be quite honest. Les Pauls are already known to have a good sustain anyway.

I've still kept it that way though...

 

[MaxOfMetal]

Billy Gibbons, Zakk Wylde and Joe Bonamasa

You know, I think they're all great players, who get some killer tones, but I wouldn't exactly use them as a basis for why a guitar sounds or plays a given way.