Does wrapping the strings around the tail-piece really increase sustain?

[Jesse G]

:poke:

[o.versteer]

No

[jds22]

Of course it does. People wouldn't do it if it didn't.

:poke:

[snowaie]

maybe...

[BoneNut]

It all depends on if you play in the woods and if anyone is there to listen.

[Darkstorm]

For the kind of one peice wrap around bridges designed to be strung that way, I'd say yes. For regular two peice tune-o-matic style, no.

I do think that having the stopbar part that the strings feed thru, all the way down as best for best sound vibration transfer to body. Lower action probably helps this a nlittle to for the adjustable bridge part the strings go over. Since the height adjustment bolts are further into the body then theyd be with high action.


Main contributors to sustain imo are: Wood qaulity and equally neck joint qaulity. Overall build qaulity. Bridge design and build. Pickups sustain char. Some pups just have a better slow & even/smooth note fade out compared to others. Some pickups have a fast, jagged or sudden note fade out/drop out.

[superdistortion]

It looks like it would increase rattle.

[Northstar]

 

 

[shinsengumi]

I haven't strung a guitar like that, but how about this for speculation: I heard wrapping around the tailpiece makes the strings slinkier, like easier to bend and whatnot. Perhaps one can then move up a gauge, have the same feel as before with the old stringing, but have increased sustain from the heavier strings?

[BigGreen]

I tried on my Explorer cuz I was breaking strings constanly and I heard that less of an incline up towards the bridge would equal less tension= less breakage. It worked I guess, so I havent changed back. thats the only guitar I have set up that way and its not a problem on my other explorer. I just raised the tailpeice. I really didnt notice better sustain myself.

[jak83]

I top wrap my LP. I did it to be able to clamp my tailpiece down to the body without the strings breaking over the bridge. If there's an increase in sustain, it's negligible as far as I can tell. It does make the strings a little slinkier though, which you may or may not enjoy. You could move up to 11's if you were so inclined and have them feel more like a set of 10's. If I were tuning below E standard/Drop d with this guitar I'd move up, but 10's work for me.

[Blackhell]

I did it on my LP and I noticed a bit of a difference.

[jtr654]

No.

[vcnyls]

Doesn't this deserve the good old "Well, if Zakk Wylde does it then it must be right!" answer?

[guitarman3001]

Doesn't this deserve the good old "Well, if Zakk Wylde does it then it must be right!" answer?

 

 

zakk wylde also uses EMGs. nuff said....

 

btw, I have my LP top wrapped right now. Works fine. Not sure I notice any difference but it does let me lower the tailpiece all the way to the body without the string break angle being too severe.

[NashSG]

I don't know about sustain, but it lesser angle lowers the tension when using a heavier guage of strings on a Les Paul especially if you are using 11s and tuning in standard.

[diceman1000]

on my LP copy, the bridge is about 3/8" off of the body, as is the tail piece, and the strings are not wrapped. i can tell absolutely no difference in sustain or "slinkiness" between this axe and my six other electrics. i have one hardtail super strat, one traditional strat style with a wilky trekm, and the rest sre tom and stop tail...

[jelloman]

I do it simply as a palm rest...it's a comfort deal for me...

[Elias Graves]

EG

[Burgess]

Not so far as I can tell.

 

I wrap because I prefer my stop-tail screwed all the way down and on some of my guitars this caused the string to break across the edge of the bridge before it laid on the saddle. This was causing a lot of strings to break and to prevent that I wrap on those guitars.