Strings wrapped around the Les Paul tailpiece?

[Trashbag]

In close-ups on the 2003 DVD during the RAH segment, you can see that Jimmy has his strings put through the other side of the tailpiece and wrapped around it. Anybody know exactly what purpose this serves?

[Cactus]

In close-ups on the 2003 DVD during the RAH segment, you can see that Jimmy has his strings put through the other side of the tailpiece and wrapped around it. Anybody know exactly what purpose this serves?

In which song?

[andrew]

It makes your strings longer and gives them a more slinky feel, makes them more bendable (though you have to bend farther to pitch). Some people like it but I don't particularly.

[Trashbag]

In which song?

Well, any song with the #1, but you can really see it during Dazed and Confused.

It makes your strings longer and gives them a more slinky feel, makes them more bendable (though you have to bend farther to pitch). Some people like it but I don't particularly.

Thanks. Maybe I'll try that someday.

[huw]

This is a trick known as "top wrapping".

First - Page only did this for a short while, so it isn't any essential part of his tone or anything like that.

Anyway - there are a few factors/reasons for this practice.

On a Les Paul the neck is pitched back at an angle from the body - only by a few degrees but it's enough to be significant. As a result the strings have a "break angle" over the bridge down to the tail piece. Raising or lowering the tailpiece will alter the feel of the strings: raise the TP, the strings feel looser; lower the TP & the strings feel tighter. This is called the "compliance" of the strings (NB - compliance is not the same as string tension - that will always stay the same for a given string guage tuned to pitch. Compliance is more like perceived tension. Anyway, I'm getting off the point so I'll spare you the science...

Earlier Les Pauls have a shallower angle of neck pitch than later ones. This meant that on the early ones the TP could be screwed right down to contact the body of the guitar and the string compliance felt "right". On later models the slight increase in neck pitch meant that the string compliance was increased - the strings felt "tighter" and harder to play. To counter this players would raise the TP to correct the compliance.

So far so good...

Except that: a number of players felt that having the TP in contact with the guitar's body also had benefits to do with the physical coupling between the two and the transferance of string vibration into the body - which affects the guitar tone.

So, the question became how do you reduce the string compliance without raising the tailpiece? Topwrapping was the answer. Because the strings go through the TP backwards & come over the top they leave the TP higher, so the break angle at the bridge is reduced. You have low compliance (easy to play) and coupling between the TP & the body (good tone).

It's something that is really easy to try out on a Les Paul style guitar, because it's cost free...

Some people like it, some people don't. Some folk like it for some guitars, but not for others. Some folk can't even hear the difference.

FWIW I've tried it myself, I could hear the difference, but I didn't like it so I went back to the "normal" method of adjusting compliance by raising the TP.

Try it & see for yourself...

(YMMV )

[Evster2012]

Damn HUW! You beat me to it again, lol! Great explanation! Spot on!

[huw]

Thanks Ev - I have a radar homed in on the words "Les Paul" that enables me to arrive on the scene before the emergency services!

[PJ Slocum]

you have to remember to lower the tailpiece if it's been raised otherwise the strings can slip off of the bridge saddles.

I hate LP's set up that way