Stringing your gibson . . . or epiphone . . .

[GuitarStv]

I've been setting up my Epi Dot with the strings backwards (through the top of the stoppiece and looping around from the bottom up) ever since I read that Zakk Wylde does it . . . I'm not a big fan of his music, but it really made a difference in the number of strings that I break. I went from killing a set every week to only needing to change them every month or so. (The only downside that I have seen is that it will scratch your stop-piece a bit)

I think that this works because it takes tension off of the bridge . . . Just wondering if this will screw anything up for me later on down the road . . . I know that it's been fine over the last year or so that I've been doing it. . .

 

[V-Spot]

Re: Stringing your gibson . . . or epiphone . . .

No, I don't think it has any side-effects from doing that.

 

[XSSIVE]

Re: Stringing your gibson . . . or epiphone . . .

the only side effect is as you mentioned, the scratches (you can always just but a second tail). this has been covered time and time again on the les paul forums and most say that it's actually better for the guitar since it puts less strain on the bridge due to less of a string angle. it also allows you to put the stoptail all the way down on the body to increase sustain and still keep the strings from touching the edge of the bridge as they pass over it which is a notorious gibson problem.

-Mike

 

[ex-250]

Re: Stringing your gibson . . . or epiphone . . .

i do that on my guitar i bring to school with me (cause i need longer string life when im here)

 

[big_black]

Re: Stringing your gibson . . . or epiphone . . .

Isn't a sharper string angle more desireable? It seems that a sharper, tighter string angle would translate into better resonance.

 

[Scott_F]

Re: Stringing your gibson . . . or epiphone . . .

I can tell you this. I have a tone bros bridge and the locking studs and I string wrap my strings up and over ala (i prefer) Billy Gibbons. No harm done at all.

The better angle really helps with bends and breakage. I dig it.

 

[Hellion]

Re: Stringing your gibson . . . or epiphone . . .

I like the sharper break on the strings over the bridge. For me, it seems to be better for sustain.

 

[Benjy_26]

Re: Stringing your gibson . . . or epiphone . . .

I have my tailpiece as low as it will go and my strings installed in the traditional manner. All I do is polish my saddles whenever I see the need to and I have yet to break a string on either my Epi Sheraton or my Gibby LP.

 

[NathanCahill]

Re: Stringing your gibson . . . or epiphone . . .

+1 Benjy.

 

[Imp]

Re: Stringing your gibson . . . or epiphone . . .

hang on, let me get this straight - this is the first time i've heard of this, and i might well try it now hehe

does the string go like the attachment? black is the tailpeice, red is the string..

tom

 

[Benjy_26]

Re: Stringing your gibson . . . or epiphone . . .

hang on, let me get this straight - this is the first time i've heard of this, and i might well try it now hehe

does the string go like the attachment? black is the tailpeice, red is the string..

tom

Not really.

Put the string through the side of the tailpiece that's facing the neck, pull it through and wrap it over the tailpiece and go to the bridge.

 

[big_black]

Re: Stringing your gibson . . . or epiphone . . .

hang on, let me get this straight - this is the first time i've heard of this, and i might well try it now hehe

does the string go like the attachment? black is the tailpeice, red is the string..

tom

I did that once to experiment. You get the best possible string break against the (against the saddles that is, not "strings breaking") doing it that way, but will end up scratching your guitar over time.

 

[XSSIVE]

Re: Stringing your gibson . . . or epiphone . . .

this is the correct way to top wrap a les paul...

this is NOT my guitar just a pic i found...nice guitar though!!

-Mike

 

[ex-250]

Re: Stringing your gibson . . . or epiphone . . .

heres another angle (but this one is mine)

 

[Kelsey]

Re: Stringing your gibson . . . or epiphone . . .

I do this with both of my Gibsons -- ES-137 and LP Studio. My tech calls it a Junior wrap, as it is the same in principle as the LP Jr setup and earlier Gibson models with one-piece bridge/tailpiece. It's supposed to improve the coupling of the strings/bridge/tailpiece to the body and reduce string angle over the bridge for an easier playing feel. It allows me to bump up to .011's and achieve a feel comparable to the .010's on my Fenders. It definitely improves feel for me, as I've tried .011's on 24.75" scale guitars set up the factory way and found them tougher to play than .010's on 25.5" scale guitars.

 

[rinse_master]

Re: Stringing your gibson . . . or epiphone . . .

this is the correct way to top wrap a les paul...

That's the way I do it, works fine for me, can't really tell about the sustain diff as I swapped to a tonepros at the same time I started doing it...

 

[Luke Duke]

Re: Stringing your gibson . . . or epiphone . . .

I wrap mine over on mine too. It seems to make a slinkier feel for me too. My godin is a 24 3/4 scale just like my heritage and with it's sharp angle string through body with the same gauge strings it is much stiffer feeling.

It was my tech that also got me doing. Sustain-wise I don't know because I switched to a tonepro when I started doing it. He (my tech) said it gave both of his R8's more sustain...I don't know if it's all in his head or what. His LP junior has 57-10's and with the wrapover (it's a one piecer) it feels pretty slinky too.

Luke