Where's your Tailpiece?

[danglybanger]

So I've had my paul for a while, and have the thing adjusted all the way down. Seems logical that this would be the best position for more sustain/resonance whatever, but I've heard some information stating otherwise.

Where's yours and where should I put mine? (next time I restring it I'm going to try a wraparound... so what height should I put it in that case?)

slade

 

[JimiHWannaBe]

Re: Where's your Tailpiece?

I put mine all the way down and wrap the strings over the top.

 

[JOLLY]

Re: Where's your Tailpiece?

I keep mine all the way down. I've tried them different ways. I think it's all about personal taste.

 

[Scott_F]

Re: Where's your Tailpiece?

The one thing you don't want is to have the strings on the back side of the Tuneomatic bridge touching that bridge on their way down to the Tail Piece. It'll rob you of some tone. So, if you want to screw the piece all the way down and your strings are hitting the back due to the steep angle, just put the strings trhough the tail piece backwards and wrap back around. It'll increase the angle, take some tension of the strings making bends easier and reducing string breakage.

Your tail piece will get a bit marked up in the process if you wrap around long term, but a replacement tail piece can be obtained for less than 20 bucks.

 

[XSSIVE]

Re: Where's your Tailpiece?

Scott said it best...you want the tail all the way down for sustain but you don't want the strings to hit the edge of the bridge before it gets to the saddles. it seems with almost all new gibsons that you have two choices, keep the tail up off the body (a bit less sustain) or put it all the way down and top wrap the strings to get the strings over the edge of the bridge. i have one LP top wrapped and one with the tail floating above the body which during the next string change i'm going to screw down and top wrap. if you don't mind a few scuffs and scratches on the tail i'd screw it down all the way and top wrap it for sure.

-Mike

 

[Lewguitar]

Re: Where's your Tailpiece?

I just run the strings through the tailpiece like normal and lower the tailpiece down as far as it will go before the strings start to touch the back edge of the tune-o-matic bridge. If I need to I raise it just a hair until there's just a sliver of light showing between the underside of all six strings and back edge of the base of the tune-o matic bridge.

If the strings are touching the back edge of the bridge they'll cause it to tilt forward. Not good.

The idea is: I want the steepest string angle possible behind the saddles of the bridge so the strings are firmly pressed against the saddles...but once the strings start to touch the back edge of the bridge the actual string angle in relation to the saddles doesn't change.

I don't like running them over the top of the tailpiece. It scratches up the tailpiece, looks funny and I don't like the way they feel against my hand.

Also, the string angle will not be quite as steep as it could be if you run the strings over the top of the tailpiece...you can get it steeper by stringing the tailpiece normally and then lowering it.

Billy Gibbons runs them over the top on some of his guitars, so alot of guys copy that method. But I don't.

Finally: do whatever works and sounds best to you. Experiment. If the other way sounds better to you than my way than do it the other way.

Lew

 

[rspst14]

Re: Where's your Tailpiece?

I'm with Lew on this one, I set my tailpiece the exact same way.

Ryan

 

[some_dude]

Re: Where's your Tailpiece?

I put mine all the way down and wrap the strings over the top.

Ditto

 

[Quencho092]

Re: Where's your Tailpiece?

depends where you play, lew. I always play right above the neck pickup for tone and comfort,lol.

 

[HamerPlyr]

Re: Where's your Tailpiece?

I'm going to try a wraparound...

slade

Now there's something that you don't see every day...lol

 

[Scott_F]

Re: Where's your Tailpiece?

As Lew said, Rev. Willie G does it. What more reference do you need? Love the Rev.