In guitars that have a fixed bridge -- like a ABR-1 or Nashville bridge, the strings pass over the saddles and into a metal tailpiece. This sets the break angle.
There is a method called top wrapping where the strings wrap on top of the tailpiece and around into the tailpiece. This can allow a smaller break angle. Some people lower the tailpiece also to fit snug on the body.
From a physics point of view, this allows a different break angle and this has been shown to affect the tone, but only after a certain angle.
However, listen to this article from Seymour Duncan on why people do this:
https://www.seymourduncan.com/blog/tips-...p-wrapping
String Slinkiness
Top-wrapping creates a shallower break angle over the bridge saddle, since the strings pass from the top of the bridge instead of halfway through it, and many players report that their strings feel looser and slinkier as a result. The idea is that with the shallower break angle, the strings are free to move more easily over the bridge when you bend. By the way, as with any setup, it’s a good idea to use some kind of lubricant at the saddles and nut slots.
--> OK this makes sense. Though it can be proven that beyond a certain break angle, there is no real effect.
Sustain
Secondly, players report an increase in bottom end and sustain when they top-wrap, and they attribute this to the fact that the tailpiece is screwed right down against the body, creating a more efficient transfer of energy from the string into the body, and from the body back into the string.
--> This makes NO sense. The string vibrations are mostly transferred through the saddles and bridge -- NOT the tailpiece. Even if that were the case, how do you get MORE sustain if string energy is transferred to the body? This is NOT an acoustic guitar! If string energy is transferred to the body, there's less energy in the string. Sustain is from the pickup sensing this string vibration energy, so there's less sustain, not more! Then they talk about energy transfer back into the strings! It is doubtful this has much effect. Such garbage. They really don't understand the physics of an electric guitar. But few do, and the myths continue.
There is a method called top wrapping where the strings wrap on top of the tailpiece and around into the tailpiece. This can allow a smaller break angle. Some people lower the tailpiece also to fit snug on the body.
From a physics point of view, this allows a different break angle and this has been shown to affect the tone, but only after a certain angle.
However, listen to this article from Seymour Duncan on why people do this:
https://www.seymourduncan.com/blog/tips-...p-wrapping
String Slinkiness
Top-wrapping creates a shallower break angle over the bridge saddle, since the strings pass from the top of the bridge instead of halfway through it, and many players report that their strings feel looser and slinkier as a result. The idea is that with the shallower break angle, the strings are free to move more easily over the bridge when you bend. By the way, as with any setup, it’s a good idea to use some kind of lubricant at the saddles and nut slots.
--> OK this makes sense. Though it can be proven that beyond a certain break angle, there is no real effect.
Sustain
Secondly, players report an increase in bottom end and sustain when they top-wrap, and they attribute this to the fact that the tailpiece is screwed right down against the body, creating a more efficient transfer of energy from the string into the body, and from the body back into the string.
--> This makes NO sense. The string vibrations are mostly transferred through the saddles and bridge -- NOT the tailpiece. Even if that were the case, how do you get MORE sustain if string energy is transferred to the body? This is NOT an acoustic guitar! If string energy is transferred to the body, there's less energy in the string. Sustain is from the pickup sensing this string vibration energy, so there's less sustain, not more! Then they talk about energy transfer back into the strings! It is doubtful this has much effect. Such garbage. They really don't understand the physics of an electric guitar. But few do, and the myths continue.
