Does top wrapping a Les Paul make a difference?

not_the_dj

What's the forum boffins opinion on this issue then?

jd0272

Loads of opinions as we'll find. I simply top wrap as I have found I get less string breaks (none) this way. Sound wise? All in the ear.

Moltisanti

i think it does certainly for string breakage as the angle over the saddle is much less severe, and the strings may feel a little looser, but this could be psychological.

Tonewise i'm not sure i could hear a difference to be honest

octatonic

Very much so.

It makes a set of 10's feel slinkier & looser.

I like it a lot.

I do it on 335's too.

guitarfishbay

It only impacts tone to the extent that string tension affects tone.  If you want thicker strings at a lower tension it will help too.

Feel wise I wasn't in to  it.  10s strung normally feels and sounds best to me, but YMMV and it will only cost you a few minutes and the price of a pack of strings to find out for yourself!

Paul_C

. . . or just jack up the tailpiece a bit to change the break angle - I assume that's why it's adjustable

DrBob

octatonic said:

Very much so.

It makes a set of 10's feel slinkier & looser.

I like it a lot.

I do it on 335's too.

Ooh it hadn't occurred to me to try it on a 335, my Heritage needs restringing, might give it a go !

bertie

Paul_C said:

. . . or just jack up the tailpiece a bit to change the break angle - I assume that's why it's adjustable

however theres some thought on having it screwed down nice and tight makes a noticeable difference to the sustain and/or tone

impmann

I've just done this on one of the SGs and it didn't appear to change the inherent tone (to me), just (seemed) to make the string tension less. My LP Special doesn't have a large break angle and that is lovely and slinky to play - plus is a tone monster (the tailpiece is up on that too - came like it).

chrisj1602

I do it on my R7, I got it secondhand and it came that way so I've carried on.  I also did it to my 50s Tribute and I thought that it gave it a bit more sustain and transfer into the body.  I think it was more noticeable on this due to the chambering.  Then again, it could all be in my head!

stickyfiddle

Doesn't change the tension, but the compliance (ie how bendy the strings feel) in just the same way adding a bigsby does- the total length of string is increased. Some claim it alters tone a bit too, but I didn't notice any change when I tried it.

JookyChap

I think gift wrapping makes more of a difference. It shows you care.

frankus

I think weak rapping shows you want to front - but that you're soft as butter rolls.

ICBM

It chews up the back edge and the top of the tailpiece.

If you're going to try it and you aren't certain you're going to keep it like that forever, put some gaffer tape on it to protect it.

Personally, if it looks screwing the tailpiece right tight down to the body will make it necessary to top-wrap to avoid putting too much pressure on the bridge... I'd find a different Les Paul. Over-steep neck angle (common on modern Gibsons) is one of the things I really don't like, I've never played one that felt or sounded really right.

mart

ICBM said:

..

If you're going to try it and you aren't certain you're going to keep it like that forever, put some gaffer tape on it to protect it.

Ah, but won't that have some impact - which sort of gaffer tape should we use?

not_the_dj

Thanks guys. There was a cheap stop bar in the classifieds so I was tempted to get that and give it a try on my Smartwood. That's got gold hardware so I don't want to mess up the one on there.

However, someone else bought that so unless another pops up I'll leave my experimenting for now. 

Paul_C

bertie said:

Paul_C said:

. . . or just jack up the tailpiece a bit to change the break angle - I assume that's why it's adjustable

however theres some thought on having it screwed down nice and tight makes a noticeable difference to the sustain and/or tone

my suggestion was more in reference to trying it out to see if the change of string tension is an improvement - jacking up the tailpiece is easier, and cheaper, than re-stringing it

ICBM

I think screwing the tailpiece down really tight does make a noticeable difference to the tone - for the better - but on most modern Gibsons you can't do this without the strings hitting the back of the bridge... which is the first sign that the angle is too steep and it's putting excessive pressure on it. (It can eventually cause the bridge to bend or crack.) And I don't like top-wrapping, so I tend to avoid Gibsons with a steep neck angle altogether.

TimmyO

I think the main thing it does is identify you as someone who reads a lot of Internet bollocks about "tone" lol

stickyfiddle

TimmyO said:

I think the main thing it does is identify you as someone who reads a lot of Internet bollocks about "tone" lol

If I were allowed, I'd be giving lols AND wisdom...

jaygtr

i tried it once, didnt notice any difference , so changed it back because it looked as ugly as sin.