D28boy Posted April 13, 2013 Share Posted April 13, 2013 Just got my guitar back from a set up and the guy has adjusted the action some what and when I got it back the tailpiece was basically screwed down to the body...It wasn't like that before. Now the string break is so severe that the strings are touching the bridge behind the saddle which I have in mind is a bad thing for sustain & tone etc. However when I have screwed the tailpiece to raise it so that the strings clear the bridge it's now sticking out of the body so that the base of the tailpiece is about one centimetre from the body...Now I'm worried this is too far out and I'm panicking a bit. Can anyone give me some advice/ reassurance please? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
surfpup Posted April 13, 2013 Share Posted April 13, 2013 Top wrap it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Twang Gang Posted April 13, 2013 Share Posted April 13, 2013 There is a long standing myth that the tailpiece should be screwed down all the way tight to the body for maximum sustain - not really true. You have done the correct thing - you want the tailpiece raised up just enough so that the strings DO NOT touch the back of the bridge. If it is a centimeter above the body that is fine, it can be even higher if necessary. Your action, string tension and tuning will be better in the position you have it. As Surfpup mentions - if you want the tailpiece all the way down for some reason, then you can top wrap the strings to get them up high enough to not break over the back of the bridge - but top wrapping is a whole other discussion and debate. The way the guitar was designed by Gibson is the way you have it now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rct Posted April 14, 2013 Share Posted April 14, 2013 My experience with a lot of Gibsons in my life has been that within reason the strings don't give a crap what they do past the saddle. So while it is true to say that you don't have to screw the tailpiece all the way down, it is also true to say that the strings are just fine touching the back of the bridge. rct Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
D28boy Posted April 14, 2013 Author Share Posted April 14, 2013 Thanx everyone for your replies.....which have reassured me as I was panicking a bit....when I saw how steep the angle was from the bridge to the tailpiece and that the strings were pressed down hard to the back of then bridge I thought that this can't be right and immediately raised it to add a small clearance even though the intonation and action etc were fine all over the board....then I started worrying because I was worried the tailpiece was too high...just "fretting" over nothing I guess Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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