Stopbar height for dummies

[Andrea Paesetti]

Ciao everyone and thank you in advance for any feedback.

I'm trying to learn a bit my brand new LP (it's a Tribute model).

I was finding super difficult to bend, super hard on the fingers and extra painful on the fingertips (like no calluses were there...same feeling as the first time with the fingers on the strings)

I was coming from a Squire Strat with 9s and the LP comes with 10s. Ok the string gauge difference, but I felt the difference was too much. Then I've investigated a bit on the stopbar height and I've realized that it was so low that the strings were touching the back of the bridge.

I've decided to raise it a bit, at least until the strings were not touching the back of the bridge anymore, reducing also the strings angle. 

Now i feel much easier and les painfull to bend. But here my question: is it now the stopbar too high or is it fine? (see image attached)

 

I also read about the top wrapping, but this baby is just few weeks old and I would prefer not to scratch stopbar finishing. 

 

Just to anticipate potential question: neck already checked with Gibson specs, as well as the action.

[Pinch]

Someone w more knowledge than me will have to answer that, but I recall Slash's tech saying his stopbars are set high. 

[marco mancini]

5 hours ago, Andrea Paesetti said:

Ciao everyone and thank you in advance for any feedback.

I'm trying to learn a bit my brand new LP (it's a Tribute model).

I was finding super difficult to bend, super hard on the fingers and extra painful on the fingertips (like no calluses were there...same feeling as the first time with the fingers on the strings)

I was coming from a Squire Strat with 9s and the LP comes with 10s. Ok the string gauge difference, but I felt the difference was too much. Then I've investigated a bit on the stopbar height and I've realized that it was so low that the strings were touching the back of the bridge.

I've decided to raise it a bit, at least until the strings were not touching the back of the bridge anymore, reducing also the strings angle. 

Now i feel much easier and les painfull to bend. But here my question: is it now the stopbar too high or is it fine? (see image attached)

 

I also read about the top wrapping, but this baby is just few weeks old and I would prefer not to scratch stopbar finishing. 

 

Just to anticipate potential question: neck already checked with Gibson specs, as well as the action.

Which area of Italy  do you live ?  if you are in Lombardy region i have a master luthier for you  to  set well your guitar 

 

cheers 

[kidblast]

They are adjustable for a reason!   Nothing I see off with what your photo shows.  it's more personal preference/feel issue, if it helps the tension you were feeling ease up a bit, go with it.

but a good setup is never a bad idea.

[Andrea Paesetti]

Thank you very much!

 

1 hour ago, marco mancini said:

Which area of Italy  do you live ?  if you are in Lombardy region i have a master luthier for you  to  set well your guitar 

 

cheers 

I'm from Milan

[Rabs]

Yeah.. No real right or wrong..  A lot of people say that top wrapping makes it a bit easier to bend and stuff...  So if you feel it helps, nothing wrong with that... 

Some people will say its best to lower the tailpiece to the body as it helps with sustain but no one has any real proof. As said, its just what feels good to you that counts.

Also you could also try getting some hybrid strings..  I use the Ernie Ball Hybrids..  I think they are awesome as you get the best of both worlds.  10s on the bass strings and 9s on the high strings.. 

[marco mancini]

4 hours ago, Andrea Paesetti said:

Thank you very much!

 

I'm from Milan

Look if you live in Milan you can easily go to the best luthier of the area  who he's  also mine , and he will tell everything about your guitar , on top of that he's  very knowledgeable on Gibson guitars 

ciao ! 

http://www.molinelliguitars.com/

Edited November 17, 2022 by marco mancini

[marco mancini]

Oh gosh i quite forgot to tell you that tomorrow in Milan  at PALAZZO DELLE STELLINE     Corso Magenta 61  there's  the Second hand guitars  you  can even trade your  gibson  for a high end model  for few quids.

https://shgmusicshow.it/?lang=en

 

ciao !

[NighthawkChris]

I set the stopbar where I get the greatest break angle I can before any string hits the back of the bridge. 

[Andrea Paesetti]

10 hours ago, NighthawkChris said:

I set the stopbar where I get the greatest break angle I can before any string hits the back of the bridge. 

Good, that's exactly what i did. With the setting I shared in the image embedded in the first post, I almost have  5/64" between the string and the back of the bridge. Probably because of perspective in the picture is not visible.

[IanHenry]

I believe the stopbar should be set so that the strings just clear the back edge of the bridge, clearance of about the thickness of a piece of paper, very little more.

I think any difficulty bending the strings is probably more likely to be related to the Truss rod, worth taking it to a guitar tech if you don't feel confident doing it yourself.

For strings it's probably worth trying something like the Ernie Ball Hybrid Slinky's:

      Ernie Ball 2222 Hybrid Slinky 9-46 Electric Guitar Strings (stringsdirect.co.uk) 

[Dub-T-123]

If scale length and string gauge are the same then the string will require the same amount of tension to come to pitch. The break angles at the nut and bridge will affect how much downward force is applied to those parts but not overall tension 

 

it stands to reason that with a lower stopbar the higher downward force on the bridge can increase the transfer of energy from the strings to the body of the guitar 

Edited November 18, 2022 by Dub-T-123

[NighthawkChris]

I like a decent break angle for whatever reason why - I get buzzes on some strings when the break angle is small enough at some point - on some guitars.  To blanket this problem, I just try to get the break angles as high as they can go.  I'm sure there's science behind this, but I know it just works for me this way. 

We can get into not hitting the back of the bridge here, but in reality, if you are hitting the back of the bridge on any string, you have achieved the max break angle - relative to the point of contact in the bridge slot and the back of the bridge.  I don't see any benefit to lowering the stopbar more after this.  But again, I'm one of those guys that pays attention to if the strings are banging the back of the bridge and makes sure it doesn't happen. 

Overall, a good neck angle will provide more "adjustability" on the stopbar.  Neck angles differ from LP to LP, so you get what you get basically.  Knowing this, I do my best to lower the stopbar as much as it can taking all mentioned above into account to get the largest break angle - within reason of course.  Neck angle is important for a guitar - why there are neck resets done on acoustics to get action where it needs to be and to get better break angles on the strings pinned in at the bridge.  Same thing for LPs pretty much when you think about this set-neck business - regarding what kind of angle will the guitar will have when the neck is set in...  But I digress.  Simply wanted to add the point about this because stopbar height and neck angle are related the way I see it. 

[badbluesplayer]

The break angle over the nut is about 15 degrees.  I always figured it'd be o.k. to have as little as 15 degrees or so of break over the bridge, like the nut.  Looks fine where it is.

[GibSinCity]

Nothing wrong with Top-Wrapping if  if you feel it makes a difference.

[Dub-T-123]

If someone could explain how the break angles affect tension without changing the pitch of a string my mind will be blown

[Pinch]

On 11/25/2022 at 5:57 PM, Dub-T-123 said:

If someone could explain how the break angles affect tension without changing the pitch of a string my mind will be blown

Less tension on the point of contact with the bridge, I guess? The actual string would have to be as tense.