Raising that stopbar

[AlanH]

I DO have to say that i'll take the results that I personally hear and feel from it' date=' with a big a** smile, and I wish i'd done this years ago.

 

I no longer HAVE to keep my thumb on the E string, or "tap" the A string when i'm not using them, because the harmonic "ring" is gone.....period, G O N E gone, but plucked harmonic notes, still chime in clear as a bell.

I don't use many (hardly any) "hammer" notes, but the few that I DO use sound off wonderfully, and my "pull offs" (which I DO use quite extensively) SEEM to be much easier to......to......well, pull off.

 

All this has combined to allow my playing to become more "fluid" and less labored, which = more satisfying for me.

 

Audial/Mental illusion? maybe, but like I said.......i'll take it !! [/quote']

 

It's nice that you've been able to repeat my experiment in several guitars and from an open-minded starting perspective. I'd urge others to try it if they haven't already done so.

 

If Midiman is browsing this thread I wonder if he could clarify whether all new t-o-m bridge equipped Epis coming in to his store have their tailpieces fully screwed down, out of the box. If so, I wonder if the reason why Epi do this and Gibson don't is due to a less detailed set up, or maybe it's some deliberate reason.

 

Alan

[Bender 4 Life]

The 3 that this experiment affected the most positively are,

in order: Agile AL-3000 LP

SX-SJM'57

Sheraton II

 

Since the raising, I literally can't keep my hands off these 3.

 

And Rich.......no I didn't really account for the different headstock angles beforehand, some were Gibbies, some Epis, an Agile, and an SX with 2 (yes, two) string trees on the headstock........I also didn't measure the break angle that I raised the bars to, except by "eyeball"........Working in a metal fab. shop years ago gave me some good lessons on angles.

 

That "ring" may be a sign of a good, resonant guitar, but after spending most of my life trying to silence it for hi-fidelity recording, and live play at volume levels below "eardrum shattering"(I play blues & "new" country, not death metal), it's quite nice to be able to play, without constantly having to tap strings, and/or wrap my thumb around the neck to an angle that kills my wrist.

[Guest icantbuyafender]

I usually kept em bolted down. to me, tighter tension means a more controlled/concentrated vibration arc. thus with a bolted down tailpiece I can get a lower action and wider range of note bends, but not as effortlessly.

 

I thought that if tension is eased on a string it, causes the string to vibrate at a lower frequency in a larger clumsier arc. "fret buzz" I thought.... ya know the string rattling against the fret cause the arc is too wide.

 

someone clarify!!! pleeeaase!

 

I did physics as an undergrad dammit! I'm in Grad school so I don't wanna hafta remember the latter half of university physics 1 each time I set up my guitars LOL.

[RSDx]

If you turn it down tight to the body' date=' and the strings touch the back of

the bridge behind the saddle, it is my opinion that you will lose some of the important

overtones that are a big part of the sound of these guitars.[/quote']

I'm sure there are variances from guitar to guitar, and all, but ..... would not the bridge have to be fairly high for this to occur ? I have an '07 Epi LP Std, action set reasonably but not real low, stopbar screwed down tight, and, at least with the strings I'm using, there's no contact at all between the strings and back o' the bridge. Feels "slinky" enough as is to me - it's interesting (and at times, amusing) to read all of the discourse on this type of stuff.....raise it if ya like/want. ....top-wrap if ya like/want. To quote the late, great Mick Ronson, "Play, don't worry"

[strat284]

Hello everyone,,,second posting,2 months ago I bought a 2003 Epi Elitist LP custom.Been trying to love this guitar,but we had issues.Just did not play as well as I thought it should.I am no guitar tech and useally will screw something up if I mess with it long enough,but after reading about raising the stopbar,I figured I could try that without to much damage.Had to eyeball the angle but felt like it was close.Retuned several times and made a small adjustment on the bridge and when everything settled in I was very pleased at the improvment.Less string tension,easier bends and stretches,and I can't hear any loss in sustain.Thanks for posting your experiences.I feel a lot better about my purchase.thanks again,T.Rudd

[AlanH]

I usually kept em bolted down. to me' date=' tighter tension means a more controlled/concentrated vibration arc. thus with a bolted down tailpiece I can get a lower action and wider range of note bends, but not as effortlessly.

 

I thought that if tension is eased on a string it, causes the string to vibrate at a lower frequency in a larger clumsier arc. "fret buzz" I thought.... ya know the string rattling against the fret cause the arc is too wide.

 

someone clarify!!! pleeeaase!

 

I did physics as an undergrad dammit! I'm in Grad school so I don't wanna hafta remember the latter half of university physics 1 each time I set up my guitars LOL.[/quote']

 

Hi

 

On raising the stopbar the tension itself remains the same. Stretching the strings by either bending or fretting just feels easier because the string can move more easily across the fulcrum points. So, the vibration arc when you pluck the string should be the same because the tension is the same. I can confirm that I'm getting no extra fret buzz after making the adjustment.

 

Does this concur with the physics?

 

Alan

[AlanH]

Hello everyone' date=',,second posting,2 months ago I bought a 2003 Epi Elitist LP custom.Been trying to love this guitar,but we had issues.Just did not play as well as I thought it should.I am no guitar tech and useally will screw something up if I mess with it long enough,but after reading about raising the stopbar,I figured I could try that without to much damage.Had to eyeball the angle but felt like it was close.Retuned several times and made a small adjustment on the bridge and when everything settled in I was very pleased at the improvment.Less string tension,easier bends and stretches,and I can't hear any loss in sustain.Thanks for posting your experiences.I feel a lot better about my purchase.thanks again,T.Rudd[/quote']

 

I'm no tech too. I'm glad my original post prompted you to try it and that, for you, it feels better.

 

I'm very jealous of your Elitist BTW.

 

Alan