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Post subject: Opinions on Top Loading Bridge?
Posted: Wed Jul 28, 2010 1:09 pm
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I'm thinking about having my tele build not have a string through body and just just a top loading bridge. Anyone out there have any good insight or opinions on them? Places to purchase them? Thanks!


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Posted: Wed Jul 28, 2010 2:32 pm
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Nothing wrong with top loading Tele bridges, as even Fender has used them on some models, but it is more of a personal preference thing, like 3 or 6 saddle bridges...lots of various opinions, thoughts, and ideas on the whole matter, but there is not really a right or wrong. I mean some people will claim that top-loaders do not have as much sustain as string-thru bodies, but most people who have played a decent Les Paul know that top-loaders can have sustain as well...

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Posted: Wed Jul 28, 2010 2:38 pm
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I've played both and didn't notice any difference in sustain.

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Posted: Wed Jul 28, 2010 3:45 pm
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I expect the type of metal used and the mass of the bridge will likely have a greater impact on sustain than the issue of string-thru vs. top load.

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Posted: Wed Jul 28, 2010 4:00 pm
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You need to do what you will like. We all have our opinions here. Me personally, I prefer through body. I like the feel of it and the look. But if you want a top loader man go for it..:)
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Posted: Wed Jul 28, 2010 10:57 pm
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It does change the feel of the guitar though. You'll notice less string tension if you're digging in hard with some aggressive rhythm playing, or if you're bending big. That's not necessarily a bad thing by any means, but it's definitely something I notice anytime I have a top-loader in my hands...

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Posted: Thu Jul 29, 2010 3:34 pm
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lulutheegg wrote:
It does change the feel of the guitar though. You'll notice less string tension if you're digging in hard with some aggressive rhythm playing, or if you're bending big. That's not necessarily a bad thing by any means, but it's definitely something I notice anytime I have a top-loader in my hands...


That's quite an interesting observation. If it's true I wonder if anyone has a hypothysis as to why that might be.

enquiring minds want to know....

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Posted: Thu Jul 29, 2010 8:05 pm
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Hey BMW-KTM - It's just physics, really. A regular Tele bridge makes the strings go down and through the guitar, and of course, at a sharp angle over the bridge saddles. This increases string tension versus the top-loader which just keeps the strings directly on the top, and only puts them at a slight angle over the saddle and through the back of the bridge.

It's a similar [but more extreme] scenario as a Les Paul [or SG] stopbar. When you screw the stopbar all the way against the body instead of a few mm's off the body like they come from the factory, you'll notice an increased string tension because of the added down-pressure at the bridge. So naturally, with a standard Tele bridge, you'll get more string tension because the string angle is much more sharp at the bridge than it is on a top-loader.

So let's say you play 9's on your standard Tele's. You could get away with 10's on a top-loader and have just about the same feel as your 9's. Just using that as an example...

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Posted: Thu Jul 29, 2010 11:44 pm
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lulutheegg wrote:
Hey BMW-KTM - It's just physics, really. A regular Tele bridge makes the strings go down and through the guitar, and of course, at a sharp angle over the bridge saddles. This increases string tension versus the top-loader which just keeps the strings directly on the top, and only puts them at a slight angle over the saddle and through the back of the bridge.

It's a similar [but more extreme] scenario as a Les Paul [or SG] stopbar. When you screw the stopbar all the way against the body instead of a few mm's off the body like they come from the factory, you'll notice an increased string tension because of the added down-pressure at the bridge. So naturally, with a standard Tele bridge, you'll get more string tension because the string angle is much more sharp at the bridge than it is on a top-loader.

So let's say you play 9's on your standard Tele's. You could get away with 10's on a top-loader and have just about the same feel as your 9's. Just using that as an example...


Hmmm.... being something of a student of physics I think I'm gonna hafta chew on that one for a spell. My gut tells me the opposite must be true due to the difference in the length of the unvibrated portion of the string which should vary the amount of length the total stretch is distributed across but the angle may be enough to counter that. I guess I'll have to try to find one and try it out for some subjective analysis.

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Posted: Thu Jul 29, 2010 11:48 pm
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If you know any Les Paul players, ask them about how lowering the stopbar affects the feel. It's the same scenario here.

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Posted: Fri Jul 30, 2010 2:40 pm
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I have a Les Paul but I've never messed around with the anchor height.
Maybe I'll try.

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Posted: Fri Jul 30, 2010 8:49 pm
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Give it a shot. It won't mess with your setup one bit, so you can go from one extreme to the other without changing anything other than the feel. I'd go all the way down against the body and then almost even with the Tune-O-Matic to get a good feel for what I'm talking about. I repair guitars for a living, so I've messed with this scenario a billion times over the past 10 years that I've been doing it professionally.

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Posted: Sat Jul 31, 2010 1:10 pm
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I'm gonna have to disagree that top loaded bridges would have a different amount of tension than a string through. If the strings and scale length is the same, how could the tension be different? If it was different it would result in a different pitch and then you would tune up. The same string with the same scale length would require the same tension to achieve the same note. That's how I see it anyways. I very well may be wrong.

By the way the idea of screwing the stopbar on a Gibson all the way down isn't to increase tension but rather to increase the amount of metal in the wood. The idea is that when screwed all the way down, the studs are deep in the wood and thus transfer more energy. I'm not sure if that's true but I like my stopbar as low as possible.

I know I'm new and I should just shut up but I can't help myself sometimes.


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Posted: Sat Jul 31, 2010 1:17 pm
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In my mind a sharper downward angle would increase the downward force on the bridge but not increase tension. I can see how this could increase sustain.

By the way if you're messing with your stopbar don't raise it up high. This is pointless and over time it will cause the stopbar to lean forward. It will crush the wood around the stud. You don't want that to happen.


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Posted: Sat Jul 31, 2010 8:00 pm
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Ah...let me throw in my $000,000.02 worth.

The string's actual length to produce a note is going to be the same physical length on either a top loader or thru-body. That is, assuming the same neck length. I think after a little reflection on basic physics and use of a tape measure you'll agree with me.

But... On a top loader, the string abruptly and rapidly ends right after it crosses the saddle, brass or otherwise.

On a thru-body, the string goes over the saddle, then transitions down giving you another maybe two inches or more of length.

I submit that that additional length is what gives your perceived 'springi-ness' in the feel. The actual 'ringing' or resonating string is the same length, in the part that's captured between the nut and the saddle. Total length is longer though, and steel being steel, that little difference makes it easier on bends.

Make sense?


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