Too sharp of a break angle on a stop tail?

[Christopher Caruana]

Can having too sharp of a break angle on a guitar with a stopbar and bridge set up (LP, SG......) cause tuning issues with the guitar?

Like if the break angle at the bridge was a lot sharper than at the headstock, could that cause the strings to go flat due to increased pull because the angle at the bridge is so much greater than at the head stock?

Thanks
-Chris

[Christopher Caruana]

anyone.....??

[Quencho092]

With respect to physics, break angle only affects the amount of force that is pushing down on the bridge, thus affecting the friction on the saddles as well.

In my experience, when there is too much friction at the nut and I tune DOWN, the string length after the nut stays the same pitch and I get 'slack' on the headstock length of string. This is why people are taught to always tune UP to pitch so that there isn't any unreleased tension through the string length.

So if there is a very sharp break angle, you tune UP or TIGHTER, and the region of string behind the saddle will be LOOSER than the region of string on the neck side of the guitar until that tension is released. When that tension is released, the string will go slightly flat. The friction at the saddle acts as a buffer preventing the string tension from being distributed to the stop tail which is a bad thing.

There is a happy medium so that the regions of string stay at equal tension when tuning, keep your NUT lubed, I lube my strat bridge for string breakage purposes as well, and always tune UP to the desired pitch. What is your experience with sharp stop-tail angles? Do you get better resonance? If you don't, just set it up so the strings sit snug on the saddles.

[Christopher Caruana]

I have a problem with all my strings on my LP going slightly flat after I tune up and do a few bends. I have locking tuners, locking bridge and a Tusq XL nut that has teflon in it. And it doesnt even go out of tune bad, but enough to where chords sounds off because a few strings are slightly lat. The other thing Im finding is that when I tune, I am finding it hard to get the strings exactly on pitch when loking at a tuner. I have to use SUPER fine touches to the tuner to get the string exactly right.....then I play for 2 minutes and all the strings are a hair flat.

[drew_half_empty]

do you stretch out your strings before you lock em down?

[Christopher Caruana]

do you stretch out your strings before you lock em down?

Yes I do. How long does it normally take to get the strings fully stretched? I can spend a whole 15 minutes and they still will go flat.........

[drew_half_empty]

depends if you're just playing them or physically grabbing them and pulling on them

[Christopher Caruana]

depends if you're just playing them or physically grabbing them and pulling on them

I grab them and pull on them. But Ive heard its better to just play them until they stretch out rather than pulling and yanking on them

[Varg]

I dont know about tuning issues, but a steep break angle at the stopbar end will end up bending your bridge.

[Gypsyblue]

I dont know about tuning issues, but a steep break angle at the stopbar end will end up bending your bridge.

Only if they touch the back edge of the bridge. Raise the stop tailpiece if they do. Just to define things, there are six individual SADDLES mounted in the tune o matic BRIDGE.

[Christopher Caruana]

I was just wondering if tuning issues were due to increased string pull or something due to the sharper break angle at the brindge than at the nut and when I bend, I release the tention built up behind the bridge like Quencho092 said. His post kind of got me thinking