Top Wrapers

[brit84]

hab my sg a over a year now, still hasent broken a string, just tried topwrappping and still no breaks!

[the guy who invented fire]

Jeff H, that is the same point mine are breaking...I had a very small burr on the stop bar but I got rid of that yesterday, so we'll see how it works now. The thing is that I pop a string 2 or so times a week...not a year! I don't have a heavy (at least not real heavy) right hand but I have been bending pretty hard lately...more than 1.5 steps!

[Johnny Q]

Alright this is getting old...how many of you guys that top wrap your LP's and other Stop Bar/TOM bridge guitars snap strings more than "normal"? I don't know what the deal is but my R8 eats high E strings...I can't keep one on it for more than a day or 2...maybe those Albert King/Buddy Guy "overbends" are just too much for it.

There is no real point in this thread just curious and venting...

I only do this on one of my Les Pauls, because no matter how its set up, its real stiff, the top wrap gives it a slinkier feel. I too was afraid of breaking strings but never had any issues. As someone mentioned, check for burrs, or perhaps the angle w/ the top wrap is too severe?

[Surgeon]

I think one of the problems that is encountered when top-wrapping is that when inserted in the opposite way, the string(s) bends at the point where the loop of the folded string ends (if that makes sense) O==(here)----.

Therefore, what you need to do is keep some of the plastic balls from broken strings nearby and insert some (2,3 or 4) on the string(s) before you put the string through the tailpiece. This will make the string "shorter" by pulling the end further away, therefore making the bending point of the string on the single stranded part of the string rather than on the loop or just at it's end. Top wrapping has its pros and cons but one thing is for sure, it puts a strong flexion point near the beginning of the strings, which is not encountered when not top-wrapping. This could be a problem, depending on the strings used, your playing technique, your religion, what you had for dinner or the position of the stars and so on...

OOOO==---(string would bend here)------

Does any of that make sense?

[Bludave]

Chritian I have 2 LP one is a Standard and I don't top wrap it and the other is a LP Studio that I do top wrap, but I have also replaced the saddles on both with graphite saddles and I have not broken a string in years. I set the stop bar high enough to wear the strings clear the back of the bridge!

[Jeff_H]

Jeff H, that is the same point mine are breaking...I had a very small burr on the stop bar but I got rid of that yesterday, so we'll see how it works now. The thing is that I pop a string 2 or so times a week...not a year! I don't have a heavy (at least not real heavy) right hand but I have been bending pretty hard lately...more than 1.5 steps!

Christian...perhaps it's the brand of strings you're using? 2-3 a week is a bit extreme for sure. I haven't looked, but do different strings brands have different methods for securing the string to the ball end? Are the wraps around the string different? I don't know the answer to that. There's not much you can do with regard to where that string bends comming over the tailpiece...I mean it is what it is.

Let us know if fixing the burr solves the problem. If not, try changing string brands.

[The Golden Boy]

Christian...perhaps it's the brand of strings you're using? 2-3 a week is a bit extreme for sure. I haven't looked, but do different strings brands have different methods for securing the string to the ball end? Are the wraps around the string different? I don't know the answer to that. There's not much you can do with regard to where that string bends comming over the tailpiece...I mean it is what it is.

Let us know if fixing the burr solves the problem. If not, try changing string brands.

When I'm playing a lot- 2 to 3 is about the same for me as well, except they're usually D strings.

The brand doesn't matter too much. I'm just a hamfist.