Relationship between bridge and tailpiece height

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allthumbs

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Looking for some advice from the experts regarding my 82' Custom:

Should the tailpiece height (relative to the bridge) be set high enough so that the strings clear the back of the bridge body? When I've got the bridge set at a suitable playing height, if I want the strings to clear, I have to have the tailpiece raised to what seems to be a considerable almost scary height. Is this normal? or is it possible that the saddles have worn? How high can you safely raise the tailpice (and still achieve maximum tone)?

I'm assuming that string contact with the bridge (other than on the saddle itself) will also shorten string life.

Any insight on this would be greatly appreciated.
 
Got a pic?

You're right, tailpiece height should be set so that strings clear the back of the bridge or it can lead to all kinds of trouble. The lower 'shelf' of my tailpiece studs actually sits higher than the bridge thumbwheels right now but it still sounds and feels good.

There's no set rules for the tp height. Do some experimenting and try to fing a sweet spot where string tension and tone are at their best for you - it may not necessarily be as low as it can go. The thing about lower down = better tone is a myth.

You may want to consider the top wrap method too.
 
It may be worth a look at the Les Paul forum, in the 'Les Paul Tech Area' there are whole chains discussing this topic, personally though, in 25 years I have not suffered from any loss of tone, string life reduction, buzzing or any other noticable problems from having the tail-piece of my '75 Les Paul set at a height that just keeps the string tight on the bridge.
I think that if you set-up you guitar so that it is comfortable to play that's enough.
 
I've always set my tailpiece low so as to acheive a better string break angle, I only had a "problem" with the strings touching the bridge on my Gibson, and that didn't really affect the tone.

Also, with a steeper string angle, it helps give better string tension. IMO. ;)
 
There is a possibility of flattening the bridge if the tail-piece is set too low, the string tension can cause the middle of the bridge to sink, this will mean that you cannot set a uniform action across the neck, when you get the middle strings right the outer ones are too high and vice versa.
May not be common but it happened to me. :evil:
 
firebird65 said:
There is a possibility of flattening the bridge if the tail-piece is set too low, the string tension can cause the middle of the bridge to sink, this will mean that you cannot set a uniform action across the neck, when you get the middle strings right the outer ones are too high and vice versa.
May not be common but it happened to me. :evil:
Click to expand...

Happened on my tokai twice - each time with a different bridge. :evil:

Easy enough to fix, but once it happens once it becomes easier for it to happen again.
 
Thanks for the info, gents. I have raised the tailpiece to the point where I can pass a piece of paper between the string and the rear of the bridge. Although I seemed to find the previous steeper angle benefited the tone (perhaps real, perhaps imagined), I don't wish to have problems with string breakage or collapsed bridges.

Rock on!
 

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