Decreased break-angle?

[River]

Sustain is so '90s. We've moved past that and are now seeking "bloom".

 

[nwobhm]

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8t-fFu7iw-U[/ame]

 

[dwagar]

Sustain is so '90s. We've moved past that and are now seeking "bloom".

 

[EvLectric]

Regardless to all the advantages/disadvantages, your tech should have asked & discussed this with you before doing it, especially after a major thing like a refret.

 

[MrRoundel]

Regardless to all the advantages/disadvantages, your tech should have asked & discussed this with you before doing it, especially after a major thing like a refret.

Yup, that's sort of what I was thinking. Overall, he did nice work on the guitar so I don't want to give him too much grief. However, taking liberties with such things, without a phone call, is a bit irksome. I may change it back when I put the next set of strings on the guitar. Thanks for your input.
BTW: I'm not seeing much of a consensus on the wrap-around issue. So, I guess it's not all bad anyway.

 

[Boleskinehouse]

What's funny to me is that you guys are going all scientific over it. The guitar either needs a wrap or a raise. That is all.

 

[MrRoundel]

O.K., so the more I read about this top-wrapping issue, along with inspecting the tailpiece/bridge/action relationship, the more I think that the luthier/tech had no choice but to top-wrap. Is it possible that when Jimmy Page, and others, were top-wrapping their tailpieces, that it was due to their wanting tall frets, and their tech top-wrapped to accommodate? I'm thinking that the guy who refretted my guitar with frets that he says are .053" tall, that he could not get a standard setup without a top-wrap. Since I have the harmonica bridge, with it's larger surface area extending further towards the tailpiece, he may have been forced to top-wrap to avoid detrimental string:bridge contact.
There is something that I liked a little more about the tone before the frets were redone, so I'll probably go back to conventional string placement when I restring in the future. Before I do, I'll take height measurements of the tailpiece and bridge posts so I can return it to today's spec's, should I need to for some reason. However, if I find that this setup makes bending a lot easier, and I end up bending more, than I might just leave it as is. We'll see.

 

[dwagar]

the thing about bending, it feels easier, but you have to bend further, you still have to get to that same tension equal to that bent note.

the relationship also has to do with how steep the neck angle is. And, keep in mind you might find a 'sweet spot' of overtones at a certain height of the TP, they were adjustable for a reason.

here's an example of my Custom, notice how high the TP'd have to be if I wasn't wrapping it. For me though, I wrap so I don't collapse the original bridge again.

 

[sbeng]

I top-wrap and think it does make a little bit of difference in playability and sustain. But I mainly do it to protect the guitar. Having a steep break angle puts a lot of force on the bridge both downward and forward (pushing toward the neck). I worry the little ABR studs are going to bend or worse, deform the wood they thread into. Also don't want the bridge to collapse. And if you raise the TP you're applying a fulcrum type force on the TP stud inserts. Probably would be OK, but if you don't mind top-wrapping, why risk it?

 

[Nils]

I topwrap because I love the angle behind the bridge. Feels better when I rest my hand on it. And because it looks great. And because I think it plays nicer overall.

 

[gtr-tek]

Yes, the taller frets required a higher bridge setting to accommodate. The wrap is a choice or else you raise the TP to keep from having the strings hit the back side of the bridge resulting in more string breakage potential. I wrap because I prefer the TP to be screwed tight to the body. Less movement and better coupling = better sustain as the TP screws are deeper into the body. The bridge is a fulcrum. String pitch is achieved by tension and the angle of the fulcrum. Your bridge will feel the difference.

Like the others here have already stated, it's a matter of preference. I agree that the tech should have called or otherwise communicated this with you, but he was setting the guitar up to perform well and made the easily reversible decision to wrap, perhaps for the same reasons I do it. If you don't like it, go the other route when you put new strings on.

 

[sixty2strat]

Greetings Norlin brethren:

I just had my fine '74 Norlin Std. refretted with some frets that are considerably taller than the stock ones. Prior to the refret, the guitar was a virtual fretless wonder. When I picked the guitar up, I noticed that the tech/luthier had wrapped the strings around the tail-piece from the front, rather than a direct pass through from the bottom. He said he did this to cut down on the angle to the harmonica bridge, that sometimes the strings rubbed on the bottom of the harmonica. I had always heard that a large break-angle was good, and am wondering if he had to do it because of the new fret height, coupled with the large horizontal dimension of the harmonica bridge. Anybody have any thought on what the decreased break-angle means, if anything, to tone, playability, string life, etc.?

Note: I would have kept with some shorter frets ( I think I like them better) , but I have a problem where my fingernails hit the fretboard, especially on certain open chords, and it wears into the rosewood. I got the bigger frets to defend the rosewood from my nails. (No, I can't cut my nails shorter.).

How do you like the taller frets, sent my 74 off for a refret. I went with .100 x50. the fret were woren down to say .100 x .020. My first refret so curious how the guitar you have feels with new frets.

 

[MrRoundel]

How do you like the taller frets, sent my 74 off for a refret. I went with .100 x50. the fret were woren down to say .100 x .020. My first refret so curious how the guitar you have feels with new frets.

I like them well enough. However, I think you are making the better choice, as the .053" height might be a change that's a bit too drastic. Also, the tall frets aren't really doing the job protecting the fretboard from my fingernails, which I though it would. I'm getting used to it though. I might have to work on the new setup a bit to get it dialed in. Good luck with your fret job.

Note:I don't have fingernails like the guy in those pictures someone posted above. That's gnarly.