[al.hurst]

I am putting a new tailpiece on my guitar and I was wondering if how close/ far away from the bridge it is would affect the tone?
Also, Have you guys seen this...
http://earvana.com/
Looks pretty cool to me.

[540EYE]

Not sure what affect it would have on tone, but it can have a dramatic effect on the way the strings FEEL if you mount it further away from the bridge. By increasing the distance between the bridge and the string anchoring point, it will make the strings feel alot looser when you bend. This is because you are increasing the total string length and therefore allowing the force exerted while bending to distribute over a longer area. The break points-nut and bridge-remain the same, but the extra length between the bridge and tailpiece will also stretch when you bend. Same goes for longer distances between tuning keys and nut at the headstock.


My main guitar has 5 full inches between the bridge and the string anchor point (tailpiece). With a 25 1/2" scale, a set of .010-.046's bend effortlessly past a whole step and still retain the tone of "tens". The guitar is very easy on the fingers even with my not-so-low action. Very slinky feeling and full bodied sound, not thin like a lighter gauge would to get a similar "feel".

Hope this helps. Merry Christmas.

[al.hurst]

Yeah, Thats what I thought. Thanks for the help

[drewfx]

Not sure what affect it would have on tone, but it can have a dramatic effect on the way the strings FEEL if you mount it further away from the bridge. By increasing the distance between the bridge and the string anchoring point, it will make the strings feel alot looser when you bend. This is because you are increasing the total string length and therefore allowing the force exerted while bending to distribute over a longer area. The break points-nut and bridge-remain the same, but the extra length between the bridge and tailpiece will also stretch when you bend. Same goes for longer distances between tuning keys and nut at the headstock.


My main guitar has 5 full inches between the bridge and the string anchor point (tailpiece). With a 25 1/2" scale, a set of .010-.046's bend effortlessly past a whole step and still retain the tone of "tens". The guitar is very easy on the fingers even with my not-so-low action. Very slinky feeling and full bodied sound, not thin like a lighter gauge would to get a similar "feel".

Hope this helps. Merry Christmas.

But if there is initially any less opposing force when bending, I think you end up losing on the other end - you will have to bend the string further to arrive at the same tension/pitch. It's the same as when bending strings on a (non-stabilized) tremolo-equipped guitar - the tremolo springs counteract some of the force, and you have to bend further to overcome the springs' "cusioning" effect and arrive at the same destination pitch.

It may feel a little different, but you will end up needing the same amount of force to arrive at pitch. If it feels easier, it may be because there's a little less resistance at the start of a bend.

Of course which feel you prefer is purely a matter of taste, so I'm not saying there's no advantage.

drewfx

[mijknahs]

That Earvana compensated nut sounds like something I'd like to try. Similar idea to the Buzz Feiten tuning system but much cheaper and doesn't require and modifications to your guitar (just replace the nut). That would be cool if they made a brass one.

Jim

[al.hurst]

That Earvana compensated nut sounds like something I'd like to try. Similar idea to the Buzz Feiten tuning system but much cheaper and doesn't require and modifications to your guitar (just replace the nut). That would be cool if they made a brass one.

Jim

Im going to try it and report back.
But what sthe deal with the brass nut? How much does it affect the sound?

[mijknahs]

Not that much. Just a bit brighter on the open strings.

[strumminsix]

Not that much. Just a bit brighter on the open strings.

That's how I understand it too - the open strings sound more like fretted strings as they are against brass vs. bone, etc