Why top wrap strings on Les Paul and SG tailpieces? 

I have an older les Paul, and have been stringing it using the wrap around method with the tail piece all the way down for quite some time. All I have to say is the guitar and playability is just incredible...I challenge people who never done it this way to try it and you'll never regret it....trust me, it makes a world of difference... Really....

I bombed the bank 2 years ago on a Custom Shop VOS '59 Sunburst Reissue and I've struggled in the dark trying to understand this issue ever since.. ... I learned more from this 8 minute video than I have in the entire 2 years. .... SUBSCRIBED!. .... WELL DONE! ..... keep 'er comin' MAN!

I just stumbled on to your clip this morning. This was an outstanding tutorial about top-wrapping. You covered it expertly, from stem to stern...Thank you very much.

I've done this for years & as you rightly pointed out, it depends on the needs of the instrument. I don't like a sharp incline from the saddle to the rollerbridge/tunomatic bridge but prefer my saddle as low as possible for the reasons you stated. At the end of the day, what counts is what works & that always comes first.

this is the reason i like to watch these information type videos about how to work and fix electric guitar problems,thanks Mr guts!!

Overwrapping will also relieve some of the stress on the bridge. Tune-a-matic bridges often begin to collapse after time and one way to prevent this is to overwrap just as described here. I used an aftermarket stop tailpiece and cut string guide slots up and around the back and top, then polished them to a mirror finish to prevent string breakage and it's been good to go ever since. The original STP lives in the case now.

Thx for sharing, my guitar tech had mentioned this to me the last time I did a fret job on my 61 reissue SG...definitely makes a feel difference!

Good video on a subject often overlooked by the masses. I just recently began to experiment with some of mine and I noticed the exact differences you mention. I was really surprised. And if you play Eb tuning you see a BIG difference. At least I did.

If you want to have a softer break angle simply raise the tail piece and add a shim washer to make up the distance of the raised post. Now you can tighten the tail piece fully down tight and still have the gentle break angle. There is no need to muck up the tail piece with over wrapping the strings.

When Gibson first released the Les Paul with the stop tai. In the catalog they show pic's of the Les Paul top wrapped but also have a pic with the strings going straight through. So I think Les Paul had designed it to work either way. So it has always been up to the player to top wrap or not. I am like you I have some guitars that seem to work better top wrapped and some that seem to work better with the strings going straight through the stop tail. Great video.

Thank you so much much for making this so clear! I had a good idea of this top wrapping concept but you really nailed and I more clear than before. Thanks!

Very informative video man..........thanks for doing this! Keep on rocking in the free world!

Lets be clear about something. Top wrapping, standard wrapping, or bottom wrapping (which no one does), will effect your attack and how percussive it is. One reason a lot of Fenders are more snappy is not just the single coil pups, but the break angle behind the saddle (flat top and bolt neck also contribute). These Fenders are STRING THROUGH BODY, so extremely high break angle at the bridge, even on a floating trem. It contributes A LOT to the plucky attack. There is also a lot more string length behind the bridge. It is similar in feel to if you bottom-wrapped your Gibson. Also, people have been known to top wrap to clear the back of the Nashville bridge. This is completely unneccesary and if you top wrap, you should only do it to soften the attack or loosen the playing feel. I encourage you to experiment with all 3 (top,standard, bottom) and to see how it feels when you wrap the low strings standard and the high strings top wrapped, because your low strings are looser tension than your high strings. IMO, this guy is not covering the subject nearly in depth enough to be making videos on it.

The proper string angle between the bridge and tailstop is where the low E and High E strings angle down but don't hit the back side of the bridge. You want them just off the rear of the bridge. You don't want the strings resting on the back of the bridge or you're then causing 2 break angles and other issues. Seen a boatload of guitars when the tailpiece is screwed down all the way and the strings are resting on the back of the bridge. I have a Firebird that is set up nice but the bridge is pretty high off the body and to maintain the proper angle to the tailpiece the tailpiece in turn has to high off the body so for that guitar it makes sense to wrap because of the issues mentioned in this video for the tailpiece being elevated. My Les Pauls and other similar guitars are not wrapped.

Dude you've help me a lot! Thanks for the tips. 👊

This is exactly what I was looking for. Thanks.

I make custom washers for my guitars so you can tighten the tailpiece down tight. A machinist could easily make you you a custom set to your specs.If you look around hardware stores you can find some decent washers of various thicknesses and can find a combination that will work.

You have to keep the string from resting on the back edge of the bridge otherwise you lose some tone and sustain. This happened on my high E. You need to reduce the break angle so this does not happen. You should be able to slide a piece of paper between the string and bridge. Doing this will give you max tone and playability

I started tailwrapping years ago when I was having string breakage on high E, B, and G at the bridge. I assumed it was from the steep angle with the tail piece all the way down on the body. Recently, I had a few high E's break while restringing., so just raised the tailpiece and go through now. Haven't really noticed any substantial change in sustain or playability. Just my experience. Thanks for the video!

Wow!! I didn't know about that retaining wire rattle until watching this video and I think that's what a mysterious rattling has been on my SG! Awesome

I top wrap every set of strings. I play lead which I personally think is a huge element when considering top wrapping. If you're someone who hits a lot of bends often then its so comfortable. My gold top stays in tune wonderfully despite all these mathematics nutballs dogging it. You're talking about the tiniest amount of change, most people wont recognize, seasoned guitarist wont even notice. Try it out for one set of string if you play lead it wont fuck up your bridge after one try. I swear i get better sustain now also. who knows man. theres only one true rule to music, if it sounds good, it is good.

Tried it on my SG and could tell no difference in sound or feel. But it confuses people that are unfamiliar with it, so that's enough to keep it. That and I don't see why it needs changed if there is no difference.

Thanks for the tips! I did notice my Les Paul has a more severe angle between tailpiece and saddle than my other guitars, maybe that's why I've noticed an increase of string breakage. Not a huge increase, just more. The .010s are definitely not stiff on either the SG or Les Paul, however.

Thanks for the advice. I have one LP that I never really liked but could never figure out why so it has become my guinea pig. Never thought of top wrapping but its worth a try.

I dont hear a difference but I feel a difference. top wrap feels more slinky imho. peace

During an over-wrap set-up, putting the ball end of an old string on the new string as it is being slid into the front of the Stop-Tail will reduce string breakage. And to the author of the video:Anyone that will not buy an 'SG' or thinks over-wrapping reduces the 'SG's value in any way, doesn't deserve the guitar and I wouldn't sell it to that person. NO WAY !

Good stuff to know and yes I have a great Les Paul that I just picked up that is a perfect candidate for top wrap.... it's not too stiff but is just like the one you top wrapped,has quite the break angle Next set of string's it's going TW....wanted to check out the pros and cons first Pretty much knew but wanted validation Thanks man good demo 👍

I just changed my strings on the LP, but next week I'm gonna try this when I change them again. My luthier set the axe up with the TP tight to the body. It does give more sustain because of more body contact area, especially with the old vintage. But the angle is very steep, like 30 degrees. So I can keep it screwed down all the way, but reduce the angle. And probably reduce risk of string breakage as well. Been playing over 45 yrs, and never tried this yet!

I top wrap....when you raise the tailpiece, the tailpiece screws sit high and for me they dig into my wrist as I rest the heal of my hand on the bridge as an anchor point. Just my preference

I thought the original train of thought was a screwed down tail piece with a top wrap improved sustain. I'm sure someone has disproved that by now, but if it's good enough for Duane Allman, It's good enough for me.

What SD pickup is on the les paul? I have a les paul classic and my super '57 pickup is too bright is too bright, but i like the uncovered zebra pickups!

This was a good video. It gives good sound information regarding string angle. Sure you could just raise the tail piece but in some cases that isnt always possible. I have seen some pretty strange tail piece setups and you can run into many different reasons it wouldn't be as simple as raising the tail piece. Besides, for some, top wrapping their strings like Billy Gibbon's is enough motivation.

Great vid Thanks. I have done this to multiple Les Pauls from a 78 LP pro, 80s Heritage, CS 58,59 reissues etc. To my tattered worn out eardrums due to the 80s metal scene, I hear zero difference. Nada. But that said..... It really looks cool and like most I am really susceptible to the placebo effect. So if Ed Van Halen says do not paint under the pickups so they can breath. If Zakk Wylde says top wrap must be true. So if nothing else when someone ask you can tell them a good story about why you top wrap them. The other mechanical stress/angles etc makes sense.

The Top Wrapping thing started when someone saw their Gtr hero do it. It's Gtr Voodo...and if you believe it, then it's good. Tho comparing the crappy hardware on a newer Epi isn't a fair comparison. Once the Gtr is up to pitch, nothings going to move besides possibly the bridge saddles. Just raise the STOP TP so no strings hit the backside of the bridge (especially on a NASH TOM). Put a Callaham ABR-1 and STOP TP on it and enjoy much more stability and improved definition...:-)

Aside from mucking up the tailpiece, wrapping the strings over it can cause the high E string to pop out of the bridge saddle with very aggressive bends, the extra steep angle of the normal routing helps prevent that.

Good explanation. I don't top wrap as I'm a heavy hitter and I like a tighter thrashy sound so regular no wrapping gives me more stability. BUT I plan on making one of my guitars top wrapped for solos because using cobalt strings makes for a bitch to bend notes. So I'm putting together a vibey guitar with bumble bees and pickups that have sweet spots for solos. It's a good option for the studio IMO.

I personally do this to every guitars I set up in my shop... I read in a guitar set up book once all the things you mentiones as well as it inproving the overtones and harmonics. I really do think this makes a difference for the better. The other thing I do is take my nut slotting files and abrazive cord to make a little guaged slot without burs to make a nicer place for the string to wrap around without risking string breakages at the wrap around point.

I found that when i tightened my bridge i had a lot more sustain..

I always wondered about this. Good video, thanks

Does increasing the angle at the tailpiece increase the tension on the neck?

Ever notice how certain topics make the guitar world split down the middle and turn and attack the opposing side? Do a tonewood video lol!!!!

A better tip is, cut the ball off old strings and put the string through that, then run it through the bridge and you wont have a risk of cutting your hand where the string bends on the bridge when top wrapping

Tailpiece top wrapping (and string angling in general if not top wrapping) can have a - huge - effect on tone. It moves the tonal properties of an instrument because of the strings angle and eventual reduction or increase of string pulling power in a guitar. I transformed a super bright Les Paul to a fat sounding one with a small trade-off on the snappy attack of the strings (less tension, less snappy attack, more mahogany). Glad I didn't sell it before trying all the possibilities. Except the action issues it definitely affects tone.

Excellent topic ! Interesting point of view ! Thanks for posting ! :)

It also makes the string tension feel looser & a lot more bend capability and stay in tune. Feels great this way. I have guitars strung both ways, but love the feel of them this way. Horses for courses though.

Interesting topic. Thanks for posting. I will raise the tailpiece just enough to get the strings above the back of the bridge so that it isn't brought to premature collapse as Gibson bridges can be but it seems to me that the more tension there is pushing down on the saddles the better the sustain and the better the tone will be so no top wrapping for me I'm afraid. I have never had problems with extraneous vibrations on a well set-up guitar

From a physics point of view the strings pulling from the top of the bridge would put more strain on the anchoring pins by puling them from a higher position than the design intended and could end up damaging the guitar. Think of the bridge pins as levers and the strings as pulling them. The longer the lever the greater the force applied.

@ The Rockin' Donkey, Here's what I've noticed, nothing scientific, although it is physics at play. From what I've felt during playing, yes, having the tailpiece tight to the body will increase the coupling effect of the threaded studs that thread into the bushings. But, having said that, I think with wraparound bridges, that have saddles, or ones that don't have saddles, you can raise the bridge to a certain degree for action, and you probably won't notice any loss in sustain. But we're not just talking about "sustain" - as in the DURATION of notes, fretted or open, single notes, and chords, it also affects the AMPLITUDE of the plucked, strummed string(s), and how much energy is transferred into them, allowing them to produce the elliptical effect much easier. Again, the headstock angle plays a huge role, as does the string's ability to glide easily through the nut slots. If you've ever played an American Standard Telecaster, or Strat, the "good ones" seem to be able to transfer string energy very easily and produce the elliptical effect. SEE: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-RRbmYQvWoK8.html fast forward to 1:40 on the timeline, and listen until 1:55. - Hear that big A chord he lands on at 1:53? Look at the strings against the black pickguard, and play that portion (1:50-1:55 over a few times) again, at 1:53 look at the strings. See how they almost strobe? And of course, the longer Fender scale length with 9 guage strings feels completely different that 9 guage strings on a Gibson. To me, that's how Gibson's should behave. And I think part of why Tele's, Strats, some Kramers etc can do that, is because they have very straight headstock angles, (not too much downward pressure from the strings on the nut), And, their bridges are parallel with the guitar top, combined with a very short run of string over the saddle - similar to a wraparound on a Gibson. SEE: www.realvintage.it/archivio/prs87bridge.jpg and www.mannmadeusa.com/wp-content/uploads/1966-Gibson-SG-Jr.jpg - see how the string exits the rear hole in the wraparound bridge, and then almost immediately meets the center of the saddles? This = little to no break angle, a very straight direct path to the nut. Personally, I think the Gibson headstock angle of 17 degrees is totally unnecessary and absurd. The tail-piece and ABR, tuneomatic bridge is a dumb idea too. It's almost as if they exist so that Gibson doesn't have to follow a more strict guideline as to how straight they neck joints are. Therefore, with a TP and bridge, they can compensate for those irregular neck angles. If they made all of their guitar neck joints STRAIGHT, like a Gibson Firebird, you could use a much simpler bridge. Look at the Telecaster, PRS, Godin guitars, and some of the Collings guitars, - cases in point.

Laregly the placebo effect. You think it feels "softer" and in your mind it does. From an engineering point of view it cannot make a difference at all. The only way a string will feel softer is if it is under less tension, which is why Iommi started tuning his guitars flat after his accident. But a given thickness of string of a given length brough to a given pitch will have the identical tension regardless of the break angle at either the nut or bridge. If its softer, its looser, and therefore tuned flatter. Its the only way it works. There is no magic to top-wrapping

You are right! Gibson actually has a much too steep angle at the headstock too. Which is not so easy to fix, but you can get the angle less steep by mounting longer tuners at the end, and then shorter towards the nut. It's a question of hitting that sweetspot between tone and playability. Good luck.

Serious question: Would a flat piece of hard rubber act as a buffer between the tailpiece and the strings so you won't damage anything while also not affecting sound?

Actually that tail piece started out its life as a guitar bridge. Look at early Gibson Les Paul Jr.'s that's all their was. Strings wrapped over and that was it. The bridge (tail piece) was angled to compensate for intonation. Later a Al in one bridge/tail piece was designed with saddles for setting the intonation.

If you like the tone do it. It's an old trick used by many and is totally subjective. Why argue? Spend that energy on doing something for yourself or others.

Thank you! I actually had my tail piece too tight and that was causing this rattle i couldnt figure out, and when i raised the tail piece the rattle is gone! dont know why but I did have it tight all the way down and the rattle was driving me crazy!

I took my guitar to a Luther and had the Luther file in for the strings for top wrap on my led Paul along with other work. Guitar has become a work of art and just about pays itself. I had this done on my 96 les paul 6 weeks after I bought it in 96.

Look.... You buy another Gibson brand tailpiece for $19.95, use it to experiment weather you like top-wrapping. If it's not you're bag, and you want to put it back (unmolested) to original, PRESTO! Next subject....

Not only can there be "wiggle" on the tailpiece......the higher the tailpiece is it is more likely to act like a pry bar and pull the two threaded sleeves out of the body....especially on cheap guitars

Top wrapping on these tailpieces was the original way Gibson did it. The 54 LP Goldtop had this tailpiece angled for intonation and top wrapped with no bridge. The 56 Goldtop was through strung and introduced the tunomatic bridge. Both used P90 pups. The PAF Humbuckers came in around 56/57.

I noticed at 2:11, the tailpiece is sitting not level to the guitar body, and tilting slightly upwards. Wonder if that changes the dynamics of the guitar.

thats why the adjustments are there ,no need to top rap its all in the adjustments,but what ever works for you ,cool video

Some of us prefer the toilet tissue to come from the top (front) and others from the rear (back...) physics anyone.

The early gold tops and juniors that had no separate bridge were top wrapped and the screws on the sides were used to set the string height so they were not cranked all the way down.

When you've gone from straight through to top wrapping or vice versa, has anyone noticed intonation or neck relief changes? Or, has this been relatively minor?

"Try wrapping your strings over the tail piece like I do.... on One Third of my guitars!"

This isn't the silliest thing I've seen, but it's in the running for the top 10.

I started top wrapping the strings on my 2015 SG and screwing the tail down tight. Still plenty of relief over the bridge and since then it holds tune really well. It was a dog for tuning, used to drift off and I was worried I had a bad neck. My cheap Squire affinity for £185 that just lays around the house, kicked and chipped and sons hammer it and never drifts off. Screw down the tail and over wrap was my solution.

In my personal experience top wrapping the strings or raising the stopbar puts a less tension on the strings and in turn makes it easier to bend the strings and makes it a bit more playable you could say however when you put the stopbar all the way down to the body i have noticed you do get more tone! It does put the strings under more tension though and bends an such aren't as easy. I guess its all personal preference in the end. Experiment with different things and see what works best for you. Thanks good video!

Duane Allman top wrapped his strings. 👍

Just use the 2 big screws on the tailpiece and you're done. They are meant for that

thanx for youy advice i'm gonna try to level up the tailpiece of my LP the angle is very steep

Wow I had no idea...I'm giving this a try...I hope it helps with the G string tuning problems on my Les Paul. I put grover locking tuners on it which did help but I still get detuning problems when bending on the G string when I first pick up the guitar after it's been sitting a while. I have a new problem where I'm getting buzzing so bad on the 5th and 6th string on the upper frets(15th and up) do you think that's from a bow in the neck and I need a truss rod adjustment? It just started recently and wasn't buzzing before.

Top-wrap makes a huge improvement in sustain and intonation. When I top-wrapped my (Gibson) Les Paul and ES-335 (the the stop tailpiece screwed all the way down) I was amazed at the difference. If you actually play the damn thing, the finish is going to get messed up anyway, so just be careful when you change the strings. I have the retainer wire problem with my Les Paul, but as loud as I play, well . . . who can tell?

I have done both ways for years, and there is no difference either way you do it, it's all in your head. I do not like the kink you put in the string while top wrapping, and the tension of a string has to be the same between the bridge and nut to make the note, say 17 ft lbs of tension, it's going to feel the same no matter which way you do it. Like i said, it's all in your head, just because someone said it makes a difference. I need to see the scientific proof.

It sounds like you have figured out why PRS guitars have their bridges where the strings are wrapped around the TOP of the bridge instead of straight through. I have been stringing MY guitars (Les Pauls) this way for years now just for that reason. The string resonance when strung over the bridge is simply phenomenal with sustain for EVER. Not sure of the actual science behind it, but hey...if it works BETTER....USE it!!! Great video, I have been telling other Les Paul players the same thing for years...nice to know that I'm not the only one that figured this out!! Oh, and another modification that I did that you might consider, is that I took a hacksaw and made notches where the strings rest on the bridge, then took a fine file and filed down the rough edges and smoothed out the notches, so that the strings won't slide around on the bridge, I did find that to be a problem, especially when really hard shredding and really hard bends. Trust me...it worked excellent and I suggest that you do the same and pass it on as well.

If I'm not mistaken, Ted McCarty stated in Robb Lawrence's 'Les Paul' book that the stop tailpiece was indeed designed for top wrapping.

Me and science disagree. Pitch is a function of string length, string diameter and tension. If a string is tuned to a certain pitch it will achieve that pitch at a given tension. String length, string diameter and string tension are all fixed values for a given pitch. you cannot change any of these and still get the same pitch. It's mathematically impossible. String angle between saddle and tail piece cannot change to tension or feel.

Yep....Im a top wrapper too. I like the tailpiece low but love the slinky feel when top wrapped. If you bend strings a lot in your playing this helps that easy feel.

What about top wrapping on a flying v or explorer- same bridge setup correct?

Just an update to my last post - I took a hacksaw and made notches into the tail piece of my guitar (LTD EC-401FM and LTD EC-10 in my case) and then took a Dremel tool with various widths of grinding wheels to compensate for the different string gauges/widths to make the notches more smooth and even...and you cannot imagine the difference in tone, sound, and sustain that was achieved by doing this. I would recommend to anyone that has the tools, time and patience to DO THIS MOD!!! It makes a TON of difference!!! Now that I have modded my Les Paul style guitars tail pieces in this manner, it is the ONLY way to go...PERIOD!! Any more guitars that I get, I will DEFINITELY be doing this mod. It is one mod that is damn well worth the time and effort...great sound, tone, intonation...plus it lessens the string tension and you can really get those string bends effortlessly. Best mod I have ever done to my guitars, hands down!!!

A roller bridge beats the standard ones ;)

I feel that doing this makes the strings easier to bend, if done correctly. Plus I like doing things that aren't standard.

what effect on sustain does top wrapping have, less or more, or none at all?

I noticed between your sg and lp tht the post base plate is morticed into the top of the guitar on the sg and on the paul the base is sitting on top the guitar and not morticed in. does this create issue of tone difference abd wiggle?

“Too steep of an angle accounts for a stiffer feeling guitar”- my ass! The only thing inferior about the steep angle is that it puts more strain on the string causing them to break more easily. It doesn’t affect the tone or feel whatsoever.

The ONLY determining factor in determining tension on a given string at a given pitch is scale length. You can top wrap until you're blue in the face and it doesn't change a thing. This is hocus pocus crap. Physics people.

I top-wrap mine but I also take that tune-o-matic bridge off and flip it around with the screws aiming toward the rear and used graph tech saddles.

I may be wrong but isnt the bobbin on the High E Still Sticking out? Or is that just reflection?

Not a fan, and some BS here. When I play gigs, I'll actually knock a string out of the bridge slot when I do acrobatics going over the top. The angle before the bridge is UNRELATED to fret noise because the angle between the nut and bridge is the same. And he says it's a tighter connection; NO! The tightness of the studs on the tailpiece is WAY mor important that the string wrap. I'm sure someone likes it, But it's not for me. You're better off changing your strings and practice more if you want better tone.

Don't do it. I bought an SG for a song used because some idiot did this and it wouldn't tune and the store though something was wrong with it. I changed the strings when I got it home and it's killer

cool info... with the tailpiece that has to stay up; you can use a spacer /fitted washer to allow locking down to body? right?...asking since you didn't mention..in my short repair experience.. i have needed to come up with corrections on mine and other players guitars. now i need to go dbl check my LP's to see if the break angle is too steep.

Thanks for the informative vid. Have there ever been "bottom wraps"? Just to have a string breaking angle similar to those found in in T-Style models? Explorers also come string-through. I personally like a good breaking angle. It feels as if the amount of pressure on the bridge is increased, which can make it sound tighter and "attackier". Any experience with that? - - - Thanks

I had to add my 2 cents. I've gone back and forth a few times on an SG standard that I love, top wrapping, then back to strings through the back as it was stock. What I've noticed, (and the guy in the video didn't go into this).. but it's not only the break angle of the strings from the TP to the saddles that's affected if you top wrap, or wrap through the back end like Gibson does from factory. It's also the string LENGTH between the saddle slot to the anchor point of the TP that can affect the feel, and travel of a string. If you've ever played a guitar with a PRS, Pigtail, or MannMade bridge that can be intonated, like this one: www.mannmadeusa.com/wp-content/uploads/StopTail-10.jpg the distance of the string exiting the the hole in the bridge - TO the saddle is considerably shorter, and that enables the string to have more... give, or springiness to it, less stiff. So much in fact, that guitars with these bridges, that are setup with 10 guage strings can sometimes feel and play more like 9's. They just seem to have more give and springiness to them, and you get that oscillating effect in the strings really easily on those guitars for some reason. That "unspoken" string length in between the saddles and the TP, have as much of an effect on feel as the difference in headstock angles - more VS less break angle etc, affects feel and "give" in the strings. I've found that cinching the TP all the way down and top wrapping makes the string not only slinkier, but since the TP is coupled tightly to the body's top, you get more of a SNAP in the strings - more focus and immediacy. Try adjusting the bridge and TP in the standard way, (strings through back of TP to bridge - no top wrap,) to mimic the feel of top wrapping - and to achieve a similar break angle and feel of top wrapping. By the time you get close to the same angle as the top wrap method, the strings have lost that "SNAP", and they start to feel rubber bandy. The sustain doesn't feel the same, the strings seem to excite more slowly, like they've lost some of that crispness. That's that I've noticed anyway.

why not just purchase a Graph Tech Resomax tail piece designed for top wrapping strings ? keep the original for resale !

I set mine up according to the gibson specs and had no choice but to wrap...works great...

I have an epiphone les paul , do you think i should have the tail piece screwed all the way down , or the angle will be way too big?Its strings are normally installed btw.

Why would you argue over this? Do what works for you. It's a suggestion for chrisakes

I learned how to set up my Les Paul, and had finally gotten my action JUST RIGHT, until I foolishly jumped on this bandwagon. Not only that, it looked stupid too.

There are thick washers (about 1/4”) available online that will allow you to lock the tailpiece down and correct that angle without top wrapping. Some say it improves sustain or “playability” I can’t say yay or nay on that one. If I were to guess...I’d say...”well...maybe”.

when you replaced the bridge, i notice you didn't replace it with a gibson bridge...you used an epi style one, per the posts...why?

Top wrap my SG 5 years. Nicer highs.