![]() The advantage is that strings are supposedly easier to bend because of the decreased string break angle. This is when the direction of the string path is reversed so that the strings are threaded through the leading edge of the stopbar then come out the rear and wrapped over the top of the stop bar. Some players, like Duane Allman, deviate from the norm and "top wrap" their strings. This requires a different stringing technique. Some players prefer to tighten the stopbar all the way down in an attempt to increase sustain and tone. There are practical limits to this technique: too high and it could bend the posts and the strings will not seat properly into the bridge saddles too low and the string break will rest on the rear of the bridge, killing sustain and tone. This is an important adjustment especially when changing the gauge of the string set on the guitar. The threaded posts can be lowered or raised to increase or relieve the string tension at pitch. The stopbar tailpiece is meant to be adjusted for string tension. The string path then goes over the bridge saddles and the string nut to the machine heads located on the headstock. The stopbar has holes drilled into it that allow the guitar strings to be threaded from the rear and out through the front. This fastening of the key components in a stoptail bridge system is claimed to impart more sustain and tone to the guitar's sound. In these designs, the Tune-o-matic bridge section is also usually fastened to its embedded studs by set screws. When it is held in place using the screws, it is sometimes referred to as a "locking stopbar". One danger to be aware of is that the stopbar can fall out of the notches when changing strings and put a ding in the guitar's finish. ![]() The stopbar can either simply slip onto notches on top of the studs, or be held in place using set screws. ![]() The studs and stopbar are located behind the separate bridge piece. The bar is mounted on top of the guitar body usually by means of sturdy threaded metal studs screwed into threaded sleeves embedded into the body of the guitar. The "stop" part comes from the fact that the string ends are held in place or they "stop" inside the bar. Aluminum was also used in the early examples of stoptail bridges from the 1950s, so it carries the mantle of "vintage" vibe. Many manufacturers claim that the use of lightweight metals and alloys, such as aluminum, provide a greater transfer of the string's vibrational energy or "resonant quality" to the guitar body since there is less mass to excite. The stoptail bridge consists of two parts: an adjustable fixed bridge piece, such as a Tune-o-matic and a separate stopbar (or stop bar) tailpiece.Ī stopbar tailpiece is, as the name implies, a bar-shaped formed metal piece commonly made of pot metal or zinc alloys although aluminum and brass may be used. Hard-tail bridged guitars use different bridges from those guitars fitted with vibrato systems (which are also known as tremolo arms or whammy bars). Tune-o-matic with "strings through the body" construction (without stopbar)Ī stoptail bridge (sometimes also called a stopbar bridge) used on a solid body electric guitar or archtop guitar is a specialized kind of fixed hard-tail bridge.
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