Tune-o-matic And Through-body Retainers (attn: Perry)

[Lester Corncrake]

I found this guitar on the Ormsby website.

I really like the TOM with through-body strings, where the ferrules are placed where the tailpiece would normally go, but it's something which I've only really seen before with recessed TOMs. My Patrick Eggle New York is similar but the strings go through the body a lot further back.

So my question is: are there any problems associated with such a sharp break-over angle and/or is the neck angle reduced to compensate?

[Supernova9]

I really like the TOM with through-body strings, where the ferrules are placed where the tailpiece would normally go, but it's something which I've only really seen before with recessed TOMs. My Patrick Eggle New York is similar but the strings go through the body a lot further back.

So my question is: are there any problems associated with such a sharp break-over angle and/or is the neck angle reduced to compensate?

You wouldn't reduce the neck angle to compensate. The only time you change the neck angle is when you change the height of the TOM. The neck angle is there to compensate for the height of the bridge above the body/fretboard. In this case, you don't change that, you'd only change the position of the ferrules - if you want a shallower break angle over the TOM, then you position them further back, just you have to make sure you don't have them so far back a string won't reach the tuners!

However, there isn't a problem with ferrules that close to the bridge, I've got one that's the same as the guitar pictured and it's not a problem.

[guitar2005]

I really like the TOM with through-body strings, where the ferrules are placed where the tailpiece would normally go, but it's something which I've only really seen before with recessed TOMs. My Patrick Eggle New York is similar but the strings go through the body a lot further back.

So my question is: are there any problems associated with such a sharp break-over angle and/or is the neck angle reduced to compensate?

As super nova said, the neck angle is in relation to the bridge height only.

For the ferrules, you can place them anywhere you want really, as long as they don't touch the bridge when going towards the body or the string length is enough to cover the distance between the back of the guitar and the tuners on the headstock.

Having a sharper angle (closer to the bridge) will give you a slightly tighter feel. I also believe that it may improve tuning stability. I prefer the ferrules closer to the bridge.

[GregP]

Am I just going mad, or is the middle part of that guitar carved down "into" the middle as well? So it's a normal carve up to the highest point, and then it dips back down into the middle...?

If that's the case, the actual wood where the ferrules sit are likely higher in elevation than the wood where the TOM is, making the angle over the saddles a little less sharp.

[killemall8]

I really like the TOM with through-body strings, where the ferrules are placed where the tailpiece would normally go, but it's something which I've only really seen before with recessed TOMs. My Patrick Eggle New York is similar but the strings go through the body a lot further back.

So my question is: are there any problems associated with such a sharp break-over angle and/or is the neck angle reduced to compensate?

As super nova said, the neck angle is in relation to the bridge height only.

For the ferrules, you can place them anywhere you want really, as long as they don't touch the bridge when going towards the body or the string length is enough to cover the distance between the back of the guitar and the tuners on the headstock.

Having a sharper angle (closer to the bridge) will give you a slightly tighter feel. I also believe that it may improve tuning stability. I prefer the ferrules closer to the bridge.

i dissagree.

the further away you put them, the tighter the feel. because that mimics a longer scale, because the strings are stretched across a longer distance.

[GregP]

That's false logic, kill'em--

The scale length is the scale length, period. And in two guitars where all other things are equal, the scale length produces a tighter string-- more tension is needed to bring the string up to the same pitch. Keep in mind also, that in longer-scale guitars that have a tighter feel (like a strat), there's a very sharp break angle over the bridge saddles and not much slack.

So what we're talking about are two different issues, both of which are contributing factors to the feel: The "extra" string length(s) and the scale length.

With a longer distance between bridge and ferrules, you're adding more "material" that needs to be stretched when bending, etc. The tension added by string bending, for example, requires a deeper bend in order to bring the string tension to the right amount for the target note. The less "behind-the bridge" and "behind-the-nut" slack, the tighter it's going to feel between two guitars of the *same* scale length. Which is what we're talking about here, since the scale length has been set... the decision remaining is distance from bridge to ferrule.

Don't get me wrong; the difference between scale lengths ALSO affects the "tightness" of the feel, but the extra length you're referring to does not simulate the longer scale length.

Greg

[guitar2005]

That's false logic, kill'em--

The scale length is the scale length, period. And in two guitars where all other things are equal, the scale length produces a tighter string-- more tension is needed to bring the string up to the same pitch. Keep in mind also, that in longer-scale guitars that have a tighter feel (like a strat), there's a very sharp break angle over the bridge saddles and not much slack.

So what we're talking about are two different issues, both of which are contributing factors to the feel: The "extra" string length(s) and the scale length.

With a longer distance between bridge and ferrules, you're adding more "material" that needs to be stretched when bending, etc. The tension added by string bending, for example, requires a deeper bend in order to bring the string tension to the right amount for the target note. The less "behind-the bridge" and "behind-the-nut" slack, the tighter it's going to feel between two guitars of the *same* scale length. Which is what we're talking about here, since the scale length has been set... the decision remaining is distance from bridge to ferrule.

Don't get me wrong; the difference between scale lengths ALSO affects the "tightness" of the feel, but the extra length you're referring to does not simulate the longer scale length.

Greg

Yeah, what greg said.