Top-Wrapping: To Wrap, Or Not To Wrap

If you’ve owned a Les Paul (or a Stoptail/Tune-O-Matic-equipped guitar), you’re very likely stringing it the conventional way - i.e. strings passing through the end of the tailpiece in the one direction of travel, giving you a decent break-angle over the saddles. For most people, this is the only way to string a Les Paul, and will never give it a second thought. However, there is another way..

Welcome to Top-Wrapping

If you’re a fan of players such as Duane Allman, Billy Gibbons, Jimmy Page, Joe Bonamassa, and many others, you may have seen photos of their Les Pauls and noticed something..different. The guitar is strung with the strings passing backwards through the tailpiece, wrapping around the top of it (hence the name), and over the saddles with a far-shallower break-angle than the conventional fashion. To some this looks odd, to others, it’s the height of style, and for many the only way to set up their guitar. But why do people do this, and what benefits or drawbacks are there to top-wrapping?

If you’re a fan of players such as Duane Allman, Billy Gibbons, Jimmy Page, Joe Bonamassa, and many others, you may have seen photos of their Les Pauls and noticed something..different. The guitar is strung with the strings passing backwards through the tailpiece, wrapping around the top of it (hence the name), and over the saddles with a far-shallower break-angle than the conventional fashion. To some this looks odd, to others, it’s the height of style, and for many the only way to set up their guitar. But why do people do this, and what benefits or drawbacks are there to top-wrapping?

The Pros (according to the pros)

The number one reason people cite for top-wrapping their guitars is that it gives the strings a slinkier, lighter feel, making bends in particular easier and often being equated to feeling like going down a gauge. The reason for this is precisely in the reduced break-angle across the saddles; with less downforce on the saddle/bridge, the strings are able to take advantage of a lower tension at that break-point. Personally, I don’t feel it’s quite as extreme as stepping down an entire gauge, but the difference in playability is very noticeable.

Increased resonance is usually the second most popular reason given for top-wrapping. In order to achieve a playable break-angle across the saddles, in most cases the stoptail will need to be lowered all the way to the body, maintaining full contact with the post ferrules which allows a greater transmission of vibration from the strings into the body of the guitar. With the height of the stoptail raised, there is naturally less contact between solid parts as the transmission occurs through the posts. A note regarding the break angle - if the angle is too shallow when top-wrapping the strings will not have enough downforce to seat in the saddle notches and you’ll quickly find your strings skipping out of place with even the lightest touch!

The last reason given is somewhat linked to the previous - the tone. In addition to the increased vibration, people often describe a certain ‘airyness’ to both the acoustic and amplified tone of the guitar when top-wrapped. Having had many years of experience with top-wrapped guitars, as well as Fender offsets (like Jazzmasters and Jaguars) and many Bigsby-equipped instruments, I am fairly confident that this is a result of the part of the string behind the bridge being able to vibrate sympathetically (somewhat like a sitar), and anyone who has attempted the Thurston Moore approach of vigorously strumming the strings behind the bridge will know exactly what kind of weird and wonderful bell-like tones are possible.

The Cons

Ok, so all of this sounds great, why aren’t we all top-wrapping? Well, there’s a couple of reasons why this approach may not suit you. Some are aesthetic, some are functional - let’s unpack them.

Whilst the most popular reasons given for not top-wrapping a guitar are usually aesthetic, I’m going to start with the structural reason, which is also one that you can’t always solve - neck geometry. A Les Paul (and other Gibson designs) are set-neck guitars; their necks are glued into a neck pocket (i.e. set) and the angle of this cannot be readily changed without significant surgery. As far as guitar production has come over the years, there is still a surprising amount of variation in the neck angle of set neck guitars (from the same manufacturer, of the same model, even made on the same day), and this angle is very critical for determining the setup and playability of your guitar. Without going too deep into it, the angle of the neck determines at what angle the strings will break over the bridge, as well as how high or low the bridge needs to be set to achieve optimum playability. If the angle is too shallow, you won’t be able to get enough break-angle over the saddles, even with your tailpiece completely decked. If this is the case, you may still be able to top-wrap your guitar, but you will likely be limited to heavier strings to ensure issue-free playing. Ask me how I know this..

I recently encountered this when changing string gauge on my Les Paul. After many years of top-wrapping with 11-gauge strings I had made the switch down to 10s for a more bend-happy feel, and when I finished tuning up post-setup I noticed an immediate problem; the saddles on my high e and b strings were moving around when I played, whereas previously they hadn’t. After much experimentation with bridge height, tailpiece height, neck relief, and a healthy dose of colourful language, I had to accept it - this Les Paul needed the conventional string method in order to take advantage of lighter gauge strings. Now, this isn’t the case for every Les Paul by any means - Billy Gibbons is known for playing absurdly light 7-gauge strings on his 1959 Les Paul, and I’m more than willing to bet that the neck-angle on Pearly Gates is responsible for allowing this!

As mentioned, there are some aesthetic considerations to top-wrapping, and aside from how it looks outwardly, there is the very real issue of string wear to your hardware. Over time, you will notice the wear patterns emerge on your stoptail (particularly if you have a chrome or gold-plated version), and for many this is a bridge too far, especially if you favour pristine-looking instruments.

The last reason that top-wrapping might not be for you is that depending on the strings you use and the angle/positioning of your tailpiece you might find that the wraps of the strings are placed in a way that can dig into your palm/hand whilst playing. There are some ways around this, from experimenting with different string brands, or tinning the wraps with solder to achieve a smooth, uniform feel. 

The Wrap-Up

So, what have we learned today? Should you top-wrap your guitar? The answer is…maybe? Most folks will never consider stringing their Les Paul up in anything other than the conventional fashion, and that is totally fine! If you’re happy and satisfied, why mess with what’s already working? My suggestion would be to experiment with it, especially if you’re tone-curious, as you might find that it totally changes the playability of your guitar for the better, and if not, it’s incredibly easy to revert to convention (you’ll just need a new set of strings). In addition, if you do give it a go I would strongly encourage you to stick with it for at least a week of solid playing before you decide to switch back - the perception of change is strongest at the start of the journey, and you may find that your initial reaction might not be positive due to this, but with some time to adapt to the new feel you may end up discovering something that you wouldn’t have otherwise.

If you’re keen to try this fancy new way of stringing your Les Paul and want the benefit of experience and a fundamental understanding of how this process affects your guitar, please feel free to get in contact and we at Dire Wolf can get your guitar wrapped in no time!