Telling Tails

[chris o'donnell]

I notice in the picture gallery that Tims guitars have the strings pulled over the tailpiece, instead of through it.

What are the benefits to stringing in this manner, or what is it that is being avoided.

If it's done over a nickle tailpiece, will it damage the coating.


Chris.

[rinse_master]

I do that on my LPs too, I like it becuse you get less of an angle over the bridge for palm mutes, and you can screw the tailpeice right down to the body aswell.

I'm pretty sure it will wear the tailpeice after a while too.

[Kemra]

As I understand it this is also what Zakk Wylde does on his LP's. If I remember correctly it extends the string life, which he needs to do because of his heavy pick attack.

[indysmith]

well spotted! if i ever get a LP, i'll be sure to try it out both ways

[chrisola]

you can do divebombs and stuff without a trem aswell :P

[Kemra]

you can do divebombs and stuff without a trem aswell :P

Yup. Infact Zakk did a lesson in the american mag Guitar World recently about dive bombs without a whammy bar. Not tried it myself yet so I don't know how good it sounds?

[indysmith]

i don't get it, how'd yu divebomb without a trem?

[Kemra]

i don't get it, how'd yu divebomb without a trem?

I could look up the article if you'd like?

[indysmith]

i don't get it, how'd yu divebomb without a trem?

I could look up the article if you'd like?

yes please, or if yu could just remember, that'd be fine too! i'd believe you

[Brow]

i don't get it, how'd yu divebomb without a trem?

I could look up the article if you'd like?

yes please, or if yu could just remember, that'd be fine too! i'd believe you

You can raise the pitch of a note by pushing the string downwards behind the nut. Maybe you lower the pitch by pushing the string down between the bridge and tailpiece?

I'm probably wrong but I'm only guessing :)

[willo]

yeah, you can push down after the bridge for sure. I only do it with my guitars strung in the 'normal' manner and there is a lot of tension there - maybe this makes it easier. Its hardly divebombing though!

You can also grab the headstock of your les paul and push it forward - slash does this, but one time he pushed so hard that the neck broke, hit him full in the face, and screwed his teeth up!

[rinse_master]

Surely pushing the strings between the tailpiece and bridge would still make the note go sharp rather than flat, no? Beacause you are still tightening between the nut  and bridge. I hope that's right...

I just checked, it does make it go sharp... you can get about a semitone on the low e.

I remember hearing that slash does that, I would try but don't like the idea of the neck snapping!, I suppose you could go up or down using that way, depends on which side of the neck you bend. Not going to try that one though  

[The amazing Phil]

I used to do that to my SG now and then, well when I was in the phase of only playing Iron Man anyway. :lol: Whack, push & shake. I'm sure that's not the "right" way but it worked.

[Ratrod]

If you have a good ear, you can use a tuning peg to divebomb. Or bend a string before striking it and then let it return to normal pitch. I did this on the Suicide Messiah track. Setzer tunes his guitar down to drop-D during the solo of Rock This Town.

[Kemra]

i don't get it, how'd yu divebomb without a trem?

I could look up the article if you'd like?

yes please, or if yu could just remember, that'd be fine too! i'd believe you

Couldn't find the exact divebomb trick, can't seem to find that issue. But I have found a very similar one by Zakk Wylde from the issue after that one. The attached photo corresponds to the text, hope it's good enough quality to see. So here it is:

"Obviously, my Les Pauls don't give give me an oppurtunity to perform cool whammy bar tricks, so I've had to create a few techniques that emulate the sound of a whammy. One thing I do quite often involves tapping a note with my picking hand, then holding that tapped note while quickly moving my fretting hand an octave or so lower on the same string before releasing the tap. Figure 1 is a simple example of what I'm talking about, and it's in the key of E minor to keep it straightforward. You start by bending the A note at the 14th fret on the G string up a whole step (Photo A). Then you tap the string at the highest point on the fretboard (Photo B) and hold the tapped note up there with your pick hand while you shift your fret hand to the note an octave below the first note, at the second fret (Photo C). Then, release the tap (Photo D) and let the bent string back down with your fretting hand. Once you get this move down, it should sound almost like a whammy bar dive bomb.

Here's another simple and cool sounding trick: slide your hand to the top of the fretboard, pick the highest note on the high E string (Photo E), then immediately go to the highest note on the low E (Photo F) and slide back down that string like in Figure 2. DOing this before kicking into a riff like 'I Don't Know' can sound pretty slamming."


*EDIT* The files are too big to post so if you want them you will have to PM me your email address.

Regards