Hi folks:

This is really a guitar thing, but since a lot of people bring Teles into
the studio, it could be useful to you.

Telecasters and their relatives (like my G&L ASAT) tend to be rattletraps.
One big source of rattles and buzzes is down at the bridge, where (on the
six-barrel bridges) the strings coming up through the body tend to vibrate
against the screw-spring combination that holds the bridge. Basic design
flaw in my book.

The solution is to thread a flat cloth shoelace through the assembly. It
goes under the string, over the screw, and I found it easiest to loosen the
lowest-pitched string, thread the shoelace in, then tighten it and do the
next lowest string, etc. Once they're all threaded, cut the shoestring off
about 1" on either side of the bridge assembly. It looks really silly, but
it stops those rattles cold.

Peace,
Paul

I've seen people do that but I never knew what the deal was.

Thanks,

Thomas
www.yourhomestudio.com

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Ages ago I had a Gibson ES-345TD with the trapeze tailpiece, & I used
to have to thread a shoelace through the strings behind the bridge just
to stop them from ringing sympathetically with every note I played.

I've a DeArmond T-400 with a bigsby. There is very little break over
the roller bridge, and the strings between the bridge and the bigsby
really vibrate sympathetically. I assume this must affect the tone
adversely as this is less vibrations transferred to the body, and a
sink for the sustain. I've just taken an empty string envelope and
laced through these strings. Is not elegant in any way. Just a poor
design having so little break over the bridge, that the tension is so
slight and there is so much string to vibrate. Been looking to put some
better looking foam in there.