String Through VS Top Loader Telecaster Which is better
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- čas přidán 19. 12. 2021
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Yeah I have one tele top loaded, just because the bridge is drilled for both and I figured it would be a bit of a change so why not. My others are string through, and I can say with 100% certainty, that I play equally poorly on both.
Actually you nailed it at the end. I did feel a difference as soon as I restrung it as a top loader but after about 5 mins I stopped noticing.
Keepin’ it a hundred as usual Dylan. Good level- headed commentary as always. Thank you.
I watch a lot of Dylan videos not so much because i plan to buy something or do something. I just find him interesting and very pleasant. Plus, I do learn a lot. So, thanks, Dylan!
Agree, he's a confident but not arrogant, dude with zero agenda, just delivers facts. The world would be much improved if more were like him... 🙂
Same here
To my ear the two sounded very different. The top loader had a thinner or more shimmery sound like 60s country, Buck Owens etc, and the through body was thicker, more of a Rock sound.
The first guitar I built was a Tele, and it was top-load only (the body I bought didn't have string-through holes drilled). I wasn't the certifiable Tele nut that I am now, and didn't think anything of it at first, but after a while I got curious and drilled holes through the body (badly too... never use a hand drill for that job!), to see if it would make a difference. The most profound change was that the body vibrated a lot more, which made it feel more "alive" when playing it, and I think that affected my perception of the tone. But I eventually made recordings of the guitar strung both ways and there was no difference at all (the pickups don't care how much the wood is vibrating).
I thought it felt a little different, but not much. I think that might have been psychological too. You can't get around the physics... As you pointed out; each string HAS to be at a particular tension in order to be tuned to pitch.
Contraversial opinion: I string through my E A D and top load my G B and e strings! I just like how funky it looks and it feels great! Even worse, I also use my string ferrules when top loading strings so that I can bend the strings up a half step! It works great for harmonics on a vibratoless guitar
I like this idea a lot. Of course: why not both! But I don't understand how you use ferrules with the top loaded strings. Thanks.
Do you put the ferrules in behind the top-loader hole and push bach on them like a tremolo bridge?
@@paulbcote I’m curious to this as well
I have all the same curiosities and questions as these other comments as well, safe to say you have us all scratching our heads, lol! Please reply ASAP with a thorough description of what you meant by also "using your ferrules when top loading." Oooor, even better, possibly make a quick video demonstrating exactly what you are trying to portay here? Much appreciated, thanks! :]
Woah! I do the same thing. I like the tightness of the lower-pitched strings going through-body and the slinky feel you get with the higher pitched strings being top-loaded. I had never heard of anyone else doing this but it's cool to know that other folks have the same preference!
For me my top loading tele is much nicer to play than it was when it was strung thru', top loading makes is feel very slinky. In fact, I like top loading set-ups so much that I have built a hardtail strat and fitted a cut down, top loading tele bridge on it and it has become my favourite guitar!
Same. I prefer it now.
@@Hiro.the.God.same, I feel a slight bit more slinkyness toploaded , mine does both and I’ve switched it up several times, that’s the only noticeable difference I can tell so I stuck with it.
Thanks for addressing this. I have been wondering about it for a while. Really enjoy your channel
Break angle changes PERCEIVED tension. And yes, people can feel it... It's why people top-wrap their tailpieces on LP's and such. And it's why my Strat setups were in such high demand-- slightly tinkering with break angle (at both nut and saddle) can make a real dog of a guitar into one that plays like a dream.
Fair and honest assessment. No drama. Thanks for posting.
Thoroughly enjoying watching this. Thank you.
Very good video.
"C'Mon, C'Mon! Feel the Vibrations!" Sorry, I couldn't help but sing Marky Mark when you said that.
Hi dylan & Leslie, just wanted to Wish You Both A Marry Christmas And A Happy New Year! Be Safe and God Bless.
I will take my top loader any day,over a string thru,much more slinky feel to me,less break angle does equate to a slinkyer feel,that's one of the reason Les Paul players raise the stop bar tail pieces, to change the angle and get a less tightness in the strings,it is a big deal when it comes to bending strings,you might lose some tone by going top loader, and changing the break angle,just as you do when there is too much relief in the neck,a small bit of sustain may be lost , but it does makes a big difference in the way a guitar feels,it is a personal preference,I myself like a guitar that plays like butter,with low action that I don't have to fight.
Great video on a fascinating topic that seems to polarize guitarists. I went with a top loader "to try" (I can drill 6 holes and sinks) and I really like it. To me, the amount of mass of the actual bridge plate, screwed tight up on that body, top-loader has great sustain and tone. I recently made two T-styles - one with a brass nut and the fat, heavy bridge, one with a titanium nut and the ashtray bridge - BOTH with the EMG T-System. They sound completely different. I really think this is a golden age for us players who love to tinker. And Tele parts are cheap, relatively available, and play well with other after market things. Thanks for fighting the good fight Dyan! ~j in Utah USA
I constantly read articles/watch CZcams videos where players say brass bridges don't affect tone. I also play bass, and 9 out of 10 bass players insist heavier bridges, brass nuts etc don't make a difference, especially on sustain.
Great topic! Been looking for info on this for a few years. Have a 90s Duo Sonic with a top loader and have always wondered how that affects the sound. Thanks!!!
String-thru definitely sounds more “snappy”, a bit more highs come through. If I had a Tele and had the option of string-thru or top-load, i’d probably have the lower strings strung-thru and the high strings top-loaded.
I’m gonna have to try that! I have a dual load bridge. Very cool idea.
This is what I do, works great. I think lol
That’s an idea, have to try it.
Good idea
My Telecaster doesn't give me that option thank God. One less thing to worry about 😅
Jim Campolongo 59 Esquire string thru = MAGIC
What I love about Dylan is that he’s always spitting strait.
I don't always agree with you but I enjoy hearing your opinion. I have many telecasters some top loaders some string through. I love them all! Funny enough I have never tried the side by side comparison that you just did. I think I just enjoy each one on its own merits. Keep up the good work!
Love the feel of my 83 Top loader Telecaster sounded the same
I have a tele top loader and a strat with the tremolo string through and I love both
You are extremely insightful and i wish more would subscribe to you!
Couldn't with you more, great video.
I've listened to this video a few times now and it has made me reconsider one of my own builds. I am building a StratoPaul with humbuckers and a Gibson conversion neck. I have a body with a Fender Trem system but I now wonder after watching your video if I need a hardtail Strat with a top loading bridge in order to build a Strat that sounds and feels like a Les Paul. Thanks for doing this video.
I just did this on my American Professional 2 tele. I had the exact same experience
You can measure the bending force required for string through vs top loader with a fish scale. Example: How many pounds to deflect (bend) #2 string by 3/4" at the 12th fret. Your choice of which strings, at what frets. and how much deflection. If the force required is the same, then its all in our heads. Could be an interesting test.
He did a video of that with a Les Paul top warp vs standard
My only trouble with a lot of Toploader teles, is when I do much string bending, the strings start sliding around on the saddle, thus I must run the action a little higher than when I am playing string through the body. this happens even when I switch it up and put A heavier gauge on. you nailed it though, in my opinion, more of a difference in field, not the greatest difference in sustain, although, I do think I get a little more snap on a Toploader, or have to work less to get snap.
I just bought a Guitar with a top loader hard tail, and I’m a big fan. I absolutely love it.
I've got both. Just got a string-through thinline semi-hollow one this week. I like the top-loader for the really twangy tele sounds, but I dunno that there's a big difference.
Great information . I have a top load and was thinking about making it a string through . Now I won’t bother . I like the way it is now and why bother doing that for such little return .
Great video. I have 2 teles, one has a bridge that can be top loaded or string through, the other only string through. I have the first top loaded. I can't say I notice a difference in feel. The sound is different due to wildly different pickups in the guitars.
I bought a top loader Mexican Tele on ebay once for $80 and after trying a few sets of strings I just didn't like the way it played or how dead it sounded. I was going to unload it but decided to have my guitar tech drill it out and covert it to string through because I loved the cream color of the guitar. The guitar instantly came alive and once again had that familiar Telecaster spank. I don't know why but there was a substantial voicing difference on this one particular guitar. I only noticed a slight difference in the way it played. I think that may have been a small difference in string tension.
The best/only way to get this guitar to sound good is to go through the top loader, BACKWARDS, around the body of the guitar, then through-body string it.
Anything else and you might as well be playing a tennis racket through one of them 80 dolla MEGA amps.
fight me
bro... where you get your 35% longer strings at yo? I'm on it.
Thanks for the video I was thinking about this when I bought my tele now I know I put way too much thought into something kinda trivial next time I will just go by feel and tone. I bought a string through and I play the crap out of it
I think I missed this 1st time around. I've played both. I didn't really notice any difference. My Tele is string thru and ot suits me just fine. I might put some DTT PUs in it after all my other guitar projects are done.
I do remember the tone wood shoot out. I did NOT miss that. Good stuff. Thanks, Dylan.
In ‘59, Fender did the top load bridge on Tele’s & Esquires, for just that year, then changed back to thrubody in’60.
I’ve had a couple of these in my shop.
What I’ve noticed is the top loaders are a bit more “strident” (brighter).
But I don’t think there’s any difference in feel.
Great video
i break more strings with the string through body and breaking strings makes me feel cool. Thanks Dylan for the fun vids
My Tele clone has a bridge that I can load either way. Once in a while I restring it opposite to what I did last.
I don't notice much ( if any) tone or sustain differences but it does " feel" a little different to play , if that makes any sense.
Good video, Thanks.
I like top-load because you can swap out the pickup without having to change strings. I find it difficult to find just the right tele bridge pickup. So far I like the Fender pure vintage 64(A5) as the best bang for the buck.
Try some Rio Grandes… they’re awesome
My bridge is like that too. I just changed my strings this week, so I might try that next time. Even if I can't tell the difference, it'll be fun to change things around.
I wonder if you normally use 9-42's string through, if top loaded 9.5-44's, would feel the same.
If I had this choice on a Tele there is a one and only reason I would stick with the body through string up. I wouldn't want to come home from a gig and discover I had lost a string ferrule because there was no string to retain it and it had fallen out. I have owned Teles in the past where a string ferrule became loose and would fall out with no string to hold it in place.
Hi Dylan!
I play both ways for years!
I even have a Joe barden bridge on my 1962 Tele.
I play big strings 0,13-0,58 E-flat and as I bend a lot there is a difference as I'm topload or go true body . I even change to a Junior tailpice on a Tele whit studs as a Gibson JR. I try top wrap it and I try string true even there. Tone wise then ! As you use a alloy bridge as a full bar that boost the tone and it push out it way more! Benefits ot that bridge is less tuning issues so as sadels move and you go out of tune. I never play skinny necks mostly I prefer D profile to the big strings. And I rock the shit out of my gear.
And old wood is harder as it more dry over a longer time. That do part of tune as well!
That's my input what I'm try and experience so far. Best regards from Scandinavia Sweden 🇸🇪
I’ve actually tried it. I like the top load but I also don’t believe it changed the tone at all. I did bump up to 9.5 strings from 9s and I just like how the guitar plays. For me I like the top load.
Irving Sloan, in his 1975 book, Steel String Guitar Construction, has a chapter where he describes how James D’Aquisto built his archtop guitars. Sloane stated that D’A had extraordinary control of the tone of his instruments, even after they were completed, and that he would modify the bridge or tailpiece to suit the buyer. If the buyer wanted more sustain, James would substitute a solid ebony bridge for the adjustable one with posts and thumbwheels. If the buyer wanted softer tone James would raise the tailpiece in order to lessen the break angle of the strings over the bridge. If the buyer wanted looser action James would substitute a shorter tailpiece to increase the free length of string behind the bridge and the strings would become easier to fret.
I have observed this in my own solidbody builds. From my very first scratch built guitar I have always placed the stoptail a little more than twice the distance from the bridge than would be found on an SG or a Les Paul. The difference in tone and playability is remarkable. The strings feel quite a bit softer and the tone is fatter, without the screeching high end that I hate. I’ve had Les Paul players remark upon this when they play my guitars. I know this can be a subjective thing, but this is my personal experience. I began placing my tailpieces farther from the bridge even before I read Mr. Sloane’s book, and I agree totally with what James D’Aquisto had to say about the matter.
Enjoyed the video. Building a epiphone sg, my question I have will installing a hard tail bridge produce more vibration ,,than a normal two post bridge . If it does is it real noticable . The fill of vibration, the sound,doesn't matter. Looking at guitars in shops not much choice to compare like old firebirds or flying vs.
Dylan, you hit the nail on the head on this one. I own 3 Tele's. One being a Reverend Greg Koch Gristlemaster, through body-strung Tele style guitar. 2) Jimmy Page Signature Telecasters. The American-made Jimmy is the mirror one and that is a top loader. The Dragon Jimmy is Mexican that is through the body. They all sound different. I feel the top loader is just a tad slinkier if that's a word lol. You can bend notes better. The other two make me play a bit differently with more hybrid picking. I don't know why that is, it just happens. More twang, less twang, more bending, less bending? the tones? they are all different. That's what's great about Tele's they're a workhorse that you can play really anything on them. I personally don't favor the through the body or top load. I pick up the guitar and my hands just do the rest. I do play them all differently.
Top loaders have a snappier feel with softening of the note bloom. I had an expensive I did everything imaginable to but wasn’t in love with and finally changed to top loader which made it feel much better.
Just my take. As guitar players we are actually receiving "feed back" from the instrument that people who are just listening to it are not getting. Its much like the driver of a car notices thing about the car that the passenger does not. Its because your senses are feeling the feed back of the cars control as you are driving. And this feed back is likely why people swear it makes a difference and others say they don't hear it. I listened to this video and did not hear a bit of difference. And you heard his comment...they felt different and I completely believe that.
I just bought two teles from GFS, for the record they were both better than I had anticipated.. hell I even like the single neck pickup! Which I didn't think I would. . I immediately changed the strings to top load, I just feel putting all of the resonance possible into a tele bridge is the tone I'm looking for. I always loved the idea of the string through body, until I got a couple deans and found out it makes the guitar seem too bright, which would probably be good for a tele in most situations but just not really my cup 'o tea
My top loader sustains for days and is slightly slinkier to play. String bends never slip on the saddles. plays the same as my 52 reissue.
I’ve tried both and agree that the tension of the strings is lower with top load. I don’t think the sound is different. Like you, I prefer a the tension of the string through. Thanks 🙏
I am a huge fan of top loaders. I love the slinky tension.
I prefer top loading, and it’s never been because of tone or feel. It’s just a pain in the ass to string the guitar through the back.
Only thing I want to know, do strings break less when top loaded? I've had problems with that string trough angle, always snapping strings at the same point (multiple guitars)
in my experience as a guitar tech for the last decade, yes. the lesser break angle reduces the added stress on the sharp angles. In my personal teles, I string them hybridly. by stringing thru the thick strings (E, A, and G) and top loading the thinner strings (D, b, e) so that I can maximize the lifespan of strings.
Top loaded sounds 'softer' to me... a bit less twang. Describing the feel and sound as being between 9's & 10's is a perfect description 👍 I prefer string through because, like you, I prefer to fight with the strings a bit. I use 12's on my acoustic and 11's on my 12-string, so I like being able to dig-in for my sound.
Well, at least top loaded is less time consuming to build, less drilling at least, but it makes me wonder if holds tuning all that well, I remember that once I played a Strat that felt different enough to play that feels odd, way faster, really jangly stuff, than, after I finished I saw it was a top loaded, I want to build a custom for me and I like to source somethings from Dylan and I'm glad he made a video about it.
I have had both. Very nominal tone change, tension may be even softer when top loading. Only complaint would be string change, but the rest is OK!
Tension of the active part of the string is the same, but while bending/fretting we have different length to 'pre-load' - takes different 'distance' to cover to reach the same tension - shorter (top-loader) may feel slightly stiffer in my experience (less of a wire to play with, quicker to reach desired tension/pre-load/magic. But honestly, I observe things in a very similar fashion as you do so, yeah...
If everything affects tone, the necks with block inlays vs dot inlays should be audibly different. There wood is removed and the string is vibrating on other materials.
See how silly that sounds.
I like Phil McKnight’s philosophy: everything makes a difference, the question is how much. Inlays might make a .000001% difference; top loading might make .01%.
@@JoeMama410 I like that too. Kind of hard to argue.
I think the primary difference in tone inlays would be material, e.g. mother-of-tone is crisp yet fragrant (especially around 1.3kHz), where tonebalone is succulent and rich in fiber. A lot of people can't hear the difference...they're the lucky ones. 🤣
@@JoeMama410 One hundredth of a percent is minuscule and I would sincerely doubt anyone could notice a difference.
@@CABallIII 🤣
I literally just did this a day before your video came out - restrung my Tele to top loader. My experience was similar in that there was a bit of a difference but not much. Tone-wise I noticed no real discernable difference.
I bust my 20yr old high E string on my top load Affinity Telecaster (again!) while fooling with set up but there is enough length left on it for another repair. I find the dull sound of the antiquated string set to be pleasing on the ear, but the wound strings are splintering now. I don't think I would have them today if on a through body Tele, as the 90° bend would be vulnerable to earlier breakage, and spare workable string left if any for repairs. I may have to treat ourselves with a new set if perfect set up is achieved...one-day.
Metallic blue and maple sure is pretty.
Top Loaders seem to have multipal advantages, most of which are mentioned in previous comments: FYI - Jimmy Page's Dragon Tele is a Top Loader as well as may other famous players - Fender introduced the first Top Load Tele's in 1958... I prefer the lower break angle.
I agree with you about the relative difference. I play 9s on my starts/teles and 10s on my shorter scales. When I tried top loader on my tele I felt like playing 8-ish srings. I also put exta spacers under the string trees to raise them and that plus the top loader gave the strings a more "slinky" feel. Really didn't change tone or sustain that I could tell. Any body try the treble strings though the body and the wound strings top loaded?
What do you advise on the barrel saddles? I want to upgrade mine to brass but not sure what measurements to go with since squiers are made overseas with the metric system. Also, compensated or regular?
Hi Dylan,
Just weighing in with your discussion. Now I have always had the thought that when a string is strung through
The body the string ball would vibrate from the metal string ferrules allowing there to add to vibration. There’s the question.
As for me I will stay with a solid yes. Not disparaging a top loading bridge . But the string vibration I personally can tell
And feel. I am a lover of string resonance when you can feel the wood vibrate. But that again is subject to opinion.
I feel the stiffness when bending with different break angles. I think of this more at the nut with headstock break angle or extra string trees on a Strat but there are the top wrap Les Paul folks. I suppose double locking systems make this a mute point. 😂 I was born a Les Paul player so I like break angles. I like a stiff feel.
I’ve done both. Same same as far as I can hear. A tele sounds like a tele.
Cool experiment! The string-through sample seemed ever so slightly brighter to my ear. But maybe that has more to do with the difference in how it felt and how you played than the inherent tonal characteristics of the guitar.
It was definitely tighter , brighter and somehow less busy.
Awsome video as always!!!! I think it has a ton to do with bridge I put a babicz full contact dule locking. And the sustain is like no other i get better tones as well. stumbled on this while looking at tele build video I've played both personally the top loader and string through, not a fan of top load I don't like the extra slink and it's not nearly as sexy and clean looking I feel it makes it look cheap like a children's guitar. I'm a perfectionist and it just looks unfinished. Now show me a bridge that hides the ball ends and is top load and that may be different. But after I installed the babicz I bought them for all the guitars dude ya gota check them out like seriously best thing since sliced bread. They have like every type of bridge I get scared every time I type the address, it cost me at least 200. Every time but best thing I ever did as far as for sustain and tone and sexyness!!!!!! Ps I think they also give me special powers I feel I suck and when I installed it my playing was cleaner. Unless I was like ya 200 bucks huge difference. But it really was huge difference. I think you need to do the babicz vs the fender and nothing against fender but I feel all their stuff is what we call in the construction business looks good from my house. Even the high end stuff is just well just a builder special when ya compare it to the babicz. Just my opinion!!!!!
With a string through, the force from the string tension is pushing the bridge on to the body, but with a top load, the string tension is trying to pull the bridge off the body.
The string load from the toploader is putting tension is trying to bend the bridge plate and pull the screws out so the bridge plate stiffness must come into play somehow -at least in theory.
With the strings though the body, the bridge plate is being pushed down onto the body by the saddles and there is much less loading on the screws as they mainly resist the forces trying to slide the bridge back towards the nut.
I have used both, but prefer string through over top loader. String through seems to have a bit more low end response, but it's pretty subtle difference. I prefer to use heavier strings with heavy tension, so the string through helps with what I want out a Telecaster. I get why some prefer the top loader bridge for a Telecaster though. It's really a personal preference.
Actually, Dylan, string tension changes between top and through-loading can easily be measured, however subtle. Whether an individual player can feel it and for how long, as you said, is another matter.
I have found that negative string length makes a difference in feel and sound, but admittedly, no guitar I have ever played could easily or quickly enough be switched from one to the other to make a good test. Also, I have found that the tailpiece design and the break angle over the bridge saddles makes a great deal of difference. A stop tail vs. a Bigsby vs. a trapeze is significant.
How about tuning stability? I just play open and bar chords. My strumming is fast and heavy. What you guys recommend? Through-body or top-loading? Cheers
I've never done that 'through body' vs 'through bridge' comparison on a tele, but I have done a similar comparison on a Les Paul by raising and lowering the tailpiece. Similarly, that changes the break angle of the strings behind the bridge, and to me, it had similar results to what Dylan got in this video. The sound was basically the same, if not entirely the same, and only the feel of the guitar was noticeably different. But it was a subtly difference that almost certainly would no longer be noticeable after playing the guitar a while.
Dylan, have you ever done a video comparing 'top wrapping' vs. 'through bridge' methods of stringing a Les Paul?
The best playing guitar I've ever.played was neck through body with a string through body bridge. I thought the neck thru was the magic, but I think it's more string thru cuz a tele just has something to it for solid playability. Even a cheap one. Maybe I should deck the trem on my Strat, but I like my trem, I'm willing to make the sacrifice. It still plays pretty well.
Jim Caoalongo 59 Esquire string-thru = Telemeister!
Did you have to adjust the intonation and action, when you changed to top loading?
It is sort of like intonation, but the change will be in total string riding over the saddle when you bend a note. The string through will have more to stretch and be easier to bend while the top load will be tighter, more tension with the same bend. The total bend will be the same string length from saddle to fret, but a little easier with the string through. The greater tension with the top load may produce a different note. (?)
Could it be possible the bend action could be different feeling? Maybe easier due to the different (flatter) angle of tension on the strings at the bridge?
I may be completely off base but I'm hearing a lot more treble twang on the top load.
I put string through holes on my project tele, but using even a slightly different size string changes the feel way more than top load vs string through imo. Can't speak for the sound too much. As long as there's nothing "wrong" with the sound I feel like you tend to get used to those subtle differences pretty quick as well (until you switch to another guitar that is different).
Big thing for me is that my top load was picky about string gauge. I bought a pair of the David Gilmore GHS strings (which are only 9s) and the low e didn't fit all the way through. I bought some ferrules, drilled some holes and wa la. I can use whatever string size or brand that I want now.
Been a top loader for a couple years once you get used to it ... you dig it I did it years ago because I heard that Jimmy page did it
Wouldn't mind trying a 6 way bridge with block saddles. Trouble is, they usually have a longer bridge plate, so routing is different to my 4 screw vintage.
something logical : when the string is through the body, the bigger diameter is down and not in contact with the fingers so we can feel less tension on pulling the string for tremolo
so, when the string is on the top, it's a bigger diameter on the fingers and perhaps more efficient for rythm
no ?
Well Gibson are all top loaded and resonance isn’t an issue which to me would suggest scale length/tension or wood but they are mounted differently…. Food for thought!
String through, Leo Fender original design that's what makes the Telecaster and sustain sustain sustain 🎸🎸
I have a Tele that can do both string-through and top-load. The feel and the sound difference is extremely minimal. (I couldn’t hear or feel a difference.) I’ve played guitar for forty years so I’m not just getting started.
If you can feel a difference then good on ya, but the difference isn’t enough to worry about. If I was blindfolded I probably couldn’t tell the difference. That being said I do choose string-through on the guitar where I can do either. …mainly because it’s easier to string that way.
In my opinion I think the top loader is not designed for heavy strumming as the strings gives more tension to the tailpiece.
Easily the tension is higher on the through body. overall string length is longer ( much like the scale length). If the string is longer it takes more tension to reach the same tone. If it is a shorter scale it has a looser feel. A top load makes for a shorter string (similar to a shorter scale length) .therefore it takes less tension to reach the same tone.
string through promotes more wood vibration which increases resonance thus affecting tone
Wound strings through the body, flat wounds top loaded.
I prefer the string thru the body, but not for anything more than what the tension of the strings is pulling against. With the string thru, the ball end is pulling from the bottom side of the guitar in the ferrule hardware. Whatever tension that is happening occurs at the bottom of the guitar and the 1 3/4 inch of wood. With the top loader, the string is pulling from the back of the bridge plate & forward. I guess it's no big deal because the screws are long enough to anchor in the wood for the top loader, but that pull could loosen the bridge plate over months or years ? I have a Squier Bullet Strat that is a fixed bridge & top loader. It's a 2005, 17 years old and periodically I have to tighten the 5 screws holding the bridge plate to the body. A Fender string thru bridge plate for that same concept has only 3 screws at the back of the plate. I figure the extra 2 screws on the top loader are there for a reason and it's to hold the bridge plate down on the top loader at 5 points rather than 3. I don't know if the string thru bridge plate ever has enough pull on the bridge plate string thru holes to ever move or loosen the 3 back screws. I don't know that it makes any difference beyond that & the break angle of the string prior to bending over the saddle in that slot. And that, like you said a differential in down force on the saddle feet & chromed bridge plate is probably the difference in the feel of the strings. I'm not going to lose sleep over which I have, the Teles I have are string thru body. The Strats I have one a top loader, the other a string thru the trem block. And the LP, that was the Gibson Epiphone 1 piece intonated wrap over that really didn't change when the Bigsby was added. The stings either go thru a hole, direction is towards the back end and wrap over or the strings anchor on a pin, direction is towards the back end and wrap over, both to the intonated saddle piece.
To my ear the top loader is a lot more stable and in tune than the string through. The string through slightly wavers in and out of tune when you move around a little bit and I guess that’s what gives it it’s charm, but I also love a solid top loading tele.
It's mostly just a feel thing when bending and a string saving thing. Not all the string set should be top or body-through loaded. Some strings that are the slackest in tension, say low E and a plain G should have though body, and the most tensioned strings like the spun d string and high e top loaded. Through body high e string snaps the most. Or sooner than the rest of the strings. As for sound it's so subtle that it is neglible. Another point is that I feel I have to retune/fine tune more often with through body stringing than top loaded.
So I like bridge plates made for both options. It's a pity there aren't "halfway" of the other strings, it's either that too steep angle or that almost too shallow angle.
The only way for me to play certain barr chords on a full scale tele is to top load. I love string through for lead stuff(that fight back thing), but my hands are just really weak. Maybe if I could spring for thicker aftermarket necks this wouldn't be a problem, but the guitars I can afford all have paper thin profiles.
Really like the top loader tone
At 8:33 you said it will make you play different because of the tension difference. Earlier in the video you said tension isn't an issue (paraphrasing). Did you mean it wasn't an issue for tone? I built a nice Tele kit that is not through the body. I thought about changing to through-the-body but after seeing this, it isn't work the trouble and expense. It sounds good and feels good too.
Is the difference as drastic as trem Strat vs hardtail Strat?
I've only ever noticed minor differences in feel between top loading vs string thru. I prefer top loading. I tend to break strings faster on string thru where the break angle is.
I’m going to try wound strings through the body and plain strings top loaded next time I change strings on my Truxton.