Advantages/Disadvantages of recessed TOM

[notid]

I'm thinking about a new build and I'm not sure whether to go with a recessed TOM on a flat top or an angled pocket carved top. What are the advantages of each? I think I'd like to have a carved top, but if the angle negatively affects playability, I'd go with a recessed tom.

I've built one warmoth before, and while I'm happy with it, I'm really trying to focus on getting the right feel this time. And to me, that means really low action. I don't know if this would impact that at all.

 

[Patrick from Davis]

The action should not be affected.  The angled neck makes the guitar "wrap around you" more.  Or so I have been told.  I can't notice a thing about if it helps or not.  Some like it for that reason.  The regular tune-o-matic does reside much higher off of the guitars body, and if you play hard, this can be in the way.  The lower profile recessed tune-o-matic obviously has less of a problem in that respect.  Once again, I can't really tell, and I just go with the one that looks the way I think the build should go.  The fact I really like the guitars I build, from the goofy expensive but pretty caps, to the way they appear to be a name brand, trumps most of the other things about the playablity of the guitar.  And truth be told, they are all easy to play.
Patrick

 

[agreatheight]

I am in the end phases of a TOM Jazzmaster build that has the angled pocket. If I realized that a recessed TOM was an option I probably would have ordered that. With that said, I am not unhappy with how the guitar plays relative to this. It was barely noticeable, but noticeable, the first time I played it, but it's not an issue really. It's just how the guitar 'fits' and I adjusted to it very quickly. I should mention that it appears that Warmoth didn't give me enough angle (I think the pocket said 1 degree) so it looks like a neck shim is gonna be necessary. I am still tweaking the neck and working with the saddles, but I am all the way down on the TOM saddles... if I don't need a shim it's gonna be just barely. Another 1/2 a degree and I think I would have been fine. Not a big deal of course, but worth saying.

Oh, and it won't affect action at all.

If I were you I'd go carved top, a Les Paul without one just seems wrong to me, lol.

 

[BigBeard]

I actually love my recessed flat top.  I'm a big fan of the TOM because I don't need to order a lefty specific bridge, they work either way.  And I am running a T-Bridge by LR Baggs and the recess hides the wires to the saddles.  The action is pretty darn low, I never measured it, but it is lower than my american standard strat with a blocked trem.  And it is close to the guitar body, like a Fender.  That is one thing I never liked about a Gibby, the overall height of the strings to the body due to the angled neck and height of the bridge.  I always thought of the height as a trade-off for the looser strings on the shorter scale.  What I think would be perfect is a 24 3/4" scale neck with the recessed TOM, best of both worlds.  I was going to do the shorter neck on my WGD, but I wanted the big 1 3/4" nut, which they don't do on the shorter necks, so I went for the fender scale. 

 

[notid]

Interesting...

If it makes any difference I'm thinking about an LPS.

So does the TOM sit higher than other TOM guitars? I have a ESP LTD EC 1000 which has a playability feel similar to what I'm looking for. I don't feel that I know what to expect from recessed TOM vs regular TOM on a warmoth guitar.

 

[rockskate4x]

The feel and the looks are the biggest differences between the two bridges. Many people don't notice much difference in feel. Try to find both styles of guitar at your local sam ash or something and see if the feel makes a difference to you.

 

[RU36]

my first guitar was a les paul and I got used to the tune o matic feel.
I have never really been able to fully adjust to the strat feel.

But the only difference is preference.
Play both and pick a winner