Jeremiah said:
Assuming all else is equal, would having a tunomatic bridge with string-through body sound noticeably different to the same guitar with a stop tailpiece?
Similarly, would a Tele with a traditional string-through bridge sound noticeably different from the same tele with a top-mounting bridge? (ie one where the strings anchor to the back end of the bridge rather than going through the body.)
All I can say from personal experience is that the one guitar I have with string-through has more sustain than any of my other guitars, but there are a lot of other factors that could affect that.
A - assuming all else, the short string through like a tele would "theoretically" have greater sustain. In practical terms, TOM's give up very little because of the many other things that assist sustain.
B - When you lengthen the amount of string behind the bridge saddle, sustain goes down a little, and the attack becomes softer as well. Case in point: The ES-333 I put the Bixby on, taking out the TOM, was a LOT softer. I wanted to soften up the attack on the other ES-333 I've got, so I changed it out from TOM to trapeze. Totally different guitar. The attack is spongier, less brisant. It didn't effect the "tone", its still got the highs, but some punch or bite was removed, making it less shrill, and smoother.
C - Assuming the same strings, same scale length, the main factor in sustain is the neck. Sustain is caused by the lack of transfer of string energy (its vibration) to other things. Forget all the mumbo jumbo and hype about "increased sustain you can feel in the body (or hands)" total bs. Forget the Tone Pro "increased sustain by transfering more energy to the body"... which is also bs, because the more you transfer, the less the sustain is. Consider this - an acoustic guitar doesn't sustain very well compared to an electric? Why? Because its string energy is trying to vibrate the top of the guitar, through the bridge, and with the bracing, to make sound. It takes a lot of energy to do that, so the string is giving up lots of energy to move that big flat piece of spruce. Thats why better spruce - tighter grain, tigher wood is better. They can make it thinner, and still retain the strength. Its easier to vibrate. Thats why my carbon fibre Ovation Adamas is so sweet. The top is only about .030 thick, but its carbon fibre and very strong. So, the less the guitar itself wiggles, the more the string gets to wiggle on its own - preserving sustain. Other things that eat the string wiggle - loose parts like nuts, frets, bridges, bridge saddles, TOM's (loose studs at least). Pickup magnets eat up some string wiggle. Old strings, full of crud, sustain less. LPs with their characteristically chunkier neck profile, and thick stiff body and neck joint, do indeed sustain pretty well. Tele's with decent thick necks do about the same.
Hope that helps.
