Hi. The tail piece of a les paul is held in place by two bolts. These cradle the tail. I bought a Les Paul off the net and the screws which hold the tailpiece werent screwed all the way in. This means the tailpiece is off the wood, raised. And the strings running over the bridge arent at such a sharp angle as the go over and hook into the tailpiece. Thus by raising the tailpiece the strings are straighter!
Why has this been done? What are the advantages of doin this? Is this the norm or a preference?