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I'm curious about how the overall string length (tuner peg to string end) affects the ease of fretting and bending.
I completed two Teles this year. One with top loading bridge, the other with string through body. The string through also has a steeper angle from the nut down to the pegs. Same strings, same scale length.
The top load bridge feels much looser and easier to bend strings versus the string through body bridge.
The string through seems to have a more percussive attack.
It seems reasonable that adding more string length past the bridge saddles will ease fretting and bending since you are stretching a longer and more elastic length of string. It also seems like the "attack" would be less.
Neglecting bridge saddle friction, is this true?
Will decreasing the angles from the nut to the pegs and the bridge saddles to tail piece ease fretting?
If any of this makes sense, what factors make the most difference to make the strings feel "looser"?
Curious if anyone can shed some light in a not-so-technical fashion.
Thanks,
Dan

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We is talking compliance here when you are talking the overall length of the string, and not the string length...two different things.

Compliance ~ how easy it is to fret the string ( low effort = high compliance)

Now 'tension' is the actual load on the string. Two different terms people mix up...most people haven't a clue about compliance.

Your right, the longer the after lengths, the distance form nut to tuners or from saddle to tailpiece...the higher the compliance, the easier the fretting.

The lower the break angles at the bridge and the nut...the easier it seems to fret as well.

Some swear they can feel the difference, others swear its a crock.

But then most cant tell the difference between a $10 bottle of Old Red chug-a-lug from a $100 bottle of Altesino - Brunello di Montalcino Montosoli.

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as a string bender, i can tell you that it is a lot easier to bend on a gibson les paul or SG than it is to bend on a fender strat....i figured it was shorter scale length=less tension=slinkier feel

Thanks Padma,
I think in my example the sharper angle from the nut to the pegs on the string through are causing less compliance. The string tee's are closer to the nut as well. I can feel a very pronounced difference between the two guitars. My daughter was having a hard time fretting and said the guitar was harder to play. On the plus side, the guitar has more percussive attack.
Dan

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I've always noticed that as well. I'm sure the scale length plays a big part, but perhaps the extra string length past the bridge saddle makes a difference as well.
Thanks,
Dan

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I truly believe the longer the string, the greater the tension, no matter the scale. My 25.75" scale headless guitar has almost no string beyond the nut or bridge and strings are loose as a goose. My Gretsch 24.5" has a perfectly stiff string.

But I also saw this on another forum, guys with trapeze bridges talking about how hard it is to bend because of that surplus length, and how replacing the trapeze with a stopbar made bending easier. Makes mech sense, too. More work is being done to pull more material to the same frequency.