Originally Posted by Adwex

Sorry for the delayed response...
There's lots and lots of debate about this subject on The Les Paul Forum. On a Les Paul (or any guitar with a stop tail and bridge design I guess), it is desireable, to some, to have the tailpiece screwed down all the way to the body. The theory is that it transmits the vibration of the string to the body better. The problem with this is that the strings tend to touch the back of the bridge = not desireable. You can raise the tailpiece to avoid this, but then it's not touching the body. "Topwrapping" allows the benefits of both...tailpiece all the way down, with strings not touching the bridge due to the reduced break angle over the saddles.

An additional benefit is a "slinkier" feel to the strings, allowing easier bending. No, the tension in the string is not lessened (other wise the pitch would be flat), but the effective string length that "participates" in the bend is longer. It may feel easier to bend a note, but you have to bend it more to reach the same pitch. I'm not sure I buy the technical explanations...they make some sense though. I do notice a difference.

I may have also noticed a difference in the tone, but it's very subtle. I thought I sensed a more "complex" tone, as if the harmonic content was slightly richer. Maybe a plecibo effect.

Zakk Wylde, Billy Gibbons, and Duane Allman are a few well known Les Paul'ers that have been seen topwrapping....and BG and DA used real '59 bursts.