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aluminum tailpiece


the dog

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Posted

I'm looking for some feedback on this tailpiece.

How would this work out on my Signature T.

Does it change tone? What will it do? If anything?

 

aluminiumtailpiece_zpsbf7f1373.jpg

Posted

Wow that's a lot of money for a lump of aluminium....

 

Don't really think it will make much difference either way really... IMO of course, never tried changing any of mine.

Posted

Stewmac got gotho aluminium stop-bar for 35$.

 

C'on Gibson, 200$ for a stop-bar !!!!!!

 

As for benefits, the guitar get's lighter.

As for sound, i thought i heard something happen.

 

Anyway nothin' wrong in trying to get the best out of the guitar

Posted

by the responses it looks like there is no advantage or change in tone?

 

just mucho money and snake oil.....

Posted

It will depend on what's an advantage to you.

 

The aluminum tailpiece will create a faster transient reaction with a more compressed tone when picking hard. It also allows for significantly less string action without buzz. They were stock on Gibsons until the mid-1970s and also came chrome-plated and metric-sized then.

 

A Custom Shop Les Paul guitar of mine is featuring a historic one. They only seem to come stock on many Custom Shop Gibsons, typically those with period-correct non-wire ABR-1 bridges. So they are not used for Les Paul Custom models.

 

CAUTION: These Gibson Historic aluminum tailpieces are pre-1958 sized with imperial dimensions including threads, not metric ones!

 

Since I prefer the advantages of the TP-6, I dropped the aluminum tailpiece on my 1973 L6-S, although I had to increase string action by about a third.

 

There are replacements made by ABM, Berlin, Germany. They are cheaper than the Gibson parts, come with either 8 mm or 5/16 " posts, and are available chrome-plated as well.

 

Sadly their website is not very informative - think I will have to move to Berlin as a web designer. ;) A market-leading company there would have wanted me some six years ago for developing tabletting machines. Sometimes I think I should have accepted this challenge... guess I wasn't unemployed at the moment if I had done that. :(

Posted

I put an Aluminum TP on my Traditional for the heck of it. I got an aftermarket brand (Gotoh I think) off the Bay for about $30. I thought it sounded a little brighter compared to stock, but my experiment was not scientific and I am well aware of the placebo effect, so I'm not claiming any real difference. I was amazed how much lighter the Aluminum TP was though, a few ounces lighter IIRC, and I'm all for reducing the weight of an LP.

 

No way would I drop $200 on one.

Posted

I put an Aluminum TP on my Traditional for the heck of it. I got an aftermarket brand (Gotoh I think) off the Bay for about $30. I thought it sounded a little brighter compared to stock, but my experiment was not scientific and I am well aware of the placebo effect, so I'm not claiming any real difference. I was amazed how much lighter the Aluminum TP was though, a few ounces IIRC, and I'm all for reducing the weight of an LP.

A brazen tailpiece is about 95 grams, a ZAMAK 82 grams, an aluminum 30 grams.

 

The direct comparison using two sets of new strings on my L6-S guitar led to the result of a more wooden tone with the aluminum stopbar. I think that tonal characteristics and decreased action either depend on the tighter transient response of the aluminum tailpiece, creating less of a whiplash effect which would make strings more likely to buzz.

Posted

Donny, you shocked me with changing your name to Uncle Fred. I remembered that SHREK had replied before, so I initially thought there was a new reply... [scared]

 

But OK, it's just you - what a relief! [biggrin]

Posted

the aluminum tail piece is what it is required to mellow this out I would assume. Mine is on its way.

 

I want to get one for my T and if you don't mind me asking where are you getting yours?

 

I saw where sellen mentioned Stewmac and I checked it out and to me that is much better than Gibson $195.00....

Posted

I've had both on different Pauls at the same time...no diff at all in tone or sustain. Then again I always screw the tail piece all the way down. A much better player than myself said it improves sustain...Its very believable because of the contact. Bottom line...save your money.

Posted

I do change once it a while and the Fred Nugent Ted Nugent tribute band is my main thing now days. Its on my mind a lot. Hey I had an experience this week and thought of you I will message it to you. I did change the posts on my Nashville last night over to ABR-1 conversion studs, they screw right into your body inserts. It is important to get them tight against the bottom so you cant twist them back out with your fingers. As soon as I put the studs in and strung up the guitar I noticed it had a lot more top end, the aluminum tail piece is what it is required to mellow this out I would assume. Mine is on its way.

 

 

 

1959318_4011363019209_202058366_n.jpg1975092_4011362979208_1136279964_n.jpg

I am curious what you will find out on this. Just wondering what may happen if converting a Traditional 2013 to an ABR-1 bridge. Mine already has lots of bite stock - perhaps it would end up with more edge than a Telecaster? [rolleyes]

Posted

Hello!

 

This is a GFS ABR-1 conversion with brass saddles. It`s not the straight-into-the-wood kind.

 

HPIM4448_zps4a4b85f2.jpg

 

It made the instrument brighter and more pronounced.

 

As far as tailpieces are concerned, I believe it`s the setting, - rather than the material - that matters.

 

Cheers... Bence

Posted

Hello Donny!

 

As Badbluesplayer once explained, threading the tailpiece down, sitting flush on the body, increases sustain. In turn You loose harmonic overtones. Raising it until the string angle at bridge is the same as after the nut, makes it sound the best.

 

It was also written in Dan Erlewine`s book and it seems to work out well for me too. :)

 

Cheers... Bence

 

P.S.: I have the opposite experience with the bridge. The unit itself fits so tight on the thumbwheels, it's not easy to pull it off by hand. But again, let me quote the reputed luthier mentioned above: good coupling of parts is the key to great tone.

Posted

If you want to spend money go ahead and buy aluminum. If you want to improve things go with the solid steel bridge and tailpiece. A friend of mine whose constantly tinkering has done both, I think the company that makes the all steel stuff was Calloway or something like that. Anyway holy ****, I think he spent 400 for everything and his LP just sings.

 

Me, Ill stick with what came on mine. Im 40 and I figure that's money wasted on my hearing and skillset.

Posted

Callaham and I missed this a min ago, yeah they are way over priced and over rated. The stuff I buy is made by the company that makes it for Gibson and Kluson and always has, and it runs about $75.

 

http://stores.ebay.com/philaluthiertools/?_dmd=2&_nkw=abr1

 

Philadelphia Luthier Tool and Supply, they also have a web site. There is a lot of companies out there trying to invent a better wheel on this stuff but I tend go with an original like Goodyear lol. I have both the Modern and the vintage set up and they sound quite different.

 

 

Ever heard, in person right there in front of you a before and after? Plus compared to the Faber side by side? Overrated and overpriced? Id say that's opinion but I was impressed. The aluminum makes no noticeable difference to me or him or anybody else hanging out that day so who knows. Everything in the world of guitars are opinions and highly subjective. Now thanks to the internet people worry about solid body versus chambered versus traditional weight relief. Ive even seen people worry about taking all six strings off at once when changing them. Then I see why, someone comes along with some horror story they heard or read somewhere.

 

Anyway OP if you decide to try aluminum please don't buy a 200 dollar one, you can get a whole Faber setup for that.

Posted

... The whole theory behind an aluminum tailpiece in my mind is the mellowing of the harshness that is a result from the ABR-1, it is a very bright sounding bridge as capmaster has pointed out. I sort of already figured the aluminum sort of pulls some of that out of it and helps to achieve the more woody tones of the earlier Les Pauls. Nashvilles and the current tailpieces are very solid mass and sound very rich and deep. I dont see how aluminum would do anything for this. Also currently I think everything is chrome plated, I believe they did start chroming instead of nickel in the late 60s. So if you are wanting to match your hardware I would get the chrome plated.

 

 

I think you're onto something. A few years ago I put an aluminum tailpiece on my SG Special and immediately switched it back to the Nashville as I did not like the result, at all.

Posted

I think you're onto something. A few years ago I put an aluminum tailpiece on my SG Special and immediately switched it back to the Nashville as I did not like the result, at all.

I think none of the tailpieces is called Nashville tailpiece. There are ABR-1 and Nashville Tune-O-Matic bridges, and tailpieces of ZAMAK, brass or aluminum can be used with either basically. It finally will depend on posts and their threads, and on plating.

 

However, Gibson puts aluminum tailpieces stock only on guitars featuring both ABR-1 bridges and nickel hardware as far as I know.

Posted
...Gibson puts aluminum tailpieces stock only on guitars featuring both ABR-1 bridges and nickel hardware as far as I know...

That's interesting, cap.

I was under the (perhaps erroneous) impression that Alu t'ps were reserved for the re-issues but I don't even know why I thought this might be the case.

 

P.

Posted

I think none of the tailpieces is called Nashville tailpiece. There are ABR-1 and Nashville Tune-O-Matic bridges, and tailpieces of ZAMAK, brass or aluminum can be used with either basically. It finally will depend on posts and their threads, and on plating.

 

However, Gibson puts aluminum tailpieces stock only on guitars featuring both ABR-1 bridges and nickel hardware as far as I know.

 

Oops yeah I meant I switched it back to the stock tailpiece, which was a better match with the Nashville bridge than the aluminum tailpiece

Posted

I'm looking for some feedback on this tailpiece.

How would this work out on my Signature T.

Does it change tone? What will it do? If anything?

 

aluminiumtailpiece_zpsbf7f1373.jpg

 

 

 

 

 

Waste of money, no matter what the manufacturer claims about the improvement, tone, reliability, bla, bla, bla .. [thumbdn]

 

 

 

 

 

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