My ZIGZAG just went POOF!

[SamBooka]

Hi,

I hadnt played my 96 ES165 since Sunday.

Grabbed it tonight and it was out of tune (like wayyyy out).

Thought maybe the bridge had been bumped but no.. then I notice the TP is crooked.

One of the hinges (on the bass side) has split!!!

 

I need a new TP. Do I...

 

A) Buy a cheap zigzag in gold from allparts

or

B) buy a gibson replacement TP (which is much more expensive and just as likely to fail)

or

C) other...

 

thoughts?

[Robin Nahum]

Any pros and cons beyond brand and price?

 

Do the competing options have any impact on the tone?

 

Durability?

 

Do you want/need to stay with a zig-zag? Could this be an opportunity to try something like:

 

http://www.stewmac.com/shop/Bridges,_tailpieces/Archtop_guitar_tailpieces/Benedetto_Archtop_Tailpiece.html

 

RN

[SamBooka]

I have no objections to the Benedetto.

 

I actually wish I could find a parallelogram in gold but that doesnt seem to be in the cards.

 

How TPs affect the tone is a whole other debate. My ears arent good enough and the 165/175 isnt a fine enough acoustic instrument for me to worry too much about it.

(not knocking the guitar.. just saying 16in and plywood top with TOM and mounted humbucker, acoustic tone is not high on the priority list)

 

I dont mind buying a quality replacement TP (even Gibson) but I use 14s. I dont want too spend 150$ on a TP to have it blow up every couple of years.

[SamBooka]

Funny thing.

Earlier today I saw a used Benedetto TP on Ebay.

Bid 25$ but that was too low.

Bid 35$ just now and won. We will see how that works out.

 

Would still like a more traditional replacement tho.

I will call my gibson dealer tom for options.

[Robin Nahum]

I actually wish I could find a parallelogram in gold but that doesnt seem to be in the cards.

 

Is a "parallelogram" the TP used on the newer 175s? I can see one of those would be more solid.

 

Funny thing.

Earlier today I saw a used Benedetto TP on Ebay.

Bid 25$ but that was too low.

Bid 35$ just now and won. We will see how that works out.

 

Great! I think that will be an interesting experiment and look forward to hearing how it works out.

 

Would still like a more traditional replacement tho.

I will call my gibson dealer tom for options.

 

Classic Ax in Nashville might be able to help if your dealer can't.

 

RN

[SamBooka]

Ok. Here is an update:

Called Gibson. Very nice people. They cannot/will not explain why you cannot buy a replacement part for a guitar they still have in production.

Ordered a replacement from guitarpartsresource.com (which seems to be the same part as the Allparts piece (the guy at Gibson recommended allparts or stewmac).

My guess is that gibson used cheaper chinese tailpieces so there is minimal diff between allparts and gibson pieces (the TOM on my 165 says GIBSON underneath, there is no identification on the TP so who knows).

 

I recieved the Benedetto this week. Not a great fit. I think it would fit better on a 17 or 18 in body. It didnt cost me too much so it goes into the parts bucket lol.

 

Still miffed I cant get a replacement from Gibby. I will let yall know how the replacement part fits. In the mean time I will just play my Tele

[SamBooka]

Ok.. here is the latest update (not that anyone is listening but someone will google this someday :)

 

Talked to the canadian rep. They said "yeah .. get the allpart one." Allparts and gibson are sourcing this part from the same asian mfg.

Ok. Got the allparts tp.

 

1)Lousy plating (the original actually didnt look cheap.. this one does)

2)Screw holes DO line up properly but the tangs that hold the trapeze to the base plate are too long so the base plate isnt flush with the back and there is a lot of pressure on the top lip under the tail piece (against the binding). I dont know what the long term impact of that is.

3)Sits crooked on the guitar

4)you can see the weld points on the top where the T meets the center spar of the trapeze. The original has the same weld marks but because the metal is thicker it is very difficult to see.

5)the actual shape is different. This isnt good or bad.. but it is obvious the replacement is a replacement.

 

Long story short, if you break you TP on a Zigzag for 165/175 Allparts replacement parts will work, will look like crap, but will work. Gibson cares not about their customers with this guitar so you are on your own (Uh.. if you are listening, offshore guitars are getting better all the time, maybe you might have to look at upping your CS skills).

 

So... I have a lousy replacement tailpiece. I have a nice original tailpiece that is already broken and just sitting in the case. What to do? Went to a hobby shop and bought a strip of 2in X 1/16 X 6 brass for 8$

Screwed it up the first time. Got it right the second time (about 2 hours of work total). All I used was a hack saw, vice, a couple of files to shape it, and a drill press. It fits like it should, needs some of the scratches to be buffed out. Obviously not gold plated but matches close enough not to stick out like a sore thumb. How long it will hold? Dunno. How long would the allparts piece hold? Dunno. How long did the Gibson TP hold? 14 years.

 

I will still ***** about Gibson not providing suitable replacement parts any chance I get but I think I can put the rest of this behind me now :)

 

(steps carefully off his soapbox.....)

[Robin Nahum]

And they lived happily ever after - kind of.

 

RN

[AlanC]

The tailpiece on my 2006 ES 165 broke. Gibson replaced it. Took some time to get the part to me but it came.

 

What I did was that I wrote to Gibson, they wanted to know my serial number and after that they sent a replacement tailpiece. Now Gibson seemed to think my guitar was relatively new and they replaced it without charge. My thinking is that even if they ask you to pay, you can still get a Gibson original replacement part.

 

This is not the first part that Gibson have replaced for me. The key is that Gibson want to know the serial number of your guitar before they will agree to help. But they do help!!!

[SamBooka]

The tailpiece on my 2006 ES 165 broke. Gibson replaced it. Took some time to get the part to me but it came.

 

What I did was that I wrote to Gibson, they wanted to know my serial number and after that they sent a replacement tailpiece. Now Gibson seemed to think my guitar was relatively new and they replaced it without charge. My thinking is that even if they ask you to pay, you can still get a Gibson original replacement part.

 

This is not the first part that Gibson have replaced for me. The key is that Gibson want to know the serial number of your guitar before they will agree to help. But they do help!!!

Thanks Allan.

I called them and they said no.. sorry. Never asked for the serial number.

Maybe worth a try but I am just glad the guitar is back up and running again.

[AlanC]

Hi Sam, I am trying to be helpful in making the following comments and hopefully you are able to resolve your problems to your satisfaction. ES165's are great guitars and are worth fixing properly.

Your experiences with Gibson are not the same as mine. As I mentioned I've had other problems with other guitars which were fixed eventually with Gibson's assistance.

Can I ask did you text Gibson sales with an explanation of the problem and your serial number?

If they won't deal with you can I suggest that you go through your local guitar luthier or through your local Gibson dealer and get them to deal with Gibson.

Getting a replacement tailpiece is not a big deal. At the moment I'm seeking a replacement tailpiece for my ES175. Gibson have tried to help and have sent a replacement tailpiece. Unfortunately not the correct one. However they are still trying to help!

[Robin Nahum]

What I did was that I wrote to Gibson, they wanted to know my serial number and after that they sent a replacement tailpiece. Now Gibson seemed to think my guitar was relatively new and they replaced it without charge. My thinking is that even if they ask you to pay, you can still get a Gibson original replacement part.

 

This is not the first part that Gibson have replaced for me. The key is that Gibson want to know the serial number of your guitar before they will agree to help. But they do help!!!

 

Yes. My experience has been that there is a lot to be said for writing a polite letter (as in paper, envelope and stamp) to the CEO, setting out the issues clearly and explaining what you are after. I guess that what happens at the receiving end is that the request comes via the CEO's office to the person who has to respond, rather than down a phone line. I am sure that this makes a lot of difference to the quality of the reply.

 

A friend discovered via his luthier that his Strat which he had bought new and which would never set up properly, actually had a manufacturing defect in the neck. He wrote a nice letter to Arizona and a week later received an invitation from Fender Australia to come in with his guitar. They confirmed there was a problem while he was there and swapped in a new neck.

 

RN