Washburn J6S Broken Tailpiece

worshipnjazz · #1 01-22-2012, 12:14 AM

I just purchased a Korean made Washburn J6S, serial# S5054845. To the best of my knowledge I believe it's a 95' model year. I bought it in it's present condition with a broken tail piece at the hinge. The lower connecting piece is in one piece. The upper cast aluminum is broken. I spent the greater past of today searching the web for a stock replacement but was unable to find one. I thought I would give this a try as I'm not looking forward to modifying the body to any degree. I don't want to redrill, or fill holes. I don't mind trying out a new tailpiece but I have no idea where to start. Looking on Ebay the choices are many, but the mounting diagrams are very vague. I found a few blogs about this very same problem confronting others with the broken tailpiece issues so I know I'm not the first to run into this problem. Any ideas from any of you would be hugely appreciated. I picked this piece up for a great price so even if I have to spend a bit to get it singing again I'm ahead of the game. I'm looking forward to hearing it howl.....thank you for your time!

RoyaleT · #2 01-22-2012, 06:12 AM

Does this help? Not my item, so I don't know if it's been sold yet. http://boston.craigslist.org/bmw/msg/2797669571.html

worshipnjazz · #3 01-22-2012, 10:38 AM

I appreciate your response and yes, I did run across the CL in Boston ad but it has already been removed. I will just be patient and something will come up. To find an original might be next to impossible but I trust that someone has done this before and will know the exact fit I'm looking for if I wait. Once again thank you for your generous time..David

RoyaleT · #4 01-22-2012, 10:46 AM

StuMac has replacements and Archtop.com might be a source worth looking into. They may know of one that would not require alterations to fit, also.

fws6 · #5 01-22-2012, 11:19 AM

you say aluminum !? Tailpieces are usually brass with chrome or gold plating. Archtop tails break all the time, no big deal. For some reason luthiers / guitar shops have no clue how to fix (exept replace). But any brass instrument shop can weld brass easily. Someone who repairs trumpets saxes etc. I had two tails welded last year, depending on the cleanness of the break it runs between $25-50. Good luck.

SamBooka · #6 01-22-2012, 12:22 PM

Would the zigzag tailpieces stew Mac sells for $50 be repairable by welding ?

fws6 · #7 01-22-2012, 12:25 PM

Sure; but at $50 you better just get a new one ? The price difference with the repair will be almost 0.

There are many kinds of welding, this needs a specialized type of weld that a brass instrument maker can do. Dont try to do yourself or have some hobbyist take an attempt with normal welding equipment; they'll melt and ruin the whole thing.

PTChristopher · #8 01-22-2012, 01:25 PM

In my opinion:

[OP] >>> I trust that someone has done this before and will know the exact fit I'm looking for if I wait.

OR, you could maybe assist the cause and draw up the exact hole pattern of the base of your tailpiece,...

This would allow someone to source you a tailpiece the most readily.

But I guess this is the season for ice fishing where you drop the line and hope for a serendipitous passer-by.

On tail piece metals:

There are tailpieces of base metal (often cast zinc alloy), steel (ziz-zag wire is often steel - test with a magnet), brass, and aluminum. And of course wood alone or combined with the various metals.

(I guess I have never seen a wood and aluminum tailpiece.)

I like the Ken Parker aluminum tailpiece design. It flows.

As fws6 (can we call you "fw"?) mentions, you can join metals many ways - with far different temperatures used for what we commonly call welding (steel filler), brazing (brass filler), silver soldering (silver/brass filler - sometimes called sil-brazing), and probably some others I no nothing about. I have only welded, brazed,and sil-brazed.

Yes, the auto body shop may or may not be sensitive to your particular tailpiece needs.

Note that you have something like 125 to 170 pounds pulling on the tailpiece. So how long would Katy Perry (holding a Beagle and a 2 liter bottle of Diet Dr. Pepper) last while hanging from your guitar tailpiece?

Chris

Jazzman301 · #9 01-22-2012, 01:55 PM

If you want to "upgrade" try out Antonio
ebonyarchtoptailpiece

I have a custom rosewood tailpiece and pickguard from him and they are of superior build quality. Antonio is a great cat and a player. He is worth checking out if you want to upgrade/change from a bras/metal tailpiece to a rosewood or ebony tailpice. Great stuff.

'Mike
ps at the bottom of the page thats my customize G100CE