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LESSON: When something doesn't seem right, it's probably not. I took it out of the case this morning to get ready for this afternoon's rehearsal, and it was about 3 tones flat. This has never happened to me before. Without checking for trouble first, I started to tune it up and heard a pop followed by a further drop in pitch, followed by this:
I found the piece that broke off from the bass side on the floor a few minutes ago.
Anybody got a spare 7 string archtop tailpiece I can buy? I don't care if it's wood or metal, and I'm not very particular about style. I'll try to buy one from Eastman on Monday as a spare, although I'm not wildly optimistic that they'll sell me one even though I own 3 high end Eastmans. I can buy a Benedetto. But they require removal of a section of binding and replacement with bone, which is an intricate and expensive job that I can't do myself. If I can't get one from the usual sources, I'll have to make one from a StewMac blank and figure out how to cover the binding at the midline to prevent erosion by the Sacconi cable. If I can find an intact 7 string trapeze, I can make a new pivot pin and fit it to the endplate.
Having tried many times to get a response from Ibanez about parts, I'm not even going to bother with another stream of unreturned calls and emails to Hoshino. I'm sure they won't respond and don't have any of these tailpieces left anyway. I tried to get a spare 7th string tuner from them years ago because I realized it'd be impossible to find one someday if it broke. The 7th tuner on these is a beautiful Gotoh with a larger post and a bigger hole to take an 80. So I can probably add a tailpiece to the list of things I'll never see again.
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09-13-2025 04:28 PM
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I feel for you. Good luck! And keep us posted.
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Oof, you ain't gonna buff that one out. Sorry about that. Good luck on finding a spare someplace. Might be worth checking ebay or reverb if you haven't already.
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yeah, that's a sinking feeling. looks like cheap pot metal judging by looking at the break.
not going to be easy finding a 7 string replacement, if you find some type of non OEM replacement you might have to drill new holes in the guitar and I doubt you'd do that.
shoot forum member Hammertone a PM, if anyone can find a modern replacement, he's the man.
when my well heeled friend passed years ago his family had me come to the house w/ the idea of assessing/liquidating his collection and the first guitar they put on the table was a nice 40s D'Angelico Excel, when I opened the case the stairstep t.p. was broken. try finding one of those and if you do be prepared to fork over 3-5K!
good luck nshsi...
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Bummer. I remember there was a spate of "exploding tailpieces" a few years ago, with Ibanez being one of the manufacturers affected. I hope you find a solution.
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I think the Benedetto replacement route is the way to go. A friend of mine has one and when his broke, he went that route. It has served him well for many years.
I owned two of those guitars back in the day. I liked the tailpiece a lot. Sorry yours broke.
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My brother had the same thing happen to his AF-207. He took the tailpiece to someone and had it repaired. I think it was a jeweler or a business that repairs brass instruments. I’m sure you could get it repaired.
Keith
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Maybe try Dale Unger.
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Thanks for the input! The piece that broke off could be laser welded back on, and the other side could be laser welded back in place. But welding heat embrittles the metal. So it’ll be even weaker than it was when it was intact, and it’s likely to fatigue and break again. Wintermoon is right (as usual) - it’s some kind of cheap cast metal. This tailpiece wasn’t designed to be repairable.
Originally Posted by floatingpickup
I’d love to drop a Benedetto TP on it, and I will if I can figure out a way to make a cover piece for the binding under the Sacconi cable. There are many stories about bent top edges and binding damage. Benedetto insets a bone saddle piece there in place of about an inch of binding. But that’s a lot easier to do when building the guitar than it is to remove a chunk of binding and replace it with the bone piece. If I can come up with a thin, tough cover material I can lay a small piece over the binding. A piece of titanium sheet about 1/2” x 1” x 1/16” might fold over the edge and withstand the pressure. I’d line it with self-adhesive felt used on the bottoms of lamp bases.
This is one of the very few things I can think of that could make me glad it’s an Ibanez and not a D’A
PS: It’s an Ibanez and a player, ‘moon - I’ll redrill it in a heartbeat if I have to.
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A length of L shaped brass from the hobby shop?
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Yeah - I’m already looking at ways to make a new top piece from stock. I think the end plate is OK and I can use the shaft from a transfer punch for a new pin. My only problem is that I lost my shop when we sold the house and moved to an apartment. So I’m stuck with hand held tools and a vise. I can buy a small laser welder, but I’d need my drill press and mill to do it right. Originally Posted by Cunamara
If I can’t find a replacement of some kind and I can’t fit a protector over the binding to use a Sacconi style wood one, I’ll have to make something up out of brass or aluminum stock. It won’t be pretty.
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Steve Holst can probably build you a tailpiece, he does great work and his prices are affordable!
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$60 for a 7 string ebony tailpiece from China.
Link here:
https://www.aliexpress.us/item/2255799957879305.html
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Thanks! I saw that one. There are reports of breakage of several inexpensive wood TPs from Asia, so I’d only use one as a temporary solution if I can’t find an immediate replacement. Hammertone also thinks that a metal shim over the binding will do the job with a Benedetto TP. I’m probably going to make one from a section out of the top edge of a pickup cover - it’s rounded and will look fine. I’ll have to call Benedetto tomorrow, since StewMac doesn’t show any 7s on their website. Originally Posted by GuyBoden
$60 for a 7 string ebony tailpiece from China.
Link here:
https://www.aliexpress.us/item/2255799957879305.html
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Bingo!! Thanks so much. His website says he’ll make a one piece drop on replacement, and the cost starts at $100! I’m happy with any plain dark wood, and the TPs on his guitars look great. I’m sending him the picture and details now. I’ll post when I get a response. Originally Posted by Stbatz
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As a general discussion, how difficult would it be for a craftsperson to make this tailpiece (see below) from a piece of Brass?
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I saw that one yesterday and wondered the same thing. It should be easy. If it weren’t already sold, I’d have bought it. But If Steve Holst will make me a wooden one at reasonable cost, my search is over. If not, it’s another option. Thanks! Originally Posted by GuyBoden
As a general discussion, how difficult would it be for a craftsperson to make this tailpiece (see below) from a piece of Brass?
BTW, I’ll decide how to repair the broken one once I replace it. But it will be made functional again. Not having a spare has left me feeling vulnerable. Fortunately, I got the El Rey 7 over the summer, and it’s replaced the AF207 as my default gigging guitar. I’ll use my 16” Jazz Elite on 2 upcoming “good” gigs. It’s just life in the geriatric fast lane
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And what a relief this didn't happen at the rehearsal, let alone the gig.
Small Favors Department...
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Several years ago I bought a 17" 7 string from Matt Raines. It was off his website and inexpensive. When it arrived, it was obviously made at some offshore sweatshop. It was junk.
A few weeks later the wood tailpiece broke. I contacted Steve Holst in Oregon and he crafted a new tailpiece for me. It was beautifully made and IIRC he charged $125.00 for it.
I installed it, it was the nicest thing on the guitar. I ended up selling the guitar on E-Bay for about what I paid for it.
+1 on the Steve Holst idea!
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Funny how there are so many solid-body 7 string guitars for sale but very few semi-hollow/hollow ones....
Here are 7 pages of 7-string solidbodies on Sweetwater (7 pages was mandatory) but not a single semi-hollow among them.
7-string guitars - Sweetwater.com
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Steve Holst is the best!! He responded to my email within 2 hours and is making me a new tailpiece. I'll keep y'all updated on progress. Meanwhile, I'll gather the necessary bits and pieces, prep the broken one, and take it to a jeweler friend who has a good laser welder to see if he can put this one back together well enough to use as a spare, in case my new one ever breaks. He knows metals very well and also has brazing and braze-welding equipment. So he can choose the method and play with it to his heart's content.
Thank you Stbatz from the bottom of my heart. You saved the day!
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I'm very happy to hear this notice! Steve is a great luthier and an excellent person.
He made me a ebony tailpiece for an Ibanez PM100 that I had a few years ago and he did an excellent job and at a more than reasonable price. Oh, and he strictly adhered to the delivery deadline!
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I meant using a short length of L shaped brass stock to fit over the section of binding that would contact the Sacconi loop. Originally Posted by nevershouldhavesoldit
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Right. I’d already decided to use a section cut from the top and side of a brass humbucker cover for that, since the outer edge is well rounded. But given the cheesy metal Ibanez used for these TPs, I’d also reinforce the trapeze with a thin brass plate on the underside, and I’d braze or laser weld the new tubes for the hinge pin to that plate rather than the end of the TP. Originally Posted by Cunamara
I plan to do this to it anyway, so it’ll be a spare in case the new TP breaks some day. This is the first time I've ever had a guitar go out of service because a part that should be common stock was not available. It makes me rethink gigging with long out-of-production models with proprietary parts. I’m sure I can’t get another TP for my El Rey 7, for example. Next time I change the strings, I'll make a tracing of the mounting holes and order a new one from Steve.
Now I understand why so many top working pros use production instruments.
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I'm reminded of what my mother said to me the moment I was born: "Always have a Tele in the boot of the car."
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