Tailpiece repair option: National Reso-phonic

[campusfive]

Hey all,

I know there have been various threads over the years about metal tailpieces cracking where they bend over the corner or the body... but I figured I would make this one fresh.

The tailpiece on my 1937 ES-150 cracked about a decade ago, and because it's not merely a normal Gibson trapeze tailpiece, but is integrated as a part of the end pin jack, it HAD to be saved. I lucked out and found advice online to take it to a brass/woodwind repair person and ask them to "braze" it ("brazing" meaning something similar to but distinct from "welding" - feel free to look up the difference yourself). I took it a brass repair person and they did a fantastic job, and it's been 100% ever since.

I've given that advice many times over the years, but given the feedback on some of the previous threads, some folks seemed to be unable to find a suitable brass/woodwind repair person. Or maybe there isn't one close, or maybe the person in question was unsure havin not done that specific repair before... anyway, it certainly worked for me, but I came across another solution that I'll use in the future....

So, I was up in San Luis Obispo, CA visiting the workshop of National Reso-phonic Guitars, who've been making reproductions of the 1930's metal-bodied originals since 1989. I was talking to the owner Jason Workman, and it occurred to me that they're one of the only guitar making operations that does actual "METALWORK", and I mentioned to him about the tailpiece repair... as it turns out National tailpieces are similar enough to vintage archtop tailpieces, so they've been doing that kind of repair for DECADES on old Nationals as well as many archtops over the years.

So, anybody finding themselves in the position having a cracked tailpiece on their vintage archtop should definitely hit up the repair end of NRP at National Guitar Repair | National Reso-Phonic Guitars - you can send your broken part in, and they'll fix it and send it back. And the price he mentioned was definitely totally reasonable and worth it.

Oh, and here's my new Custom Style 0 next on gig, next to my 1937 ES-150 and 1932 L-5. Cheers!
!

[SierraTango]

I had a chance to play one of the SLO built Nationals at Lightning Joe's in Arroyo Grande. It was a ResoRocket IIRC. It was beautifully crafted and massively loud. I would have happily walked out with it except the price tag.

[deacon Mark]

I have BigMike Unity guitar here and it need a tailpiece repair at the hinge. I took it to a brass instrument repair shop, and they did an amazing job brazing or soldering or whatever they do.

[nevershouldhavesoldit]

The other kind of shop that does skilled brazing and nonferrous metal repair is an automotive radiator shop. There’s at least one in almost every town in the US big enough to have multiple traffic lights.

[Rickco]

The do incredible refrets as well, ran into you last time I was there to refret my Epi, is that your git on the bench behind you?

[daverepair]

I recently had two tailpieces repaired beautifully, by a jeweler with a laser welder(intended for jewelry repair). One old broken banjo TP, and one cracked Epiphone bracket: both came out excellent.

[Cunamara]

!

This is from your blue period?

[nevershouldhavesoldit]

I recently had two tailpieces repaired beautifully, by a jeweler with a laser welder(intended for jewelry repair). One old broken banjo TP, and one cracked Epiphone bracket: both came out excellent.

The problem with this approach is that many tailpieces (including some on high end guitars) turn out to have been made from bargain basement metal. Even the best laser welding leaves a zone of embrittlement around the join that is more likely to fail than the intact metal around it. And most failures after welding occur in the metal adjacent to the weld rather than in the weld itself.

Looking at the metal in the broken tailpiece from my Ibanez, it's clearly of marginal strength and integrity. You can see the crystalline surfaces in the break, and nothing will strengthen this. Brazing or laser welding it together again will leave it weaker than it was before the fracture. I have the left wing of the hinge - it cracked off intact, and it could easily be brazed or laser welded together again. Making a new hinge pin is child's play. But I see no practical purpose to bothering, because it'll be weaker than it was when new and more prone to a repeat fracture.

[Hammertone]

I have BigMike Unity guitar here and it need a tailpiece repair at the hinge. I took it to a brass instrument repair shop, and they did an amazing job brazing or soldering or whatever they do.

Could post before/after pix? For the most part, Aaron Cowles used ABM 1281 tailpieces on these guitars, which are made of 24 carat gold-plated bell brass. Also favoured by Sam Koontz.

[GuyBoden]

Could post before/after pix? For the most part, Aaron Cowles used ABM 1281 tailpieces on these guitars, which are made of 24 carat gold-plated bell brass. Also favoured by Sam Koontz.

ABM 1281 tailpiece, very nice indeed.

Thanks for posting the information.
ABM 1500g Gold Finger-Saitenhalter