Lhoar LH300 question on bridge/tailpiece

[Hub]

Hi,
I owned a Lhoar LH 300 VS. I found this guitar very good, considering the price.
I made some change on bridge (wood vs metal). After this I discover a buzz, from my tailpiece.
The trapeze tailpiece seem's to touch the front of the guitar and provoke a buzz. With a higher action the buzz disappeared but I 'm very astonish of the trapeze. This is normal ?
As I remember on other guitar I owned, tailpiece was never open like this.
Any idea?
thank's for your help,

[sgosnell]

Some tailpieces seem to be more cheaply made than others, and can suffer bends like that. Some have been known to snap completely. You can try bending it back to shape, but it may not hold. A new tailpiece would be a better plan, and you can buy them for surprisingly little money.

[Hub]

ok. thank's for your help, I will to look to change it.

[Hammertone]

One reason the Loar LH300 is so inexpensive is that they (and other makers of inexpensive archtops) use very cheap tailpieces. The best (relatively) inexpensive tailpiece I have encountered as an aftermarket part is the Kluson reissue of its classic 1930s design. Not sure, but I think it is made in S. Korea. I have no affiliation with ABM in Germany, but I generally use their tailpieces, which are high quality and expensive. Similarly, Advanced Plating in the US makes excellent trapeze tailpieces for Gibson.

Most tailpieces are not branded, so, unless you can be sure of a tailpiece's origin, it's best to buy one new from a reputable seller. I think the Kluson is typically sold in Kluson packaging, and has not been knocked off with cheap copies. IMO, it's your best bet, and is a good product. It is widely available on ebay and reverb.

No shortage of reputable sellers. Here are a couple of specific models - good quality, suitably retro tailpieces from reputable American vendors - no idea where you are located, since you have not made that clear:
TP-0410 Trapeze Tailpiece — Allparts Music
Kluson Archtop Guitar Tailpiece | stewmac.com

[chasranney]

Thanks for posting this, Hub. I have the 350 model and it has the same problem as yours. In more than 5 yrs I hadn't noticed it!

I loosened the strings enough to allow me to slip a piece of leather between the guitar's top and the threatening edge of the tailpiece "hook". I also discovered a cracked bridge saddle so now the strings are off and I need to fit a new bridge.

Finally, with the guitar strung up to pitch my eyes told me that the tailpiece "hook" was touching the top. But now that the strings are off I can see that wasn't the case - no finish damage at all.