Tailpiece angle - cheap, stamped tailpiece

[AndyPanda]

Sorry if this has been asked and answered a thousand times already. I'm new to mandolin and have a "the Loar" LM-600 with the stock stamped tailpiece. The angle seems too low as it's close to (but not touching) the body. Then on the other hand, the lower it is the steeper the angle of the strings going over the bridge saddle and that might be a good thing?

Should I bend up the tailpiece a bit? Is there an agreed upon angle the tailpiece should make? Should it be in the same plane that the strings make on their way to the saddle?

The slide on cover touches the strings - I could just bend up the end (looking at pictures of vintage Gibsons I see many of them have that end bent up - looks tacky but I'm guessing it was done for the same reason).

[pops1]

I would bend the tip of the cover up just enough to clear the strings. I clamp in something to keep a straight line when bending. If the strings are in a straight line to the bridge I doubt bending the tailpiece will change anything, the tension of the strings will pull it where it wants to be. It is stamped and not as strong as a cast tailpiece. I could be wrong, but would only bend the cover.

[sblock]

Sorry if this has been asked and answered a thousand times already. I'm new to mandolin and have a "the Loar" LM-600 with the stock stamped tailpiece. The angle seems too low as it's close to (but not touching) the body. Then on the other hand, the lower it is the steeper the angle of the strings going over the bridge saddle and that might be a good thing?

Should I bend up the tailpiece a bit? Is there an agreed upon angle the tailpiece should make? Should it be in the same plane that the strings make on their way to the saddle?

The slide on cover touches the strings - I could just bend up the end (looking at pictures of vintage Gibsons I see many of them have that end bent up - looks tacky but I'm guessing it was done for the same reason).

The tailpiece body -- please do not confuse this with the tailpiece cover -- should be perfectly in line with (i.e., in the same plane as) the section of your strings that emerges from the bridge saddle towards the tail. If it is in line, DO NOT BEND it. The tailpiece should not exert additional downbearing on the strings, and it is not designed to support the torques required to do that (unlike, say, a banjo tailpiece). And yes, this metal part comes very close to the wood of the mandolin top. That is perfectly normal.

If the tailpiece cover is pressing down on the strings, or producing some buzzing, you can lightly bend the final, free section of it upwards by just a few degrees so that it clears the strings. This can be done by using hand pressure after removing the cover, or if not, by placing the last section in a vise and bending the cover -- but don't overdo it. Otherwise, just leave it alone!

[sebastiaan56]

just leave it alone.

This is good advice. The clearances are there already and it plays without rattling. Enjoy playing, dont overthink it.

[WmBuoymaster]

I've got 1 where the cover touched the strings, well...it did until I fixed that but the tail piece does touch the wood. Strings aren't coming down perfectly off the bridge to it either. Next time I change strings, is it OK to bend that upward bit?

[pops1]

I would consider bending the tailpiece if the strings coming off the pins are above the tip of the tailpiece with no cover. I would then bend the tailpiece to where it meets the strings at the bridge end of the tailpiece. To do this I would take it off the mandolin, the little screws are not strong enough to be pulled that way.