Replacement tailpiece for tacoma m2 mando?

[vcalcaterra]

I recently purchased a Tacoma M2 mando which I like a lot,
but I was warned by the previous owner that I would not be
able to put Jazzmando JM11 or Thomastik flatwound strings
on it because of the string hook placement. The M2 tailpiece
has the string hooks located next to the strap button on the
"side" of the mando. The additional length required to use
these hooks places the silk windings of the G and D strings
on or across the nut.

I'd like to replace the tailpiece with one that has the string hooks on top.

Any recommendations or "gotchas" welcomed

-vince

[mandroid]

I've got a Cast Lebeda tailpiece, I took off,
as part of a bill james TP installation.
perhaps some tradin' can be done..

add: Off list PM of copied picture will work, going there..

[vcalcaterra]

I've got a Cast Lebeda tailpiece, I took off,
as part of a bill james TP installation.
perhaps some tradin' can be done..

I'm not familiar with the Lebeda tailpiece, can you describe it, or point me to a picture?

thanks,
-vince

[mando.player]

I had an M3 a long time ago. It has some serious flame going on in the back/side/neck wood. I remember the tail piece well, it was a PITA to change strings. I guess that 1/2 - 3/4 of an inch makes a difference. Odds are, you're not going to find a tail piece where all the screw holes line up.

I had a similar situation when I swapped out the tuners on my Rigel A Natural. I plugged the "off" holes with a little glue and small dowels. Then I found a drill bit that fit the screw holes. Stick the bit in the hole to get an idea of the depth, then mark the bit with some masking tape. That should give you a guide for how deep to drill. Install the tail piece with the screws that do fit, then drill the hole for the screws that don't fit. If you're careful, you can use the actual tail piece holes as a guide.

I would think a Weber tail piece would look pretty nice on a Tacoma.

[vcalcaterra]

Just to finish this topic, I ended up with an Allen TR-3 tailpiece that Randy himself modded for me. The Tacoma has a
ftat top, so he had to bend the tailpiece a little more toward
90% than it normally is. It worked fine after I figured out how to mount it. The Tacoma tailpiece has a humongous screw that is formed on the strap button (like an endpin but threaded). This makes for a big hole in the wrong place. Fortunately the Allan covers it, but I was only able to use
two screws to mount it. I found a strap button in my junk box
and used it instead of the endpinbutton. Since it was larger than the hole in the new tailpiece, it adds to the mounting
strength. The new tailpiece works great and I have a set of
Labella flats (from Ted) on there now with no trouble.

thanks to all that replied,
-vince

[mpayneky]

Hi Vince,

I have an M1 mando. After experience some of the same frustration with restringing, my son tried to modify one of the hooks by bending it out a little. The tailpiece is, of course, hardened steel and doesn't bend. The hook broke. I've tried for over a year to find a Tacoma tail piece, but Tacoma won't sell one, evidently even to an authorized repair shop. I was wondering if you might be interested in selling your old tail piece?

I'm also going to give it another try to get a tailpiece through Tacoma either directly or through a repair shop. This will make the third time I've tried in over a year.

Let me know if your interested. My direct email address is mikepayne@bluegrass.net.

Thanks,