Detailed specs for tailpiece

**grandmainger** · Aug-03-2004, 2:37am

I'm thinking of getting the metal-engineering department of my university to build me a custom tailpiece. Is there anywhere I can find detailed specifications and/or measurements for a tailpiece?

Cheers

Germain

**Rob Grant** · Aug-03-2004, 4:45am

grandmainger,

Grab a pair of good calipers, a piece of paper and pencil and visit a local instrument store. I think there's a topic here with photos of different tailpieces that people are using. Often times it's possible to scale off a photo. Other then that it is possible to fabricate your own design from stainless, silver, brass, copper, etc. if you have a facility with silver solder (at least 45% if possible).

I build my own from stainless steel...

**grandmainger** · Aug-03-2004, 6:32am

Thanks Rob,

The problem I have is that there are no mandolin shops around where I live (

). I'm not sure how 'standard' the taipliece on my epiphone is, so I don't know if I should follow that... I've done most instrument stores in London... but none of them stock anything apart from low-end Asian-made mandos.

**Rob Grant** · Aug-03-2004, 7:25am

I know what you mean. I'm closer to New Guinea then Brisbane and I'm still in the state of Queensland! My other problem is that by the time I convert Oz dollars to yank greenbacks and pay customs duties and postage, the cost of a commercial tailpiece is prohibitive.

Actually my source of inspiration for good designs is the web. Your Epi should give you the needed dimensions for string spacing and scale (size). Check out the selection of comercial designs that Stew-Mac or Elderly offers for a few good ideas. Now it is a violation of patent laws if you make exact copies of some one else's hard earned ideas and flog it on the market, but I believe one can create for one's own use a decent bit of hardware by combining the better aspects of successful tailpieces that are currently availiable.

**grandmainger** · Aug-03-2004, 7:37am

Originally Posted by

Now it is a violation of patent laws if you make exact copies of some one else's hard earned ideas and flog it on the market

Yes. I'm actually only looking at making one or two only for personal use, and using my specific design idea.
I'll give a shot at measuring my mando's tailpiece. It will be trickier to speak to the engineers without a pro-looking set of measures... I'll improvise

Your tailpiece looks really cool by the way !

**Keith Newell** · Aug-03-2004, 8:38pm

Grandmainger give me an email and I can send you a sketch of the hole pattern for a modern standard mando tailpiece. My site hase a few pics of my tailpieces.
Keith Newell
http://www.newellmandolins.com

**Rob Grant** · Aug-04-2004, 3:15am

Keith,
Simple, yet elegant designs. I particularly like the sun image in polished stainless.

**french guy** · Aug-05-2004, 1:20am

Hello ,
This is my own design , build from a piece of brass .
I 've made that for several mandos I built and
Made also 7 tailpieces recently for an US builder.