Weber or Allen?

**Shannon C** · Nov-07-2004, 6:37pm

After survivng a brief bout of mandolin envy, I've decided to stick with my Howard Morris F-style. I'm planning to upgrade the tuners and tailpiece, though, and can't decide about the tailpiece. I'm considering the Weber and an Allen (not the Monteleone style).

Is there any real reason to choose one over the other? (I'm more interested in good tone than ease of restringing, if that matters}. Or are they about the same, meaning I should just go with what strikes my eye?

Thanks for your insight.

Shannon

**J. Mark Lane** · Nov-07-2004, 6:49pm

Hi Shannon,

As you may recall, I own a Morris F5 much like yours. I have a Weber tailpiece on mine. I also have a Weber tailpiece on the Morris F4.

I have had a couple of the Allen and Monteleone tailpieces, too. I've also tried various other tailpieces, both cast and pressed, on various mandolins. One thing I have not done, though, is to test different cast tailpieces on the same instrument. So I'm not sure I can give you any valuable information in trying to select between these based on tone.

Although I've heard it argued both ways, I do believe the tailpieces make a difference. I would say, they make more of a difference on higher-end instruments than on cheap ones. (I didn't notice any difference when I put a Monte tailpiece on a Michael Kelly I owned.) The exact nature of the difference I guess would vary. I'm not very good at explaining sounds, but I think when I switched from pressed to cast on my Morris, and on several other mandos, the tone was a bit more "firm." Maybe it reduced overtones in favor of fundamentals. Not sure. I do prefer the tone with the cast tailpiece, but I can see (hear) that this might not be a universal reaction. (One friend of mine put a Monte on his Collings, and took it off and put the original back on (old Collings, old style tailpiece).)

Anyway, I would go with looks if restringing is not an issue. I find the Monte/Allen tailpieces kind of a pain, frankly, but you said stringing isn't an issue. I think Allen is now making a more "traditional" looking cast tailpiece that I would probably try if I didn't have the Webers. I tend to prefer a more "Spartan" look. But that's just me.

Have fun with it, anyway.

Mark

**Stillpicking** · Nov-07-2004, 6:55pm

I have an MK "Butterfly" with the Weber universal tailpiece and it really improved the sound over the typical stock one that came with it. I think a solid tailpiece also helps to keep the instrument in tune longer.

I recently got a second MK a Legacy "O" and I ordered an Allen traditional solid tailpiece from FQMS, been on backorder for a few weeks but should be in next week. When I get it and have it on my other Legacy "O" I can give a short review on it but my guess is that the Weber and the Allen will give you about the same benefits in equal amounts. FQMS seems to have real good prices on both of these tailpieces, so check them out there first. They both look real nice.

**Hoyt** · Nov-07-2004, 7:00pm

I've had both. Currently, I have a Weber mandola. Personally, I like the Allens better, but not enough to replace the Weber tailpiece on my Bridger (which I really like).

I think the Allens look better and I never had trouble restringing. The Weber is somewhat of a pain because you have to put a string wrapper under the tailpiece to prevent scratching when restringing. Plus the strings try to go under the felt stuck to the underside.

I've had two types of Allens and both were great. It is also easier to use ballend strings, but it can be done with the Weber as well.

Good luck, both are good.

**mad dawg** · Nov-07-2004, 8:20pm

I added an Allen tailpiece to my Freshwater, which I am very pleased with, but I think next time I upgrade a tailpiece I am #going to go with a Weber tailpiece with an integrated armrest. The Weber is a cool little package, and if you like to use an armrest that's one less gadget to worry about.

**Ken Berner** · Nov-08-2004, 9:59am

I had installed a Weber Universal tailpiece on my '92 Flatiron F5 Artist, and a Weber (with the W) on my '99 Beartooth; they are far superior to the traditional style tailpiece, as they are simple to restring and great looking. I installed the Allen on a Kentucky 250S, which helped the tone a little, and was far better looking than the traditional tailpiece. Bear in mind, that if you are looking to improve the tone, the heavier the better. The Weber is heavier than the Allen, but the Orrico is heavier than both. You might e-mail the suppliers to request the weight of their tailpieces before you just purchase one for it's appearance. The cast bronze is far sturdier than most tailpieces supplied.