Kentucky Tailpiece Question

[tander]

Got a Kentucky KM1000V from The Mandolin Store about 3 months ago and love it. The tailpiece has extra hooks for the E and A string which would make the strings at an angle on the tailpiece. What is the purpose of these extra hooks and do I really need to use them when I restring. No, this is not the first time I have restrung but just now getting around to asking the question, Thanks.

[almeriastrings]

If you are referring to the horizontally aligned hooks, these are there because they are on Gibson tailpieces... and the reason they are on those is that they date from the days when the end-windings (loops) were not as reliable as they are on modern strings, and these served to help 'lock' the windings in place, on the secondary hook.

Not absolutely essential to use, but why not?

[mandobassman]

I haven't had a mandolin with a Gibson-style tailpiece in a while, but when I did, I never used the extra hooks. When I had my first Gibson 1924 A mandolin several years ago, the only time I ever broke strings was when they broke on the edge of the second hook. The use of the angled hooks never made sense to me. Their original purpose is un-necessary these days, and they're only there because, like the F-style mandolin, no one wants to change tradition. Modern cast tailpieces are so much better, IMO.

[MikeEdgerton]

Take a look at this page on Frank Ford's www.frets.com for a great explanation and some pictures. I do use the extra hooks for no particular reason other than that's the way it was supposed to be done in the old days.