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View Full Version : Price Tailpiece revisited



Scotti Adams
Feb-09-2004, 10:15am
..First off let me say Mr. Price is a true gentelman. I met him at SPBGMA..He was kind enough to put a rush job on my TP...initially it was going to take a month to get it..after being plated and ingraved with BRW on it..but it ended up being only 2 weeks and he brought it with him to SPBGMA. So Gary if you are reading this...many thanks again. Secondly the TP is a great piece of work...cut with precision and detail..the antique gold finish is beautiful as is the BRW being etched in a diagonal pattern...it really looks great. The Tp lined up perfectly with the standard holes from my other Tp....the strings stay on great...the weight is gotta be really close to the other Tp....Now...intially I had a problem getting the top to slide on..its the tension of the strings that actually hep the Tp lock into its final position securely. After some minor bending of the further most top end of the cover it slid right on and is secure. Now the most important part..at least to me....NO difference in the sound...I didnt want any changes tonally in my mando. Its a great product from a great guy...I highly recommend it... http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/mandosmiley.gif

jim simpson
Feb-09-2004, 6:09pm
Scotti,
Thanks for the update. Like you, I did not want a change in tone and my Price doesn't seem to have changed anything tone wise. I am glad you like yours, I continue to run the strings under the leading edge. I have not tried bending anything. I would be worried about messing something up. I think someone else mentioned that they loosened the string tension to put it on and off. That seems wrong to me. I am please with it even though the tension thing seemed to be initially seemed to be an obstacle.
Jim

Big Joe
Feb-10-2004, 9:47am
I saw one at SPBGMA at really liked it. I would not mind trying one to see how it does. They appear to be very sturdy and do not look like they would ever break. That has not been a problem for me personally, but it does happen with our type tailpiece from time to time. OF course, many have lasted over eighty years with no problem so go figure.

GBG
Feb-10-2004, 10:03am
Did you notice getting any more sustain than your other tailpiece? Do you want more sustain in a bluegrass mandolin?

Scotti Adams
Feb-10-2004, 3:39pm
..the mando experienced absolutley no change in tone or anything else...I wasnt wanting any change in it...and Im happy for that reason...

GaryPrice
Feb-14-2004, 11:18pm
Folks, the tailpiece is designed to have the strings go over the top of the front bar, where with the cover off, they will generally lie above the felt. When you put the cover on and line up a set of notches, then you press the cover toward the back of the mandolin until the side joint closes. The cover will then slide forward and the string tension holds the cover on. (The strings are the spring!) The tolerances on the cover are very close, and bending runs a major risk of causing distortion so the cover won't go on any more, and changing the shape of the cover may lose the tension required to keep the cover. In place. I spent a couple of years of thought to design this tailpiece, and attempts to re-engineer it without consultation will probably lead to regret. Please, if you have any questions, please call me and I'll be glad to talk about how it works......
I had one buyer complain the cover wouldn't stay on. Turns out he hadn't put the strings on the mandolin yet. No strings, no spring. I'm sure I need to do a better teaching job with them......but please try to use it as intended.
405 396-8343

GaryPrice
Feb-14-2004, 11:22pm
By the way, Scotti, I would like to see pictures of your new mandolin, and it was my pleasure to meet you and get to hear you pick a little.
For those who've never gone to SPBGMA, it's a combination homecoming, jam session, concert, swap meet and opportunity to make new friends. Just don't use the phone in your Sheraton room to call home ($3 a minute....ouch!)

Scotti Adams
Feb-15-2004, 10:21am
just to clarify..the only bending I did on the Tp was on the cover...at the very top..it was hittin the strings at too much of a head on angle...making it impossible to get the cover to lock into place...I bent it back at just enough angle to allow it to ride at almost the same angle as the strings coming from the base of the Tp to the bridge. I imagine this angle has alot to do with how high the bridge is. It locks very snug into place now while allowing the strings to keep the spring effect to keep the cover tight...heres a pic

Jim Hilburn
Feb-16-2004, 11:54am
Scottie, I don't know what kind of camera you have, but many of them have a focus feature where you depress the trigger slightly, before it clicks the shot and it does the focus. Then you push it all the way. If your fully pushing the button without giving it a chance to focus, well, it won't focus.
That may not be it, but somethings haywire, and I'd love to see your pic's, only clearly. Especially that tailpiece.I expect I'll be ordering about 5 of them soon.

Scotti Adams
Feb-16-2004, 1:00pm
..I know Jim..my pics suck..its an el cheapo camera..I will see if it has the focus function you spoke of..thanks...

Jim Hilburn
Feb-16-2004, 1:51pm
I can't imagine anyone is selling a digital that can't focus that shot. I got my Dad the cheapest Olympus out there, a 2.0,mainly so it wouldn't be too confusing, but for general snapshots, it's hard to tell apart from my $500 3.2 Oly.