Eastman mandocello tailpiece blues

[wildpikr]

I’ve read about this happening before to other café members – and it happened to me this past weekend. The tailpiece on my Eastman mandocello failed. Upon opening the case I found everything hanging by the strings.

Also through reading past threads, there appears to be a replacement [perhaps with a long wait time] that is covered under the warranty.

So here come the questions:

Is the replacement tailpiece a better design that [hopefully] won’t fail?

If so, how do I go about procuring one? [I probably need to contact the dealer who sold me the instrument, I guess, to determine warranty.]

Is there a reasonable alternative tailpiece [similar to an archtop guitar rig only for mandocello] that can be used?

Thanks in advance for any help/advice.

[Mandobart]

What year is your Eastman 'cello? I've heard directly from two others this has happened to, but I don't know The model years. Mine is 2007 - I've been playing it since 2009. The dealer that sold mine is now out of business.

[wildpikr]

I'll have to look at the inside label to be sure. I got it new in 2011.

[cfuller763]

I had the tailpiece fail on an Eastman archtop guitar - replaced right away.
No problem.
A very good company to deal with.

[vernob]

Did the tailpiece come apart or did it come off? Do I presume that the instrument uses loop end strings? Tailpieces for loop ends tend to be one solid piece of sheet metal. If it just came off, it may need longer screws into the tailblock. I have a home made cittern and I use a mandolin tailpiece, doubling the top two courses. I'd like a ten string bridge but they are more expensive than all the parts and materials I bought to make the instrument. If you are under warranty, certainly have it repaired. If not, and if the tailpiece didn't come apart, it isn't that difficult to put it back on.

[Mandobart]

The Eastman 'cello tailpiece is made for ball end strings. It is a two-piece hinged made of two plated stamped pieces. As I recall the common failure mode is at the hinge.

My 10-string mandocello uses a single piece cast Allen tailpiece that works with loop or ball ends. Cost is under $100 USD

[wildpikr]

Mandobart is correct.

The tailpiece has a part that is screwed to the instrument at the strap button. It is a two-piece device where one part is rolled to fit around a pivot point where the ball-end strings attach below the bridge. The metal is apparently malleable and the string tension pulls the tailpiece apart at that hinge point...effectively it rolls out.

There is no warranty after 1 year for this aliment. I attempted today to contact Eastman through the support tab on their website. I inquired about a new tailpiece hopefully of improved design and asked for any information that might show me the pivot connection. I also asked about the cost and how to go about getting one if available.

I'm waiting for a response...

[allenhopkins]

...So here come the questions:

Is the replacement tailpiece a better design that [hopefully] won’t fail?

Yes. I had mine replaced after the original broke at the hinge. The new one has the same ebony overlay, but is one-piece, with a "bend" that angles it from the part that's fastened to the end of the 'cello, to the part that extends over the top and holds the strings.

If so, how do I go about procuring one? [I probably need to contact the dealer who sold me the instrument, I guess, to determine warranty.]

I went through my dealer, Stutzman's Guitar Center here in Rochester, and also through Bernunzio Vintage Instruments, another Rochester dealer with a long and close relationship to Eastman Strings. I finally got a phone number for the Eastman rep in CA, and talked to him directly.

What he told me: Eastman mandocelli are a limited production item, and only a very few are shipped to the US at any one time (perhaps a half-dozen). As a result, parts for them are also few, and perhaps far between! The Eastman rep put in an order for a new mandocello tailpiece, and after a month or more, got a shipment of tailpieces that did not include a 'cello one -- only guitar tailpieces! What he did (beyond the call of duty, IMHO) was, when the next shipment of mandocelli arrived, to take one of the instruments with a slight finish flaw, mark it "B stock," take the tailpiece off it and send it to Stutzman's. So I got my new tailpiece, after two or three months' wait.

Go through your dealer, and be prepared for a delay. See if you can get the dealer to deal aggressively with the Eastman US staff. I found the Eastman rep with whom I dealt very responsive and helpful; he apologized all over the place when that first shipment of tailpieces didn't include one for my 'cello, and, as I noted, he took one off a saleable instrument, and provided it to me at no charge.

I should mention that Dave Stutzman installed the tailpiece for free, as well, although I was past the warranty period. An advantage, perhaps, of being a "regular customer" and developing a relationship with my local dealer(s).

Is there a reasonable alternative tailpiece [similar to an archtop guitar rig only for mandocello] that can be used?...

Probably not. You need a tailpiece that'll hold eight strings, not six. The Eastman tailpiece is basically designed for an arch-top "jazz" guitar, only with more "string holes," and accommodating ball-end strings The Eastman mandocello is an arch-top guitar body, slightly more heavily braced for eight strings. Most mandocello tailpieces I've seen have been designed like mandolin tailpieces, for loop-end strings.

Your best bet, IMHO, is to get crackin' working with your dealer, to get an Eastman replacement ASAP. And the "P" in "ASAP" may experience some delay and difficulty, if my experience is any guide.

[wildpikr]

Allen,

Thanks for the informed reply. You outlined what I suspected/expected. Persistence and perseverance pay off, I'm told, so I'll try all avenues to get a new tailpiece...

[owlsgrease]

Mandobart,

My Eastman Mandocello tailpiece blew off the other day while I was tuning up a new set of strings! And good luck getting a replacement for a beast they shipped 6 of to the USA that year ;-((-;. And, I bought mine second-hand, so no warranty.))

Thanks for the tip on the Allen tailpieces (http://www.allenguitar.com/tpcs_tr-10.htm)!! I should have got that one, but I got a little mandolin one in bronze instead, and my 'cello is booming!! I'll get the TR-10 later, and move the AR-2 to my Silvertone mandolin. Plus, on the 'cello, it's easier to string (at the peghead) because it burns the extra string up, so you only have the core to wind at that end. (The 0.074" C strings barely make it through the holes on that little bitty mandolin gadget ;-)

I don't think it's urgent to get an original replacement, unless I decide to sell it to some lowballer. It works way better with the new after-market tailpiece, anyway.

Cheers!

Pete

[Mandobart]

I wonder when/if my original Eastman TP is going to go. On most of their instruments there never is a problem I suppose.

[MikeEdgerton]

Can you post some pictures of these things, whole and broken?

[wildpikr]

Can you post some pictures of these things, whole and broken?

I'll give it a try...hope it works...

Here's the front of the tailpiece. The actual hinged connection at the bottom is covered by the wood overlay.




The attached piece at the end block has a rolled tab that attaches to the hinge pin of the part that holds the strings; this rolled tab weakens [due to the tension] and pulls out.






I got no response from Eastman using their website and even solicited help through The Mandolin Store [thanks for their efforts] and apparently Eastman again provided no response. Suffice to say I have given up hope in dealing with Eastman on this issue.

Then I saw a nice trapeze style tailpiece on a Weber Gallatin in another thread, got in touch with Bruce Weber and I'm currently awaiting delivery. Bruce was kind enough to contact the new owners of Weber, Two Old Hippies, who had a spare, sent it to him and now is en route to me...I will now have to make the necessary repairs at the end block to install this new tailpiece.

[Classicalcomp]

That was probably mine Mike. I'll vouch for it. It's super solid. Sorry for the Eastman woes.

[MikeEdgerton]

Hmmm, I can't really think of anything to substitute for that.

[wildpikr]

That was probably mine Mike. I'll vouch for it. It's super solid. Sorry for the Eastman woes.

Yes, I got the idea from the picture in your thread:

http://www.mandolincafe.com/forum/sh...m-big-or-small

I thought it was a really nice looking tailpiece...and one is on the way thanks to Bruce Weber and Two Old Hippies. With no response from Eastman I felt the need to fix it somehow and started pursuing other options to return it to playing condition. There's another thread mentioning Mandobart's idea to convert his Eastman MC into an archtop guitar which should be another interesting option also.

I like the sound of the mandocello and want to get back to playing it again. I really hope the new tailpiece works out. Otherwise it's just a case holding a useless broken instrument...

[Classicalcomp]

It's got a lot of benefits. You'll love string changes. I still have the original Weber tailpiece in my case. I never played it with it but it's identical to a regular mandolin tailpiece.

[wildpikr]

Following up – heeeere’s the rest of the story:

My patience wore out waiting for Eastman…

I reached out to Bruce Weber [Montana Lutherie] who contacted Two Old Hippies [the guys who bought his company] who had an extra mandocello tailpiece. [There’s a little more background in another post that I linked to in post 16 of this thread.] Anyway, TOH sent the tailpiece to Bruce who checked it over and sent it to me. It arrived last Friday. After verifying positioning with Bruce, I installed it this past Monday evening and I’m happy with the result! I still want to tweak the nut and the action [that’s another project] but for now it’s back to being playable.

Thanks to:

Bruce Weber for his help, patience and advice.

Vern Brekke for pointing me in Bruce’s direction [in the other thread].

Classicalcomp for starting the other thread and showing a picture of his Gallatin mandocello. That’s where I saw the tailpiece…

And to The Mandolin Store for trying [albeit unsuccessfully] to get Eastman to contact me even though they didn't sell the instrument to me. I appreciate the attempt.

Here’s how it turned out [hope the pics come through:

[NotMelloCello]

Classy!

[George R. Lane]

Yeah, Vern is a top notch designer and a real nice fella. What can I say about my friend Bruce, he always want to help folks even if it is not one of his instruments.

[Classicalcomp]

So, how's the tailpiece working for you? Do you notice a difference (besides the strings staying on ).

[CES]

That looks really nice! I'm continually impressed with how great a guy Bruce Weber seems to be, through repeatedly positive encounters...

[wildpikr]

So, how's the tailpiece working for you? Do you notice a difference (besides the strings staying on ).

Any difference that I note probably can't be narrowed down to just the tailpiece since I also changed the strings from the Eastman gauges to the D'Addario EJ78 strings I purchased from Elderly [my ears have lost some calibration in the aging process anyway]. I had to file the nut for the C strings to fit properly. What I noted most was the difference in the C strings - they are not floppy like the lighter gauge used by Eastman.

And restringing with the new tailpiece was easy like you said.

[rongreen]

Well, I found my 805 tailpiece laying loose in my case last week. Here is my note to Eastman, and their reply:
Hello Ronald,

I'm sorry to hear about your AR805 tail piece. This qualifies as a warranty issue, so we can send you a replacement free of charge.
Can you let me know if your tail piece has has a crown or oval shape as seen in the picture attached? Also please provide your address and phone number and your replacement should get to you in 2-3 weeks.

Thank you,
Eastman Guitars


I have an 805, serial # 120320896. When I moved the case this afternoon I heard a strange rattle. Upon opening it I found the tailpiece laying loose. The metal broke at the hinge, the bend from the side of the instrument to the top. Can you supply a replacement for this? Thanks.

[TheMandoKit]

Well, the same thing just happened to me. I have what is a virtually unplayed Eastman mandocello (purchased for my wife, who injured her shoulder soon thereafter, and was never able to get her arms around it afterward), that I finally decided to sell. I opened the case, and noticed that the strings were loose. Yep, the dreaded broken hinge on the tailpiece. Just as I was going to take pictures of it to list for sale. I wrote to Eastman on their website tonight. I'll let you know what I hear back.