Re: James or Allen tailpieces-anyone use these?
I have mandolins with both.
The James wins hands down every time for me.
The Allen looks nice, but, it is much, much slower for string changes, and you often have to pre-bend the string a bit and also slide a protective card under to prevent gouging the top... also, hooking the string loops over is much more difficult (especially if the loops are wider than normal). In terms of "user friendly" the James is the best tailpiece I've ever used. Have them on my Northfield and on my Ellis. It has everything. Built in string dampers...easy threading... beautifully made. Looks great.
Gibson F5 'Harvey' Fern, Gibson F5 'Derrington' Fern
Distressed Silverangel F 'Esmerelda' aka 'Maxx'
Northfield Big Mon #127
Ellis F5 Special #288
'39 & '45 D-18's, 1950 D-28.
Bookmarks