#1
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Tailpiece for L7
A friend of mine needs to replace a tailpiece that failed on his '44 L7. Searching online, he's found some inexpensive ones that seem possibly suspect in quality.
Others are over $100, up to the neighborhood of $200. Can anyone recommend a source for one that's somewhere in the middle, price-wise? The tailpiece he needs is an ES-175. |
#2
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You're right about the cheap ones being suspect in quality - speaking from first-hand experience here - besides, you don't want to muck up a fine old archtop by fitting it with something that looks like total crap; FYI I almost bought a couple wartime-issue L-7's when they were cheap back in the '70s - maybe it was a function of imposed restrictions, but the shallower arching in both top and back (they most likely used thinner blocks of wood) and L-50 style tailpiece (which used a wooden crossbar) made for a very lightweight, resonant instrument with richer bass response (comparable to a similarly-sized flattop) than the pre-/post-war examples I've played. That said, unless your bud is willing to have someone hand-carve/retrofit a Brazilian rosewood crossbar to an L-50 type tailpiece - and that's not going to come cheap - I say ante up the $200 and get one of these:
https://www.archtop.com/ac_access.html#Anchor-11481
__________________
"Mistaking silence for weakness and contempt for fear is the final, fatal error of a fool" - Sicilian proverb (paraphrased) |
#3
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Are you sure it can't be repaired?
Amazing things can be done by laser welding. Some jewelers have them. Or find a welding school.
__________________
"My opinion is worth every penny you paid for it." "If you try to play like someone else, Who will play like you". Quote from Johnny Gimble The only musician I have to impress today is the musician I was yesterday. No tubes, No capos, No Problems. |
#4
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Thanks for the responses and advice.
So, he bought the cheap knockoff to hold him over until he decides to (get smart and) buy the real McCoy. |