TAILPIECE - 3D and technical drawing

Hi everybody,

It appears, and Barry would confirm, the tailpiece for Prestige and Thunder (which shares (if I'm right) the same shape) fails after few decades.

My own is broken (I bought the guitare with this broken tailpiece in a flee market) and I've to figure out how to replace it while standards tailpieces doesn't fit.

Before to call a 3D or technical drawing pro, I'd like to know if anybody got one of those. It would be faster to built and really nice to share it !  

Otherwise I'll try on my side and post the result on the forum so anyone could use it to make it in its own part of the world. In this order if anyone has some proposition to make the tailpiece more resistant I'm all ears.

Thanks to the community,
Sorry for my french,

Ricard13

I don't think any of our members have successfully done a 3D replica, but that would be a great achievement if you are successful!

It is a shame that such beautiful instruments have this one hardware flaw, it's such a distinctive piece.

Bonne chance pour votre tentative de le reproduire!

Hi Ricard,
I posted in the "Say Hello" section that I have a tailpiece that might work, from a 'Vantage" LP.  It measures 73mm between the inside edges of the stud reliefs and ~82mm center to center.

It doesn't look like the Thunder unit but it can get the axe playable (if it fits) while you source something better.

Pete

The center to center needs to be 73mm

Hi Pete
Thanks for your proposition.
If it fits I would be glad to purchase even if the shape is not exactly genuine. At least I would be able to play.
I’m also in touch with a machinist and a foundry.
Both told me they are able to reproduce the piece. I’m waiting for the prices. If I choose the casting do you have any advice for the metal to use ?

Brass or Aluminium 

If you get one made don't do the cut outs for string loading.

Make them solid, like a Gibson type, just holes.

As you know it's a weak point. They always break at either the A or B string.

I'm having some made at the moment but it takes my guy an eternity.

So In case of casting the best would be to leave the cut outs full of aluminium and to machine holes at the end ?

Ricard13 wrote:So In case of casting the best would be to leave the cut outs full of aluminium and to machine holes at the end ?

Yes.

Just copy a Gibson style.

Hi to all,

I finally got a answer from the foundry.
Prices are a quite high for a little production but with the comfort of having the foundry close to my eyes and control.

The foundry proposed to melt under pressure an exact copy of the piece with a brass assembly. They already realised tailpiece for 6 chords bass for a local guitare maker. They assured me the original piece defect shall be fix by the brass alloy.

There is a fix price for making the silicon mold : 230 euros (260 US dollars).
Each pieces would cost 120 euros (136 US dollars) and 80 euros (90 US dollars) for a ten piece order.

The finition is polished and suppose to be exact reproduction of Prestige and Rainbow (if I'm not wrong) tailpiece. For Thunder, it would need a additional chrome or nickel finition.

1. May I have your advices on this project
2. Does any would be interested in sharing prices for a ten pieces order ?
3. Would it be any legal issues if I copy (and sell in anyway) a piece of Westone guitare ?

Good morning and thanks to all !

Ricard13

Merci Ricard,

Brass will produce a beautiful replication, but of course, the cost is high, especially the silicon mould.

Did you investigate doing the part as an aluminum casting? That should be cheaper to make but might require more labour to finish.

It's cheaper to have them machined from brass stock.

Even when cast they are still needing machine work.

My buddy is halfway through making some for me from brass. He just takes so fooking long!

Will be down his way in a few months, shaking a big stick....  I'm busy rebuilding his old Harley engine and transmission so he'll get stuck in then..

Hi to all,

9 months ago, I started thinking of rebuilding a thunder's tailpiece because the one I got with the guitare was broken into two pieces.

Considering first a casting process, I choose at the end to machine it. It supposed to create a proper 3D modelisation and then to find a CNC company able to machine it for fair price and a solid material.

I just got today the stop tail by the post. I set up strings, played few songs, ... and now I'm kinda waiting for everything to blow up !   But yet it looks... it has worked.

I'll let you know in future, after heavier songs and just time... if the tailpiece has not broken. 

Thanks to all for your help



Ricard13

Congratulations on restoring that beautiful guitar!

Ricard,  that is a beautiful job.  I have a friend with a CNC machine going to help me out on this also to fix my Prestige 150 tailpiece.  DO you have all the measurements on this that you could share please?

That's a beautiful thing. I'd like one on my Les Paul if you can do me a couple?

1point5 wrote:That's a beautiful thing. I'd like one on my Les Paul if you can do me a couple?

They won't fit a LP the centers are different.

Would be nice if they did, no more having to make them.

Hi everybody.
You'll certainly need a .stp file to machine the piece with a CNC... and someone pretty skilled with cnc touring.

Actually I wanted to propose a crowdfunding for saving money to all who needs a tailpiece. My one was very expensive because i only order one unit, but for a 10 pieces order it gets down to 70 euros/piece and for 20 pieces to 45 euros (still no cheap but...).

Do you think we might find 20 persons interested ?

@Mark - Ricard not Richard. Ricard is our best drink in Marseille

Ricard13 wrote:Hi everybody.
You'll certainly need a .stp file to machine the piece with a CNC... and someone pretty skilled with cnc touring.

Actually I wanted to propose a crowdfunding for saving money to all who needs a tailpiece. My one was very expensive because i only order one unit, but for a 10 pieces order it gets down to 70 euros/piece and for 20 pieces to 45 euros (still no cheap but...).

Do you think we might find 20 persons interested ?

@Mark - Ricard not Richard. Ricard is our best drink in Marseille

Ricard, 
apologies, i read in haste! .  i got your pm also, ill ask my friend although he will be making from carbon fibre, maybe not ideal for everyone here but easy and cheap for him to do. the materials are readily available to him.  i will pm you also, thanks