I've sometimes wondered what's the idea behind those "superlight" aluminum tail stops found on some LPs. Seems counter-intuitive; one would have thought a big heavy piece made of brass would provide better inertial characteristics to enhance sustain. Or is this a way of bleeding off some of the excessive sustain that LPs are renowned for (j/k ;))
Seriously though, what's the deal with these things? Anyone know the theory?
-Mark
Last edited by Plugger; 08-16-2005 at 03:38 AM.
Not sure what the theory is, but it's the same material used on the original 50's models. Must be better, I guess. ;)
Several guitars in different colors
Things to make them fuzzy
Things to make them louder
orange picks
I don't know if it's better or not. It depends on what you consider better. I'd like to try one on my Les Paul Jr eventually.
The aluminum tailpiece supposedly yields a more resonant guitar than a die cast tail piece.
Gibson probably didn't use die cast tail pieces back in the '50s because they didn't think they'd sell enough guitars to cover the cost of the tooling. Otherwise, I'm sure they would have done it.
They are reported to increase sustain and resonance. Some guys say they make no difference, some say it's night and day. Some say it worked on one guitar but not another. Hudpucker put one on his Hamer, he said it was huge. Maybe he'll chime in.
A friend in need is a good reason to screen your calls.
Forgot to mention SFK is a believer too.
A friend in need is a good reason to screen your calls.
Yep, an aluminum TP made a noticeable difference for the better on my Hamer Special, IMO. I have only made the switch on this one guitar so take my input with a grain of salt but the increase in sustain and 'clarity' was undeniable--head turning, in fact.
I have read in numerous accounts that whether or not an aluminum TP is an 'improvement' depends upon that particular guitar AND the tonal preferences of the player. Frankly, the LPF has far more information and many testimonials about the effect of switching to an aluminum TP.
Tone is in the fingers, eh? Let's hear your Vox, Marshall and Fender fingerings then...
I have aftermarket lightweight tailpieces on two of my Gibson guitars (a Norlin-era Deluxe and an ES-345). For me the difference seems to be be what happens as the note decays. Particularly on the ES-345, the notes may actually decay a little faster but sound more `interesting' to me, to use a technical phrase. More objectively I think that means that they have more high harmonics swirling around during the attack and decay.
Some folks might like that change for the expressive possibilities, others might find that it diminishes the natural sustain more than they like. It can and will depend on too many variables to totally predict. In my case I kind of like it because it makes the guitar feel a bit richer sounding.
This is just my opinion, maybe I have just succumbed to groupthink. It wouldn't be the first time. It's certainly tough to pony up limited cash for something you are not sure will work, so the natural impulse is to believe in it even if the results are marginal. :toobad
fyi, stew mac has an aluminum tailpeice for 30 bones. a lot cheaper than i've seen other places.
"don't worry, i'm a professional!"
I don't think it will add too much sustain. Heck gibson drills 9 holes in there LP's and swear it doesn't effect it as long as the holes aren't near the pickups or bridge area. I think one model even has 17 holes in it. I think the light weight stop tail pieces or just cheapo oriental lower grade metal. Heck some of them might not even be metal just metal diped ( like watches) Maybe the Gibson one is made of brass or something? the holes it sits in are brass. But I think it's just more then likey GOOD USA steel !
Originally Posted by chuckocaster
Those are Gotoh mfg'd aluminum tailpieces and that's exactly what I installed on my Hamer. It weighs only 1.0 oz as opposed to the 2.6 oz stock TP.
Tone is in the fingers, eh? Let's hear your Vox, Marshall and Fender fingerings then...
cool beans, next order i make from there will include one of those. i've seen other aluminum tp's for a lot more. maybe they look more like the originals, i don't know or really care. report to follow on the sg.
"don't worry, i'm a professional!"
The Gotohs that Stew-Mac sells do look a bit different than the original design but you've got to be looking for it to notice and, frankly, I just didn't give a damn about the aesthetics of a tailpiece.
YMMV.
Tone is in the fingers, eh? Let's hear your Vox, Marshall and Fender fingerings then...
The aesthetics on a tail piece are not important.
However, the aesthetics on a piece of tail.....
A friend in need is a good reason to screen your calls.
Good thing I didn't buy the 'aged' piece, huh?
Tone is in the fingers, eh? Let's hear your Vox, Marshall and Fender fingerings then...
LOLOLOL
It's a good reason to stay away from relics...
A friend in need is a good reason to screen your calls.
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