Took my Gretsch Bobtail out of the case to do some shedding, and found that the tailpiece had blown up. Bummer. You can see how cheap the "metal" is from the pic.
So, I need to replace it. The issue is, most replacement tailpieces I see seem to mount at the strap button, and this Gretsch has an output jack there.
Any suggestions or options....other than buying another destined to break Gretsch replacement?
Wow! Unbelievable that a tailpiece would break like that. It LOOKS sturdy enough. I wonder if a trapeze style tailpiece from an arch-top guitar would do the trick. There's a couple of different ones at STEWMAC.
A metallurgist told me brass is very susceptible to something called stress corrosion cracking, especially in the presence of ammonia fumes which may off gas from the case. The fracture surface in your picture looks like one of mine that failed.
I have an old Conrad guitar with a trapeze like David mentioned:
The end plate is entirely above the end pin. And it's steel, so it isn't prone to the cracking issue. It looks like it may be a bit longer (5.5") across the top though.
My tailpiece broke in exactly the same spot. I brought it back to the store where I had purchased it. They shipped it off to Gretsch/Fender and got it repaired for free.
Bending metal at a 90* angle with a sharp inside corner is never good. From your picture it looks like it is cast brass? ......(even worse to bend) Chrome plating adds to the problem. Chrome plating can cause hydrogen embrittlement, but I am not sure if it does with brass? Anyone of the above statements could have caused the failure.
Currently own, 6 Groner-tone lap steels, one 1953 Alamo Lap steel, Roland Cube, Fender Champion 40
I just opened the case for my Gretsch squareneck and discovered the tailpiece had broken in this same way (both legs of it in my case) ... I was planning on gifting it to a young man who wanted to start learning dobro ... disappointing ... I guess I'll get it fixed as it is a shame to not let it continue its journey and help a fellow traveler get started on his off to ResoLand ...
This Darren Riley fellow will of course never get rich from supplying aftermarket Gretsch resonator parts, but kudos to him for following the old dictum, "find a need and fill it."
The deal with these Gretsch resos can be filed under another old classic: "There's no free lunch in this world."
The Boxcar (the no pickup model) comes in at about $360 retail and sounds fairly decent for an entry level dobro, but since the beginning there have been quite a few episodes of failure or less than good performance due to the cheesy metal parts. The most frequent offender has been the poorly designed tailpiece.
On the other hand for $140 more one can acquire the Bobtail (as in the original post) with the Fishman Nashville/Jerry Douglas pickup included. That's a steal when you consider that to buy the pickup on its own costs $210 and for optimum results it should be mounted onto a Beard Adjustable or Schoonover Modular spider. And if one is not comfortable doing the installation there are luthier fees on top of that.
Too bad the tailpiece design makes it a hassle to use a traditional Dobro style unit. Paul Beard sells his U.S. made chrome version on Resophonic Outiffters for $30, only 60 cents more than the Gretsch tailpiece shown on the website in Jim Fogarty's post.
You make a good point Jim - but on the other hand, if the replacement Gretsch tailpiece is indeed the same one that comes with the guitar when new and no improvements have been made over the several years these guitars have been on the market, it might behoove one to purchase two at a time since there's a decent chance the replacement unit is sooner or later going to blow, and at a most inopportune time.
So now you're out ballpark $60 + shipping.
Last edited by Mark Eaton on 5 Jul 2018 5:02 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Jim Fogarty wrote:Heh.......I KNEW as soon as I posted that tailpiece that SOMEONE here would complain about the price ($30.....really?!?!)
Why? Because this is the price-complainingest bunch of old farts on the entire internet!!
Yet, I've noticed that generally, the instructional material and even minor parts for steel are MUCH more pricey than, say, a standard guitar.
As Mark said......no one is getting rich from selling replacement Gretsch reso parts! Me? I was just happy to find the part readily available. YMMV
Not complaining. No investment here. Merely an observation. Your statement concerning the "cheap" metal in the original part prompted my post. Certainly didn't intend to stress you.
I'm happy you were able to find the proper part to get you back going.
None of my business though for sure. This old fart will try to steer clear of your issues from here out.
I'm not smart enough to steer away from expensive parts ! But, I would personally fabricate a new tali piece from stainless steel. I'm just kinda stubborn !
Bill Creller wrote:I'm not smart enough to steer away from expensive parts ! But, I would personally fabricate a new tali piece from stainless steel. I'm just kinda stubborn !
I know a little bit about your background Bill, and aside from being stubborn you have the knowledge and tools to be able to do such a thing.
Maybe you can start your own aftermarket Gretsch resonator parts business.
But I have a feeling your version would have to sell for a lot more than 30 bucks.
Not to mention that Fender/Gretsch probably pays a Chinese supplier about a dollar - if that - for these crappy tailpieces.
The appearance of the fracture does suggest a casting, but typically brass tailpieces are wrought brass which was bent when manufactured. Brass hardens when worked or distorted, which in this case creates hard and brittle properties at the bend.
The proper thing is to anneal the area to be bent before and after bending. I have seen lots of broken tailpieces, and I figured they just skipped this step.
