Tricone owners - Tailpiece question

Gerald Ross · From: Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA

Here's a question for all you Tricone owners.

The other day I noticed a photo of a Tricone that had it's strings emerging from below the tailpiece. This was accomplished by inserting the string into the tailpiece allowing the ball ends to brace against the top of the tailpiece (when you looked at the tailpiece all the ball ends where visible and sitting on top, the strings emerged from below the front of the tailpiece). This gave the strings more of an angle over the saddle (better tone?). I hope I described this well enough for you to picture the configuration.

Anyone ever try this.

Yeah, I know I can give it at try but I'm too lazy.

Thanks

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Gerald Ross
Gerald's Fingerstyle Guitar Website

[This message was edited by Gerald Ross on 21 August 2001 at 06:24 AM.]

Mike D · From: Phx, Az

I've seen this done for a variety of reasons. My first "Dobro", a Regal, was strung like this by the guitar shop, so in that case it was ignorance. It's fairly common on old Nationals that need neck resets. Like you surmised it's to get sufficient angle over the saddle. It's not good on the tailpiece as it can force it higher than it should and fatigue the "bend" and cause it to crack.

Mikel Nelson · From: San Diego, CA

I've also seen this done when the cones were partially crushed...for the same reason, to get enough saddle angle.

Eric Stumpf · From: Newbury, NH 03255

....that's how I have the strings through the tailpiece of my '29 Style 1 tricone squareneck. I feel that it does improve the tone a bit; especially in the bass register.

Bob Stone · From: Gainesville, FL, USA

This practice was popular with Dobro players back in the '70s and 80s, but seems to be much less common now. The idea is that stringing-up the tail piece in that manner puts more tension on the portion of the strings between the bridge saddle and the tailpiece by virtue of a steeper angle, which creates a brighter tone. Maybe the common use of Quarterman cones and maple/ebony saddles has brightened the timber of most Dobros so that stringing the tailpiece in that manner is no longer needed. I owned a '28 Tricone for years, but never tried stringing the tailpiece with the ball-ends on top.

I'd say try both ways and see what you think. Good luck.

John Kavanagh · From: Kentville, Nova Scotia, Canada * R.I.P.

I've used this trick to equalize response - I have a banjo that sounds more balanced with the wound string "over" and the plain strings "under". I've also found with some kinds of strings on my archtop guitar that I could balance an iffy string set by putting the third and/or fourth string in the "under" position.

I've found - and this is not on resonator instruments - that the "over" position, with more vibrating string behind the tailpiece, a flatter angle, and less pressure on the bridge, sounds (as you might expect) a little more resonant but less intense in tone. I might describe it as more "twangy" or "boingy". The "under" position had a tighter, drier sound with a little more bark.

It's worth experimenting, if that's what you're looking for.

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