Here’s my new 2010 tailpiece! Over the years I’ve been real restless as far as which tailpiece I like using. Theres been pros and cons, and some are harder to make than others. I came up with a great idea after talking to Kent Armstrong and other people about epoxy casting, which alot of pickup makers do to simulate an ebony pickup. In a nutshell, a master pattern is made out of figured maple. After it is sanded to a fine finish and waxed, it is cast in silicone rubber. This hardens and becomes the master mold. I machine a chassis from a block of aluminum, suspend it in the mold and pour the epoxy around it. It hardens overnight encasing the chassis, and takes on the surface qualities in very high detail. It comes out looking like flame ebony, and is a deep black color. The part (unlike actual ebony) is extremely stable and not prone to cracking and dimensional changes like the real thing. It also conducts electricity for a proper string ground, which is always a bit of a challenge with ebony tails. And it looks sexy! After a couple other machining operations it is ready to accept the strings (top loading which is nice). I’ll continue this thread and show it after it is completed!
