Best Tailpiece wood?

August 10, 2016 at 02:46 AM · The Wittner tail piece with the four built-in fine-tuners is a marvel. I believe it is made of a carbon-fiber composite material.

August 10, 2016 at 02:56 AM · Tailpieces affect the sound of the instrument. Don't switch out a tailpiece for cosmetic reasons.

August 10, 2016 at 03:03 AM · Yes, so which wood is better? Is one different from the other Ms. Leong?

August 10, 2016 at 03:52 AM · There is no "better" on what comes to the wood tailpieces are made of. Like pretty much all things related to the violin, it varies from instrument to instrument.

August 10, 2016 at 11:39 AM · On my Jay Haide I have an ebony replica Baroque tailpiece complete with a gut tailpiece cord, made by my local violin shop/repairer/luthier - for use with gut strings, obviously. The tone is now better than it ever has been.

NB. This tailpiece works for me, but bear in mind Fox's proviso.

August 10, 2016 at 11:41 AM · I would ask your luthier to install your tailpiece. I have done it myself, on a very inexpensive instrument, but your luthier should have the expertise to get the adjustment of it just right (which will enhance the sound). It should cost very little to get it installed.

August 10, 2016 at 12:09 PM · If you choose a luthier that adjusts the afterlength for the tailpiece, it can be a bit more labour intensive, especially if they charge $100+/hr. for labour.

August 10, 2016 at 12:34 PM · Omg 100+/hour?? That's a crazy amount to change a tailpiece

August 10, 2016 at 12:56 PM · Years ago (before the internally geared pegs) I decided to switch my violins to Bois d'Harmonie tailpieces with integral non-metal fine tuners (for osteo-arthritis reasons). I purchased ebony, boxwood, rosewood and pernambuco tailpieces and the Bois e'Harmonie Kevlar tailcords. I spent quite a lot of time trying these different tailpieces on the different violins and switching them around. In general the Bois d'Harmonie tailpieces are about the same mass as a plain wood tailpiece with no fine tuners. The French style are a bit lighter in mass than the Hill style.

I can verify what Fox says about the results being violin dependent. Except for the pernambuco, which is as good as the others on only one of my violins (thank goodness for that violin). The boxwood seem to me a safer bet - although the ebony and rosewood ones work well enough too. If you keep your eyes open you may notice that an awful lot of cellists seem to have chosen the Bois d'Harmonie boxwood tailpieces that I believe are lightest in weight. I have heard that some instruments do better with heavier tailpieces, but not mine.

I have adjusted the tailcords on all my instruments so that at least one of the lower string afterlengths is in tune with the 2nd octave harmonic of the next higher string; believe me with Kevlar tailcord (or tailGUT) this is no easy task. To achieve this the afterlengths are approximately 1/6 the vibrating string length, but not exactly.

If you intend to do your own tailpiece installation you'd best have the tools to retrieve and resurrect your soundpost and know how to do it! Chances are it will fall unless you assure the tightness of its fit as you loosen the strings. And use a piece of paper to protect the violin's finish from the old tailpiece as the strings are loosened - and mark the exact position of the bridge.

August 10, 2016 at 01:01 PM · "Omg 100+/hour?? That's a crazy amount to change a tailpiece."

I guess that would depend on what one means by "change a tailpiece".

As Lyndon said, it could involve a lot of peripheral work to get it working its best. And one person may be able to get a better outcome in a half hour, than someone else can get get in two, so price comparisons are not always "same job to same job".

August 10, 2016 at 02:45 PM · I had a boxwood tail split last winter due to dry air. I had an ebony tail with heavy fine tuners that weighed 42 gr. and switched it for a metal with tuners that weighed 22gr. And I quickly learned to get the kevlar length right the first time.

August 10, 2016 at 02:45 PM · I drive a vintage 1990 volvo and I have a pretty good mechanic, but I swear one time he charged me an hours labour for changing a set of spark plug cables!!! His excuse was he also did other work for free, which is true. But he just raised his hourly rate to $91/hr.

What you pay the higher labour priced luthiers for is their expertise in knowing how to efficiently repair and restore your violin, someone might work for half the hourly rate and take twice as long, and not be as much of an expert to boot.

August 10, 2016 at 05:19 PM · Andrew, on the occasions when I need to de-string a violin, such as when I installed the baroque tailpiece, I first stabilise the sound post by wrapping a towel round the waist of the violin, holding it in place with a firmly tightened strap - but not so firmly that creaking can be heard! I find it is then safe to take down the strings and bridge, and then replace the tailpiece. I also take the additional precaution of keeping the violin flat in its case whilst I carry out this transplant surgery.