QUESTION

I am very confused I have been checking on the Internet for information pertaining t a real 1959 Gibson Les Paul Tailpiece and have found many conf;icting bits of information. I see by your site that you specialize in these parts and have a good reputation what should i be looking for in a real tailpiece

REPLY

Thank you for e mail well to begin with this is a very very hard thing to explain only because there are so any fakes and forgeries out that that look really good. There are companies now that specialize in these vintage reproductions and i will admit some are remarkable close and some near undetectable so beware and be warned this is uncharted territory for the novice.

The Gibson stop tailpiece was first introduced in 1954 on Les Paul Customs and in late 1955 on Les Paul standard goldtops with tunomatic bridges. An finally in 1958 on Les Paul standards in sunburst . So there is a limited number of real tailpieces out there I would say that 85% are still on the original guitars so do the math that does not leave many floating around. Most you will find came off refinished guitar or broken guitars were they were to valuable to leave on the instruments and a repro would do just fine.

Ok first they are light weight and should have an aged patina and no adjustment screws. he center seem down the back of the tailpiece should have another seem in the center laid on top of the other seem creating a thick overlap mark about a 1/2 inch long that is not an exact figure. so the center of the seem will be thicker. There will be file marks on the bottom of tailpiece by the end ears of the tailpiece and they will we on an angle not horizontal to the tailpiece.

The controversial part sis inside the ears were the studs hook on some have pin marks from the cast a circle in the center in back and some do not that is a fact and is correct i have seen loads of burst and vintage guitar and they came both ways. For the most part the tops of the tailpiece is rounded smooth and and is even like a new one but on several occasions including original owner guitar I have  has seen a slight and i mean slight ridge on top running across not a line but a slight ridge you can feel and is visible only on close inspection. Most do not so do not worry.

This being said do not take this information and run out and buy one look at real ones look at a vintage collection look closely at books. IN HAND IS TEH ONLY WAY TO TELL IF IT IS REAL . A picture can help but you can photo shop anything. If you buy one get approval and have it checkout by an expert . I can supply you with a list of reputable guys. Please be careful this is a dangerous territory for the uninitiated.

I hope this helps a bit i Will gladly inspect or look at any photos or info you have or Will gladly point you in the correct direction if you really need one . Please e mail me at THE PARTS DRAWER and i will answer your questions within 48 hours.

Jim Pasch

QUESTION

I recently was thinking about putting together a set f 1983 Gibson Korina guitars. I have the Gibson Flying V. I read that there is also a Gibson Korina Modern and a Gibson Korina Explorer. I have seen the Gibson Modern but have never seen an explorer come up for sale. Why is that ,was there a low run of these guitars and what would I have to pay today for one.

REPLY

Thank you for email. The Gibson korina series guitars made in 1983 did consist of those three models with the Gibson Flying V being the most popular and most produced . Then the modern was the next most produced and finally the Gibson Explorer was the most limited of the series. In twenty years i have only owned about 6 out of the thousands and thousands of guitars we have owned and sold. The gibson Explorer for me is the coolest and have no idea why they were not produced and what Gibson was thinking. Every guitar collector thinks there the best every player loves them once again Gibson Guitar dropped the ball on that one.

I have no idea of the real numbers produced I am sure the numbers are available on line but i would guess the shipping totals were around 100 on these. The great thing is these sound great and play great and if you did not have half a million dollars for a real explorer were in only about 25 were ever made this was the next best thing. Even today I do not know were to track any down for you they are that hard to find.

At the time these were revered as the real deal and an accurate replica. As we all know they were cool and yes they looked sort of like a real flying v but they were not very accurate. Until about 7 years ago or so they were all you had if you wanted a replica if you did not have a custom builder make one for you. As a quick note these were really bleached mahogany and not korina wood but that is not important it is the original guitars and their collectability and playability that counts.

Gibson in there historic series replicated these again and really well about 7 years ago and they are the best you can get at this time they are quite pricey maybe around $5000 but they are really hip!! I believe Gibson still makes them but on a custom ordered basis.

Back to the 1983 Gibson Explorer I would estimate these are about $3500-$4000 if you can find one . They have gone as high as 7000 at the height of the madness so now is actually a good time to buy one if you can find one. A complete set always brings the most money so here is a hint. Do not buy the modern until after you find the explorer . Find the harder one first this way you d not waste the time or money if you cannot find the Explorer just a little bit of advice.

Hope this information helped if you have any further questions please feel free to contact me at THE PARTS DRAWER and I wil be glad to answer any questions you may have.

Jim Pasch

QUESTION

I have a 1956 Gretsch duo Jet guitar ad it has a crazy bridge on it I am not sure what they are called. It is the most annoying thing I have ever seen. What can i use to replace it and why would Gretsch make such a stupid bridge in the first place. I do not like the normal bar bridge Gretsch uses there is no intonation adjustments.

REPLY

The Gretsch melita bridge is every mans nightmare and a parts dealers nightmare as well. I have asked myself the same question over the years and have come to no conclusion myself

In theory it has the ability to intonated well and adjust the string height very precisely but they could of made an easier design that was more user friendly. There are so many littler parts on these bridges they are easily lost when changing strings or doing repairs. The other problem is you cannot get individual parts to replace the lost ones. In the past you were forced to buy a whole new bridge or jut replace it many have just been thrown away and abandoned over the years

I cannot tell you how many vintage gretsch guitars i have seen upon close inspection have one or more replacement parts in the bridge assembly . This is a common nightmare in the melita world. Now Gretsch Reissues these bridges and you can steal a part from a new one but this has been the case for only a few years now.

The problem is if you have an expensive vintage Gresch guitar you need the bridge to retain value of the guitar so if you replace keep in the case. I would use a newer Gibson abr-1 style bridge on a wooden base. This was you are not drilling holes in top f the guitar and ruing the value. this bridge style will easily just retro fit with no mods. it Will adjust both height and intonation fine and is a working mans bridge tested and proven over the years.

The other bar bridge gretsch uses can be an option but again you have limited intonational adjustments with it. Do not drill holes on top for post or install some high tech unit it is not necessary and will destroy your instruments value. Always think ahead before  you modify any guitar .

I hope this helps and anyone out there reading this who has any old melita bridge parts e mail me I always need them . Contact me at THE PARTS DRAWER

Jim Pasch