QUESTION

I am doing a restoration and i see that you sell vintage guitar parts. I am looking to buy a jack plate for my guitar and I see there are many repros out there and I saw a few at a recent guitar show that were aged and look real how can I tell

REPLY

Thank you for e mail and yes that is a real problem these days there are companies making incredible repros and makes all our lives that much harder. I always say this but must repeat it buy from someone who will guarantee and stand behind what they sell you if they say no refunds as is run there is a problem.

Ok the first trick taught to me by the Jedi master uncle lou years ago was hold the jack plate up to the light and if you can see the shadow of your finer through the plastic its fake  real plates are not translucent . I have seen some of the best repros made by a company retrospec and they look to be the best and even they cannot pass this test . The ones from retrospec on a guitar are impossible to tell so be careful!!!!!

Real burst jack plates were stamped out not cut with router. some of the great repros you see today are cut with routers. The reason is because two years ago some original  rolled plastic was found in warehouse that was for making these jack plates out . i assume it was too brittle to stamp out so what they did was cut jack plates out with a router and did an excellent job i will say and so these were flooded onto the market and are really hard to tell because the plastic used was now old stock!!!!

The argument of thin verses thick is a useless one as far as i am concerned. the earlier ones were thinner yes   and the 1958 1959 were a hair thicker and i mean barley thicker. But i have seen mint 1958 goldtops with thinner jack plates let m tell you Gibson never threw anything out and once and  a while i am sure old stock was found and used. First worry about if it is real or not then if you cant sleep at night look for the thicker or thinner one you need.

I will be glad to look at an evalutate any you have for free or can give you a number of someone who swill for you if you are not sure. Just by following the few things i mentioned you shoudl be fairly safe. If you need more help contact me at  the parts drawer and i will answer all e mails within 48 hours

JIM PASCH

ji pasch

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

Happy Holidays From The Parts Drawer. We would like to thanks all our customers for another great year and for all there business and support. We hope you have a safe and happy holiday and that next years will be a good one for everyone.

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