The tailpiece on a double bass can have a significant effect on the tone. The weight of the tailpiece, the flexibility of the
tailpiece
wire, the notes of the afterlengths, (the part of the string on the
'wrong' side of the bridge) and the fundamental frequency
of the whole tailpiece assembly can mean the difference between a bass whose notes ring with fullness & depth and one that only
goes 'bong.'
of the whole tailpiece assembly can mean the difference between a bass whose notes ring with fullness & depth and one that only
goes 'bong.'
Replacing the tailpiece with one that is smaller and lighter is often the first step in helping a bass find its voice and reveal its
full
potential. I carve custom tailpieces in a variety of woods - many
people choose the beauty of curly maple, a traditional tonewood
used for violin family instruments.
used for violin family instruments.
The new tailpiece is
then suspended on a very flexible 3/64" stainless steel cable using
small adjustable clamps to allow accurate
tuning of the afterlengths.
I have just developed a new tailpiece design that is based on the older 'Torch' shape from the 18th and 19th centuries. Its shape
interacts with the lines of a bass is a little different way than my original pattern. See photos below.
 New 'Torch' tailpiece in Cherry wood with antiqued finish  Curly Maple Tailpiece with Gold Mother of Pearl Bass Spa Emblem  1943 Kay M - 1 with Blonde Curly Maple Bass Spa Tailpiece  Roughed out tailpieces: wenge, maple & cherry  Chinese Hofner with curly maple Bass Spa tailpiece  Yellow Siris tailpiece on Strunal  Dowel sections to move loop end strings farther back to help with tuning the afterlengths |  'Torch' tailpiece on 19th century French bass  Ultra light 111 gram tailpiece for ca.1900 Czech bass Australian Yellow Siris Tailpiece with Gold MOP Emblem  Chip carving underside to lower the resonant frequency  Romanian Gliga with curly maple Bass Spa tailpiece before finishing  T-shaped maple 'tuning blocks' to fine tune afterlengths on original 1959 Epiphone tailpiece  The underside of the tuned Epiphone tailpiece |