Recommendations for Tailpieces

rgrice

My Dupont DR was broken by previous owner and soldered as a fix. While it appears solid, I'm a bit nervous about it breaking probably during a gig! While I appreciate the idea of replacing it with another Dupont, $160 is a chunk for such an item. Any viable replacements that are less expensive? I don't want something as cheap as the Saga one!

Russell Letson

Maybe take the tailpiece to a horn repairman for an evaluation of the solder job. The Frequensator tailpiece on my old Epi broke right at the bend and our local guy brazed it back together and not only is it structurally strong, the repair is hardly visible. It's possible that your tailpiece is already fixed or that it can be re-fixed. (My expense for the brazing was $35--and Al told me it only took about an hour, so it's not a huge job.)

Of course, this assumes that the metal of the Dupont tailpiece is amenable to that kind of fix. But it's worth checking into.

Bones

I think Michael sells some replacements. Maybe see what he recommends. Some of the cheapos look pretty flimsy to me.

rgrice

Thanks! I've wondered about getting it fixed. Will look into it. $35 is better than the price of buying a new one.

Jazzaferri

A properly done brazing job will be as strong as e surrounding metal. Silver soldering will only be a little weaker than brazing if well done. If it has lasted til now, should be good for a while. Maybe keep a cheap I replacement handy just in casee it goes at the wrong time.

rgrice

It's been silver soldered but appears to be done neatly, Jay. As you say, it's held for awhile! Good idea on having a cheap backup. Wonder if the Saga ones fit my Dupont?

Jazzaferri

If it ain't broke .....etc etc.

Bob Holo

Yep - have a horn repairman look at it. Brass & solder have ranges of strengths, with brass being a little stronger than most solders - and even a little stronger than silver solder in general, but a good silver solder can be stronger than soft brass in terms of elongation & tensile strength. What you need to know is whether the solder is of good quality, and whether the joint was well executed. A horn repairman will likely be able to tell. Silver soldering brass is a little tricky. I use MAP gas and heat-sinc putty to get the area hot enough to flow well without affecting the rest of the piece. Cooling at a reasonable pace is also important. It's not rocket science, but it can be done wrong. A horn repairman will be able to tell if there are any obvious problems with it. If it is done well and flowed so that it is thickened a little in that area, it may even be stronger than it was originally. But if it's a bad joint - all bets are off. Another thing to consider is whether the hole pattern lines up. I'm pretty sure the holes and bend location of the Gitane tailpieces don't line up with the Dupont tailpieces. All in all, if the repair bothers you, it might actually be cheaper to get another Dupont as you'll be able to do the installation yourself. They don't often break. A few years back it was briefly popular to press on the tailpiece to get a Bigsby-style wah-wah (facepalm) but thankfully it was a short-lived fad or we'd all have been replacing our tailpieces annually. ;-)

rgrice

Thanks, Bob. I appreciate the great advice. I didn't think the holes would line up just looking at it, but have no experience with one. I'm on such a tight budget that I'd rather not spend tonget a new one. I'll be searching for a horn repairman!

Russell Letson

And don't take my $35-rate experience as gospel--I've known our local guy slightly but for years, and he's famously reasonable and highly competent. (If this had been a guitar-only repair situation I'd be more confident of how typical the cost might be.) Big-city/big-shop/big-chain rates might well be higher (e.g., a standard bench charge of $50+). Even had the fix been more expensive, though, a repaired original 1946 part seemed worth it.

rgrice

Agree. I'd rather pay $60 for a fix on a '94 Dupont tailpiece than buy a cheapo for same price. Finding someone is my main concern, though I'm sure someone has to be out there!