Why put leather under the tailpiece?

periclimenes

Hello All,

I see a piece of leather under the tailpiece as an option on some of the guitars. Can someone please explain why this is preferable? Thanks.

Klezmorim

Two reasons:

1. The leather helps protect the top and binding of the guitar from having a piece of brass mashed into its surface.

2. (And most important) The leather (or felt) dampens the harmonic vibrations of the tailpiece and string segments behind the bridge.

djangology

more often than not, usually the leather comes in red or green although I have seen other colors, such as yellow or brown.

Also, I think that most of the time people use a piece of felt rather than a piece of leather...

cantzon

Can someone post a pic of it both ways?

Thanks.

Ian Rossiter

:idea: So would a leather strip help tame down the "wetness" of my 255??

BluesBop Harry

Ian Rossiter wrote:

:idea: So would a leather strip help tame down the "wetness" of my 255??

Maybe a tiny little bit...
you can try putting a shoelace in and out the strings between the bridge and tailpiece.
It's very subtle but kinda mutes the harmonics a little. Bob Holo trick
A bridge of a different type of wood could also help.

frater

Michael Dunn puts a dampener between the bridge and the tailpiece in his Belleville model...

Joli Gadjo

My Patenotte has a piece of cork underneath the tailpiece. It works just fine.

Tele295

Is it a thin piece of leather (like garment weight) glued to the backside of the tailpiece?

BluesBop Harry

yes, it's just like a washer between the tailpiece and the wood. I used a piece cut from an old wallet.
You don't need any glue, the screws from the tailpiece go through the leather and keep it in place, but if you want you can add a bit of soft glue.

Tele295

BluesBop Harry wrote:

yes, it's just like a washer between the tailpiece and the wood. I used a piece cut from an old wallet.
You don't need any glue, the screws from the tailpiece go through the leather and keep it in place, but if you want you can add a bit of soft glue.

So the leather is between the tailpiece and the butt-end? Does it curl over the binding onto the soundboard? If so, how far does it extend onto the soundboard?