When I play loudly, my Eastman 915 F-style mandolin has a bad overtone that is hard to ignore. My teacher suggested the tone suppressor grommet things, because the overtone is definitely coming from a string between the tailpiece and the bridge. He also noted that if he were to make one upgrade to my mandolin, it would be a new tailpiece. He didn't think Eastman tailpieces were all that great, not only because of the overtone situation, but also because of how hard it is to change strings on the Eastman.
I know you guys are keen on the James, but $150 plus is a bit steep for me, especially since I overshot my budget when I bought this mandolin in late November. I had settled on an Allen AR 2 as a replacement for my Eastman tailpiece. It seems fairly priced, and it seems that string changes would be easier.
At least one poster on the "tailpiece" thread noted, however, that he thought the Weber, Allen, and Eastman tailpieces are "basically the same." Until I saw that comment, when I came back to the Cafe to re-read posts on tailpieces, I was pretty sold on the Allen.
Is it generally agreed that the Allen tailpiece is not a step up from the Eastman tailpiece? Or is this an isolated opinion? (I have talked already to Mr. Allen, who was very helpful and considerate. I had not seen this comment before I talked to him, but I don't think I would have had the nerve to ask if his tailpiece was no better than the one that came with my Eastman anyway.)
Also, is the apparent general preference for the James tailpiece mostly because of its appearance? Or is it lack of buzz/rattle and string changing ease?
I know there's a lot here on tailpieces. I think I have read much of it, but I'd appreciate any additional ideas or comments you might have--especially if you have had experience with the Allen tailpiece versus the Eastman. If you have James tailpiece experience, I'd like to know if you think it is really worth it to suck it up and spend the extra money.
It's not that the extra $50 to $75 will break me. Its just that I have a real Scottish streak that makes me reluctant to spend roughly ten percent of the cost of the mando on a tailpiece that will cost also to get put on. Also, my birthday is Jan.2, and my brother wants to get me a new tailpiece (the joke possibilities are endless), and I would rather not ask for the most expensive one, unless it really is more than an appearance issue.
While I'm at it, if you have experience with changing out a tailpiece, would you consider it important to try and find a replacement that exactly fit the "footprint" of the previous tailpiece? In other words, is it a big deal to need new holes?
I'd appreciate your help with this decision. When it comes to spending $, I tend to be a bit of a hand wringer, and your tolerance is appreciated.
Thanks,
Laura
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