| Author |
Subject |
lblake
Registered User
(3/10/01 9:17:20 pm)
Reply |
Lightweight Tailpiece?
On the endpin thread, somone else
asked for opinions on tailpieces. I had been thinking about the same
thing, and am very anxious to hear responses, so I thought I'd
second the request by starting a new thread on the subject!
So, let's have it - I hear a lighter tailpiece may often
improve the tone and/or responsiveness on a cello.
So, what
are the nicest (most traditional-looking, but lighter) tailpieces
and why, in your opinions? Materials? built-in fine tuners? etc...?
Thanks!
|
Christopher
Chan
Registered
User
(3/10/01 10:38:45 pm)
Reply
 |
Re:
Lightweight Tailpiece?
This thread has been beat to death
on this board i think, but i don't mind rehashing it at all. I don't
think there'll be any disagreement that the lightest most attractive
and highest quality tailpiece is the Harmonie Carbon fiber
tailpiece. Lighter tailpieces can and do improve the tone and
responsiveness of a cello. A metal tailgut is also recommended as
well.
http://www.harmonie.net/
|
Steve
Drake
Registered
User
(3/11/01 12:04:25 am)
Reply |
Re:
Lightweight Tailpiece?
I highly recommend the harmonie
tailpiece. I've got one that's a fabulously flamed boxwood (they're
not normally flamed).
I also have an akustikus on another
cello, which works ok, but I keep meaning to change it to another
harmonie.
My MP3's
My Cello
Homepage
|
lblake
Registered User
(3/11/01 9:42:19 am)
Reply |
Re:
Lightweight Tailpiece?
Thanks for not minding! Ya know, I
actually DID a search on the word "Tailpiece" in just the subject,
AND in the entire message, and got nothing. And I tried it on other
boards, too - I dunno. Maybe I was just having a bad search day.
Anyway, thanks! So, my question about the harmonie ones are:
are they really wood? And if so, are they really so much lighter
than my ebony tailpiece would be? And, do they really make them of
Pernambuco, too? (not that that's what I would necessarily want,
but...) Just want to make sure I'm planning to get the right
thing.
Thanks!
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Christopher
Chan
Registered
User
(3/11/01 11:20:22 am)
Reply
|
Re:
Lightweight Tailpiece?
The harmonie tailpieces come are
wood, either boxwood, ebony, rosewood, or pernambuco, the tuners are
made of carbon fiber which makes them so light. i also must say they
are the easy tuners i've ever
used.
www.johnson-inst.com/catalog/fouilhe.htm
|
TerryM
Registered User
(3/11/01 11:37:28 am)
Reply |
Re:
Lightweight Tailpiece?
The search function on this board
does not do a very good job. You can find one of the previous
threads at:
pub1.ezboard.com/fcellofu...=717.topic
The
Harmonie tailpiece is great! I went from an ebony with add-on tuners
to an Akusitcus to the Hammonie with great improvments in sound and
sound projection. The Acustikus is ok, but the finish is awful and
in my estimation, looks "tacky." The real bonus with the Harmonie
was the fine tuners. These work very well, although I had to put a
small drop of oil on mine to get the action going. The Akusticus
tuners were not very good at all.
Terry
|
PaulFM
Registered User
(3/12/01 11:27:59 am)
Reply |
Re:
Lightweight Tailpiece?
I went through the same issue about
2 months ago (there are several threads on the subject. Mine as well
as others). Not having alot of funds to invest I choose a Whitter
Utra-light tailpiece ($25) and a sarconni adjustable tailgut. I did
make an improvement in tone and increased the volume. The first
rehearsal after I installed the tailpiece I had to be carefull not
to play to loud. I was also able to tune the afterlength. Whether
that helped remains to be seen. Good Luck.
PaulM
|
Duane
Nevins
Registered User
(3/13/01 12:54:23 am)
Reply |
harmonie tailpieces
I also have a harmonie tailpiece on
my cello and I love it. I agree with Steve Drake. They are the best
tailpieces you can get. The one I have is made of purnambuco wood
and the craftsmanship is superb, the appearance is beautiful, the
weight is light, and the fine tuners are the best you can get. They
are also versatile. If you ever want to remove the fine tuners you
can. They just fall out of the slot on the tailpiece because they
are just held in place by the tension of the strings and if you want
to attach a string directly to the tailpiece without the fine tuner
you can easily do so. I hope this
helps.
Duane
|
cellochris99
Registered User
(3/13/01 3:58:51 am)
Reply |
tailpiece
What is the best way to do this
tailpiece switch without the soundpost moving out of place from the
lack of string tension?
Chris
|
Steve
Drake
Registered
User
(3/13/01 12:01:32 pm)
Reply |
Re:
tailpiece
Have a luthier do it. If you do it
yourself, you need to know how to set up a bridge, and a soundpost
in case it drops. It isn't too complicated - I've installed a number
of tailpieces, which is about the most complex repair I'm willing to
do. But if you're not sure about what you're doing, don't try.
Setting up a bridge is more complicated than many people realize.
My MP3's
My Cello
Homepage
|
Andy
Hamric
Registered
User
(3/15/01 8:16:45 pm)
Reply |
tuners?
I'm not very impressed with my
akusticus tuners, as they don't seem to have a ver large range of
motion and sometimes "stick". Luthier told me this was becase the
threads are getting damaged, by action such as tightening too
much.
He said the Harmonie tuners would be just as
susceptible to the same problems. Is this true? I would thing carbon
fiber tuners might be more robust, but I haven't any idea if that's
right.
Comments?
Thanks!
ah
|
Steve
Drake
Registered
User
(3/16/01 12:09:44 am)
Reply |
Re:
tuners?
As one who owns cellos with both
tailpieces, I'll comment. I'm not sure what said "luthier" meant by
thread damage - this can happen, but I would think it would only be
a problem for someone who isn't paying attention to their
instrument, someone who doesn't realize they've reached the end of
the tuners range. If your tuner is twisted in all the way, it's not
going to go any further - if you keep trying to turn it, you're
going to break something. With either one of these tuners, it's a
good idea to keep track of where your tuners are, and tighten or
release the pegs as needed to keep the fine tuners in the middle of
their range.
Yes, the harmonie tuners have a wider range
than the acustikus. And they may or may not be more robust - but
with the proper care, you shouldn't experience these problems.
My MP3's
My Cello
Homepage
|
Manolian
Registered User
(3/16/01 9:47:00 am)
Reply |
RE:
Lightweight Tailpiece
I installed the Harmonie
Tailpiece
in rosewood on my cello ,
along with a Steiner
Bridge ,and a David
Bice carbon fiber rod.
and as a result
the sound became louder
more open ,and richer .
|
elgee
Registered User
(4/4/01 8:33:46 am)
Reply |
Re:
harmonie tailpieces
Can any one tell me the prices of
harmonie tailpieces?
thanks.
Edited by: elgee
at: 4/4/01 8:33:46 am
|
Andrew
Victor
Registered
User
(4/4/01 11:21:59 am)
Reply |
Approx
prices
I believe that at Johnson ( http://www.johnsonstring.com/
) they run $185 for Hill-style ebony, rosewood, or boxwood and about
$250 for pernambuco. The French-style start at $135 for ebony, but
are $185 for the other woods.
They claim their Hill-style
boxwood is the lightest weight tailpiece you can get at 2 ounces.
I've not seen it said, but since Pernambuco is known for its high
density, I would suspect it to be comparatively
heavy.
Andy
|
TerryM
Registered User
(4/4/01 3:28:31 pm)
Reply |
Johnson
Strings Harmonie prices are too high
I think that Johnson Strings is
highly overpriced on these tailpieces. I bought the same ebony,
French-style Harmonie tailpiece in Toronto, for $125 Canadian, which
is the equivalent of about US$81, vs the US$135 that Johnson Strings
is asking for it. If I am not mistaken, Johnson has some kind of
exclusive or a dealership agreement in the US on these tailpieces.
The company in Toronto does a fair bit of mail order with
International customers. If you are interested in looking into this,
e-mail me and I will give you the Toronto company's contact
information.
tpmauric@golden.net
Terry
|
asgeirssone
Registered User
(4/4/01 4:46:13 pm)
Reply |
"Pusch"
tailpieces
How are the "pusch" tailpieces sold
at Shar? Are they light? How are their aesthetics? Unfortunately,
they don't have pictures of tailpieces in their catalogue.
|
Andrew
Victor
Registered
User
(4/5/01 6:06:47 pm)
Reply |
Re:
"Pusch" tailpieces
I've seen the Pusch tailpieces for
violin and viola - but not for cello. But I think it's a fair
assumption to extrapolate.
The Pusch tailpieces are quite
attractive, and they do have light-weight composite fine tuners. BUT
- the tuning mechanism is different than that for any of the other
tuner/tailpiece combos. On the Pusch, the string "ball" goes
downward toward the top of the instrument and then the string is
bent over a "round" to direct it toward the bridge. This is
difficult to insert a new string into, especially if the tailpiece
is already in place (espcially hard on the smaller instruments) and
it has you working very close to the top of the instrument, that you
could scratch. The Pusch tuning mechansm is a bit flexible, and so
seems flimsy, although it probably isn't. But this means there are
ways it can "slip" when you are first setting up a string in it.
Also, it was my impression that the mecahnism does not give as much
tuning range as otehr tuners, and the flexibility of the tuner means
that sometimes the tuning is not as proportional to the
displaceement as the other brands.
Andy
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Andrew
Victor
Registered
User
(4/5/01 6:19:53 pm)
Reply |
Harmonie tailpieces; How light are they?
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