boat paddle ukuleles

Thursday, March 08, 2012

The tiny but excellent "Bell Brand" tailpiece. These  tailpieces were standard issue on several banjo ukes including:  Avalons, Gretsch, and others.  Grooved for 5 strings, but no worry, just use the outer four and you are in business.  Very easy to string because a single knot slips inside the grooved area and leaves them tidy and without any string ends to scratch your arms and snag your tuxedo.  These were 1 1/16" wide and sat on the  tension ring for a nice pressure angle downward from the bridge.  This gives good contact for the bridge to the skin and provides resonance.
Several readers requested pictures of these tailpieces.  I see them from time to time on ebay and have bought a few for restoration jobs.  Another extinct hardware design from the past.  I know nothing of the Bell company and assume it was not connected to the phone service.  Maybe it's another Edison invention!!  

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