I’ve been bugged by something ever since I attended a Derek Trucks concert.
Watching him play his guitar I was wondering how special is that marvelous guitar of his? Not just tuning but also construction, modification, amplification etc. So I’ve done some research (Google actually) and found out he uses a modified Gibson SG '61 or '62 reissued guitar. In one of his interviews he states that its modified in the tailpiece and then says something about breaking strings. Link
What I couldn’t figure out is the tailpiece or whatever it is that is close to the tailpiece. When I look up “guitar tailpiece” I see a lot of various styles of the “thingie that connects the strings to the body”.
But if you look at Derek’s guitar there is also some kind of large object that starts at the very bottom of the front of the body and extends about 4 to 6 inches stopping about 1 inch from the “tailpiece”.
So guitar gurus, what is that object called?
I assume its purpose is to reinforce the sound? Possible adding to the sustain capability of the guitar?
My wild guess is that there are actually “two” tailpieces on the guitar and the big one isn’t used. My less wilder guess is that I’m wrong about that.
You’re right, he does have two tailpieces. The one that connects to the bottom of the guitar looks like a “floating” tailpiece, usually found on hollow or semi-hollow body guitars. The one that’s actually in use in that Wiki picture is the stop tailpiece normally found on SGs. The interview is confusing, however, because he says that he added the stop tailpiece as a customization, when that’s the one that you would expect to have come as stock equipment on an SG. They did make SGs in 1961 with a tremolo tailpiece, so I guess that’s what he started out with.
Yeah, some of the SG reissues come with the Maestro tailpiece. As mentioned in the article, apparently he loves the look of that particular model but hates the functionality.
So that bottom piece appears to be a part of a non functioning maestro tailpiece and the stop tailpiece apparently helps his tuning and breaks fewer strings. Makes sense.
I’m a little puzzled here about something else on that guitar: I thought I maestro tailpiece was entirely a floating assembly – it hooks to the strap button on bottom of the guitar, and to the strings behind the bridge, and is not otherwise attached to a guitar. Am I wrong? If I’m not, what keep’s Truck’s tailpiece from falling off the guitar, since its not attached to the strings?
Okay - here’s what I know about SG’s tailpieces - **Marley23 **and others with Derek Trucks-specific info can share what applies in Derek’s case.
Per **Pork Rind **above, many models of SG come with a Maestro tailpiece. It is that hunk of stamped metal behind the bridge. I am pretty sure it was first introduced in '61 when the SG design was introduced as the updated Les Paul design, before LP told Gibson to take his name off that guitar since he had nothing to do with the updated design. So they renamed it the “SG” for…wait for it…“Solidbody Guitar”
it is NOT like, say, a Strat tailpiece - the Maestro operates very differently; I think it even waggles from side to side vs. a Strat trem which you push into or pull away from the body. See the link below to the Elliott Eastern SG to see what they look like when set up for full operation.
anyway, most folks HATE these suckers - they you can’t tax them like a well-set up Strat trem or even a Bigsby; the guitar goes out of tune something awful.
However, a lot of folks both like the look AND, if you can believe it, think the tailpiece (you knew it was coming) does something for the tone of the guitar. Even Elliott Easton of The Cars - who has an EE model SGin gorgeous Pelham Blue (same color as Dave Grohl’s signature Gibson), has the Maestro on his guitar but disables the trem feature; he simply uses it as a tailpiece because he thinks it sounds better vs. a standard Gibson stud tailpiece. Easton is a solid player with an extensive left-handed guitar collection and sig guitars from Gibson, Gretsch and Martin - who am I to disagree with him about whether his lousy Maestro tailpiece adds to the tone?
Anyway, that clearly isn’t what Trucks did - the stud tailpiece is still there. So basically he just took the carcass of a Maestro TP and stuck it on there…as for how he attached it, who knows? Could be with screws or just Krazy Glue…
I suppose it is the equivalent of Brian Setzer’s and Steve Jones’ having old 50’s pinup-girl decals on the body of their guitars, or swapping in dice for control knobs. Just sumthin’ to make it his own…
Fair enough. But I’m still curious – was my recollection correct about the way it’s normally attached? It’s held on by the strings on one end, and the strap button on the other, and otherwise is not attached to the guitar face. No?
Yes and no, most tailpieces are that way, but I saw one of these at the guitar store today and it’s fixed to the guitar top. When you think about it, it’s the only way a tremolo bar could work.
In this case, no - look at that Elliott Easton link I posted - you can clearly see that the whammy only moves *parallel *to the body of the guitar; perpendicular to the normal travel you think of with a Fender or Bigsby trem. So the TP has to be anchored differently to handle that lateral force.
Really a stupid system. It’s funny - folks just assume that there’s the Strat trem, which begat the locking (i.e., Floyd Rose) trem, and Bigsby trems, if you know what they are, are a rockabilly throwback. But back in the day, trem systems were, I dunno, the equivalent of arms escalation, or fins on a Cadillac - you had to have the latest, greatest trem - innovation was key in the whiz-bang 50’s and early 60’s. The leader was clearly Fender - Leo Fender typically designed a new trem system and new pickups for every model introduced. Unlike, say, Gibson, who applied it’s “2 'buckers, tune-o-matic bridge and a stud or trapeze Tailpiece” to most models. But Gibson didn’t innovate steadily - sometimes they just reacted. Fender comes up with the Tele? Coupla years later, Gibson comes along with the Les Paul. Fender innovates on body shapes? Gibson comes out with the Flying V and Explorer. New, reasonably well-engineered bridge systems* that become industry standards? Gibson comes up with…the Maestro trem. :smack:
*Sorry but Jazzmaster bridge/trem systems are not set up for much stability - but I love the de-tuned approach My Bloody Valentine does with the trem which Kevin Shields says can only be done with a JM trem…
