Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

Gawdawfull noise from the next room... '91 12 string R tailpiece, black(to compound the experience),...are they known for this? Any clues about a replacement anyone? Much obliged. Phil.

That's why they stopped making them.

I assume that the "Kerrrtwang" was the sound of the R breaking apart. You should be able to trade in your broken R tail piece and purchase a new one. Whether you can get a black one I don't know. I do know of someone who has the ability to black powder coat regular tail pieces, so that may be an option too.

RIC stopped making the black hardware available because it was out of style not because of exploding tailpieces. The exploding part came later.....

Oh dear...! Ha!...since when did black go out of style..with anything....fashion may-be ,but....bonkers! Now, failing parts is another matter...it's never been knocked about/gigged even--just sat there doing its high -tension thing...jwilli,tell all... is it the 'blackening' process that causes the failure and might Ric. be sympathetic to the problem(Lovely people that they are).Anyone got experience of the powder-coating thing over here..UK?

My 12 string R tailpiece exploded a month ago. I knew that I could send in the old one and buy a replacement for $100, but then I also discovered that I could buy a trapeze tailpiece and bracket for $60 at Pick of the Ricks. Goodbye R tailpiece, hello trapeze. I really like the vintage look too.

Phil, I don't know the exact reason that they tend to fail but it may be the process that they used. You can probably search the archives. As far as the black hardware going "out of style", I think it went it out of style in the late '80s. Rickenbacker kept it around until at least the late '90s. Once they put RED and WHITE finishes out to pasture, Black hardware was discontinued too. After 10 years, I'm not so hard on it anymore, lol. I actually like it on White finished instruments.