Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

Lockdown = time for thinking about the really important stuff.

Something I've long wondered about the old "gap-tooth" tailpiece: Why?

As in... why was the gap there at all? Was it supposed to have had a purpose? Was it simply an artefact of the casting process (seems unlikely)?

If you know, do tell. I need to get some sleep tonight!

That may be where the gate was for the casting process. Normally you wouldn't put that in a highly visible area, but maybe they were having trouble getting those thin areas to fill out completely and they had to move it to the center. One of these days I'll put one under my microscope at work and see if I can tell what's going o there.

teeder wrote:That may be where the gate was for the casting process. Normally you wouldn't put that in a highly visible area, but maybe they were having trouble getting those thin areas to fill out completely and they had to move it to the center. One of these days I'll put one under my microscope at work and see if I can tell what's going o there.

Yeah, that notion was one of the ones that flashed by my mind when I started pondering this, but like you I thought "Why would they pour the molten metal in THERE? Do it round the back where nobody can see!"

It'll be fascinating to know what your microscope reveals, Kevin.

I always just assumed it had something to do with the horseshoe or the mute perhaps?

You know this is now feeling like and interesting mystery.
It certainly was done on purpose at some point.

Thanks for something to ponder!
Dirk

Mr. JH - please clear this up for us!!!

I think it may have been the point (or one of the points) where the molten metal entered the mold - a "sprue" or "gate". Once the metal had cooled and solidified, the mold was opened, and the sprue was cut away from the casting. Later molds didn't have this, so then didn't have to make a cutout. Just guessing here.

Dirk wrote:...I always just assumed it had something to do with the horseshoe...

Stylistically, it works out that way, does it not?

Like the Cresting Wave designed into both the upper horn and the headstock.

Pictures?

Heres a model of the tailpiece from Geddy Lee’s book.
The gap is part of the model but still doesnt answer the question!
Now that Geddy has time on his hands perhaps he could put a new casting into production.

One of our members here had a CNC program for these ready to go for reproducing these. John Hall said no.

Cool a wooden gap tooth model, how cool and rare is that ????

Interesting to still have no answer yet, I love a good mystery.
Dirk

Does it lift?

aceonbass wrote:One of our members here had a CNC program for these ready to go for reproducing these. John Hall said no.

I had a company that would cast 6 at a time out of aluminum based on a 3d scan of an original. John said no to that.

Another (slightly unlikely) thought that occurred to me was that maybe the gap was introduced to kill off an unwanted resonant peak?

I did say it was unlikely.