Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

I thought it would never happen to me, but it did; the R tailpiece on my 330-12 snapped off. I just noticed it.

I'll call Rickenbacker tomorrow. How do they handle this?

drumbob wrote: ↑Thu Jun 30, 2022 6:49 pm I thought it would never happen to me, but it did; the R tailpiece on my 330-12 snapped off. I just noticed it.

I'll call Rickenbacker tomorrow. How do they handle this?

1. "Sooner or later, it happens to everyone. To everyone."

2. Have to send the broken one to Rickenbacker, and then you are allowed to buy a new one from Rickenbacker. When mine went a few years ago the part cost me $110. Call Rickenbacker customer service and they will give you addresses, order number, and all that sort.

3. Or you could go with a trapeze tailpiece. Can buy them from various guitar parts dealers.

Thanks. They should send them out free of charge, due to all the broken ones out there.

drumbob wrote: ↑Thu Jun 30, 2022 11:39 pm Thanks. They should send them out free of charge, due to all the broken ones out there.

I believe they would, so long as it is within the warranty period.

Ugh, that's not going to happen. My FireGlo 330-12 is probably fifteen years old. I forgot the exact year it was made. I may try to get John Hall on the phone and see if he'll cut me a discount at least on a new one.

Rickenbacker sees that R tailpiece as though they were guitar strings or tires on a car. An accepted aspect of owning a guitar or a car is eventually you have to get new strings or new tires...or a new R tailpiece. Why should those replacements be freebies?

If your selector switch on a 20 year old guitar goes, should Ric just give you a new one? If a tuner starts binding...should Ric give you a new one? As pointed out to me, the R tailpiece is a part that eventually will need replacing. So, we have to buy one and replace it. That's just a thing about owning a Ric.

Ouch! That sucks, Bob! I’m fortunate that my only Rickenbacker with an R tailpiece is a six string, so I’m hoping It doesn’t eventually explode. None of my other guitars have tailpieces that are expected to regularly need to be replaced. I love Rickenbackers and have nine of them but I hate the R tailpiece on a 12 string. Give me a trapeze any day.

Tommy wrote: ↑Fri Jul 01, 2022 12:07 pm Rickenbacker sees that R tailpiece as though they were guitar strings or tires on a car. An accepted aspect of owning a guitar or a car is eventually you have to get new strings or new tires...or a new R tailpiece. Why should those replacements be freebies?

If your selector switch on a 20 year old guitar goes, should Ric just give you a new one? If a tuner starts binding...should Ric give you a new one? As pointed out to me, the R tailpiece is a part that eventually will need replacing. So, we have to buy one and replace it. That's just a thing about owning a Ric.

I guess that's the way they think, but I certainly don't expect any tailpiece to break. I put in a call today to my luthier to see if he can make me one that looks like the tailpiece on the George Harrison 12 string.

I also called Rickenbacker, but they are closed until July 11.

drumbob wrote: ↑Fri Jul 01, 2022 8:39 am Ugh, that's not going to happen. My FireGlo 330-12 is probably fifteen years old. I forgot the exact year it was made. I may try to get John Hall on the phone and see if he'll cut me a discount at least on a new one.

hahahahahah good one! Thanks Bob, I needed a laugh this morning

drumbob wrote: ↑Tue Jul 05, 2022 11:11 pm ...but I certainly don't expect any tailpiece to break.

I agree, but they clearly do.

OK, these Ric tailpieces eventually do give up the ghost and explode. I can accept that. I can even accept the 110 bucks for a new one (being that I am only buying one every twenty years, that 110 bucks is not expensive at all). But what I don't get is the hoops one has to go through just to get a new tailpiece. The fact that we have to return our broken one before we can buy a new one is wrong. When I sent my exploded R tailpiece in so I could be allowed to buy a new one, the darn thing got lost in the mail! What the heck was I going to do now? Ric wouldn't sell me one unless they got the old one. Luckily enough, the thing was located a few days later and made its way safely. But while it was lost I was going crazy.

Hi Folks,

I've also been through the R-tailpiece explosion debacle, so you have my sympathy. My strong suggestion is if you intend to buy a new replacement R-tailpiece go the extra $25 and get a new tailpiece bracket at the same time.

In my case the bracket went first, and then the tailpiece just under a year later. Getting it upfront is good insurance.

Cheers,

jdogric12 wrote: ↑Wed Jul 06, 2022 8:44 am

drumbob wrote: ↑Fri Jul 01, 2022 8:39 am Ugh, that's not going to happen. My FireGlo 330-12 is probably fifteen years old. I forgot the exact year it was made. I may try to get John Hall on the phone and see if he'll cut me a discount at least on a new one.

hahahahahah good one! Thanks Bob, I needed a laugh this morning

Contrary to what you might think, I have talked to John a number of times over the years in my capacity as journalist and Rick owner.

Don't make smartass comments until you know the facts.

Just alluding to the fact that they rarely budge on standard policies in general. It was not meant as a personal attack on your reputation.

Well, and I thought I'd seen it all. On Gumtree in OZ (like KiJiJi in Canada) some joker is trying to "sell" a low-cost, aftermarket R-tailpiece replacement. A careful inspection of the pics tends to make me think it's an old European jazzbox tailpiece, made to fit with a bit of coathanger wire and a homemade R motif. The thing looks like spray painted cardboard. Stylish!
All this can be yours for 160 Dollaridoos, or around US$90.
The Guy must have a sense of humour. Cheers,

After much deliberation, I decided to just buy a stainless steel tailpiece from Winfield Vintage, for $90, and say goodbye to the R tailpiece on that guitar. It looks just like the one on the George Harrison 12. Why spend so much on another R tailpiece and perhaps have that one break down the road? It makes no sense. It's just another Rickenbacker quirk we all have to live with...or do something about.