Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

Were the original "R" tailpieces cast from brass rather than Zamac? A while ago I bought an older tailpiece that appears to be cast brass.

Good question. Here is one that I have.

The first generation R tailpieces were cast in solid brass, they're much heavier and do not break, ever. These are easily identifiable by having saw-cut slots on the back for all the strings, and all of these were 12-string cut (even when used for 6-strings). The bracket is also unique, with a different screw "footprint" from later versions, and much heavier duty.

But those first gen tailpieces were only used from Sept 1964 through late 1966.

Unfortunately the one you are showing in the photo above is not one of these early tailpieces. As evident by the case string slots on the backside.

What you are seeing is the copper plating that is underneath the unpolished chrome (the chrome plating process typically has three layers - copper, nickel and chromium). The base material for this tailpiece is some kind of Zinc mixed metal.

I do find that even late 60s era R tailpieces do not break with the same frequency as those from the 1980s through 2000s. Presumably the metallurgy changed during that time period, just an assumption.

I don't know if you remember my post on my March '65 365, but I came to the conclusion that it originally left the factory as a 360. The "Ac'cent by Paul" tailpiece dates way before 1965 and underneath is the impression and original screw holes of an "R" tailpiece bracket, not to mention a relocated screw hole for the strap button. I had a chance to get this older "R" just to have it in case I wanted to convert the Rick back to a 360. The next time I change the strings on my July '66 360/12, I'll have to compare the two tailpieces.