Question about the tailstop of a Thunderbird

[Basvarken]

For the new bass that I'm building, I bought the wide travel Thunderbird bridge plus tail stop at Philadelphia Luthier Tools.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/Thunderbird-Bass-Bridge-and-Tailpiece-Set-1963-1969-Nickel/131341647504?hash=item1e94927e90:g:BFEAAOSwmgJY6~jH



Very nice. Looks the same as the Epi Vintage Pro Thunderbird and Embassy use.

But there's a slight problem with the tailstop.
It is a bit too low to hook the strings under easily. The only way I can get the strings under, is when I slide them under from the side of the tail stop.
Is this normal for this model tail stop? Did the sixties Thunderbird and Embassy have this issue too? Or is it typical for the new ones?

I'd hate to have to dig out some kind of ditch just to get the ball ends under this damn thing...




Oh, and the slot for the E string is too narrow. Had to file away quite a bit to make it fit.

[Stjofön Big]

Beautiful! I really dig that Eb0 body with the T-bird necessity!

[Highlander]

Never had that problem with mine, Rob, even if they have been rarely replaced...

[Basvarken]

Maybe it's typical for these new repros?
Wonder if the Vintage Pro TB has that too? Scott?

[BTL]

That looks like the Advanced Plating bridge out of TN.

They do a lot of Gibson's US metalwork.

You could shim under the base plate to address the ball end issue.

It's a shame to have to fiddle with a new piece like that, though.

[clankenstein]

Yes, 3 sneaky washers under the tailpiece might do it  but they may interfere with the way it looks ifyanowudimean .

[Dave W]

Love that mahogany grain.

[Pilgrim]

I'm thinking a piece of brass shim stock underneath, maybe 10-thousandths (+).  Brass is a very traditional material in this kind of application.

[Basvarken]

Yeah it's either that, or maybe pluggin' the drilled holes. And re-drilling them under a slight angle, in order to make the tail stop tilt forward a bit. Just enough to make way for the ball ends.

Both solutions do feel rather silly though. Why didn't they just make it high enough to avoid this problem in the first place? Did I buy a "monday morning" copy? Or are they all this way? 

[Dave W]

What's so bad about routing a shallow channel?

[Basvarken]

It shouldn't be necessary to begin with.
Plus it's irreversible.

[Dave W]

No, it shouldn't be necessary to do anything, but unfortunately it is.

The question is whether you consider an add-on shim worse than a neatly routed channel. IMHO either one would be better than plugging holes and redrilling at an angle.

[the mojo hobo]

Make a gasket out of pickguard material. It will raise it and maintain a good mechanical connection.

[Pilgrim]

Or just take a rotary abrasive wheel and remove a few thousandths from the underside of the hooks that retain the ball ends.

[amptech]

The question is whether you consider an add-on shim worse than a neatly routed channel. IMHO either one would be better than plugging holes and redrilling at an angle.

Yeah, who likes a tilting bridge