Gibson B45-12 pin bridge vs tailpiece bracing diff?

[hat]

does anyone have any knowledge of the older Gibson B45 12 strings? Some were built using a tailpiece, and some have pin bridges. I am curious if there are bracing differences due to the different configurations?

[boombox]

Interesting question, which I guess someone who has both flavours might be able to answer.

From my reading, the fixed bridge examples were lightly built and most caved in, it appears. I have the tailpiece version, which I think is heavier braced - mine is certainly built like a tank by Gibson standards, but there is only very, very minimal dishing on the top, so it should be good for another few years.

[zombywoof]

Keeping track of what bridge Gibson used on what year B45-12 is not the easiest thing in the world.

How lightly they were built and the type of bridge used have nothing to do with one another. It is all a matter of when the guitar was built.

All Gibson B-45-12s built before late 1964 were lightly built whether they had the trapeze tailpiece or fixed bridge. To keep tops from collapsing or the guitars twisting themselves apart, in late 1964 Gibson beefed up the bracing. It is easy enough to tell. If you stick your hand inside a later version you can feel a second brace running alongside the X brace.

In theory though, the trapeze tailpiece guitars would be less liable to collapsing tops than the pin bridge versions.

[Wade Hampton]

Originally Posted by zombywoof

In theory though, the trapeze tailpiece guitars would be less liable to collapsing tops than the pin bridge versions.

Well, I know that most that I've seen that are still playable instruments have tended to be the tailpiece versions.


whm