The tailpiece on the kontrabasharpa was originally designed to be somewhat over-engineered, as I had no idea how strong it really needed to be, or what I could get away with. Also I still have no certainty as to what the wood is that I used to make it! However (a) it works fine and is certainly way too heavy, and (b) it looks a bit ugly as well as heavy. Something more delicate is called for, and we’ll hope it doesn’t break.
So there it is – another bit of recycled piano ready for some serious shaping.