Tailpiece

Choice of material may have more than just cosmetic effect; a well-made instrument is sensitive to tailpiece weight, mass distribution, and tailgut placement on the saddle.

Some violin tailpieces feature decorative elements, as shell inlays or ornate stylized or figurative carvings.

Devices called "fine-tuners" are sometimes used to assist in the tuning of the instrument; they may either be affixed to the tailpiece or built into its design.

Some electric guitar tailpieces feature a vibrato bar, which a player uses to alter the pitch of all strings at once for various musical effects.

A well-set-up instrument from the violin family will have attention paid to the tuning of the afterlength, or string length on the tailpiece side of the bridge.