thinking about bridge pins

are the bone bridge pins worth the extra $$?

http://www.stewmac.com/shop/Hardware,_parts/Acoustic_guitar:_Bridge_and_endpins/Acoustic_Guitar_Bridge_Pins,_Endpins_and_Strap_But tons/Slotted_Bone_Bridge_Pins.html

I just started playing some acoustic again and broke one of the cheap plastic pins the 1st time I changed the strings. Luckily the guitar came with a spare but now I don't have a spare any more....

I see that Stew Mac also has the ebony for less than half this price, is the bone really worth it?

PS the bridge and nut are still just regular plastic.....

don't you mean the saddle and nut is plastic?????

don't you mean the saddle and nut is plastic?????

um, yeah, i meant saddle

(never try to post while your ten and eleven year old are both badgering you at the same time )

I have had great luck with the synthetic Tusq bridge pins (come in 'ivory' or 'ebony' and various dot ornamentation...) from Graph-Tech. They are not expensive ($15??) , durable, do their job. Going on years lots of gigs and string changes with my Martin.

Dont have any bone pins myself....but im gonna pick some up next chance i get. Lots of debate on whether they affect tone or not. There a nice cosmetic upgrade, and supposivly dont break. Heck thats worth a few extra bucks to me. Give them a try

If you look at the bottom of the same page, it has "reviews". A gazillion of them.

One guy said "they didn't match", and Stewmac said "return them for some others...no charge". That should tell you something right there.

When you realise the job that bridge pins actually do, it's hard to imagine that they can make much of an difference to tone (although some people say they have heard a difference). But if the stock pins on your guitar seem especially flimsy then it's worth an upgrade to something a bit better. Getting ones that exactly match your existing ones in terms of size can be tricky, so be prepared for a bit of hit and miss. BTW have you tried asking the manufacturer if they can recommend a suitable replacement? You never know, they may be able to help and it's worth a phone call or email.

(I meant the manufacturer of your guitar.)

Give Bob Colosi a call. Bob Colosi Guitar Saddles (http://www.guitarsaddles.com/)

He will likely personally answer the phone and give you great advice on what to get. I got a set of double inlay bone pins from him to replace the cheap plastic pins on my 2005 Gibson Advanced Jumbo (come on Gibson... plastic pins?!?!?)

Do they make it sound better... debateable as I think I heard more sustain but maybe I wanted to?

Do they make it look better.... You bet your Sweet A$$!!!

http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd219/lofapco/Peace_Dove_Strap.jpg

http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd219/lofapco/PICT3329.jpg

As a starter I am not a big believer that swapping out bridge pins is gonna make any kind of a change you can hear. But I sure agree with TaylorPlayer that they look a heck of alot nicer.

But picking bridge pins based just on what they are made of can just end up being a waste of your hard earned scratch.

The problem is it is not just what the pins are made of but how well they fit. Properly fitted plastic pins are gonna have more impact on the guitar than bone, ivory or whatever pins that are loose and wobble around or tilt forward.

There is no guarantee that a high dollar set of bridge pins made of this or that is going to uniformly fill up the holes better than an el cheapo ebony set. You can get oversized pins (I prefer unslotted) and either shape them yourself or have a guitar tech do it. But even then, oversized pins ain't all that oversized.

I have had great luck with the synthetic Tusq bridge pins (come in 'ivory' or 'ebony' and various dot ornamentation...) from Graph-Tech. They are not expensive ($15??) , durable, do their job. Going on years lots of gigs and string changes with my Martin.

+1. Big fan of Graph Tech all around.

+1. Big fan of Graph Tech all around.

Me too, I have GraphTech bridge pins on my acoustics (Martin, Washburn), and my "parts" Strat has a GraphTech nut and saddles- good stuff, IMO

some good helpful replies, thanks. I've been on this forum for a while but am newly 'revisiting' the whole acoustic thing. I'm glad to see there's the same level here of helpfulness and insight. :wink:

Anyhow, the guitar in question here is a Fender DG-85 which I believe they only sell as part of a starter pack. I'm planning to start bringing it to gigs to use for a couple songs, maybe one per set, so I'm thinking of adding one of those transducers and running it through the PA.

I'm mostly looking for a good boomy sound out of it is all.

I really like the plain brass ones with the flat top. Looks good, very comfortable to rest your hand on, and despite the debate, I think it adds sustain and volume. Using them on a Blueridge and a Acoustele. The tele style one sounds horrible played acousticly, but sounds pretty good plugged in, and I'm not a big fan of pizeos. The Blueridge is a cannon, great for acoustic jams, it will be heard even with a mandolin and a banjo.

some good helpful replies, thanks. I've been on this forum for a while but am newly 'revisiting' the whole acoustic thing. I'm glad to see there's the same level here of helpfulness and insight. :wink:

Anyhow, the guitar in question here is a Fender DG-85 which I believe they only sell as part of a starter pack. I'm planning to start bringing it to gigs to use for a couple songs, maybe one per set, so I'm thinking of adding one of those transducers and running it through the PA.

I'm mostly looking for a good boomy sound out of it is all.

Check out the K&K Mini Western pickup. I have them installed in both of my Gibson acoustics (my AJ in the photo and my 1964 LG1). For around $200 or less you can buy the pickup and have it professionally installed. You just plug into the endpin on the guitar and into a DI box for the PA that way. K&K pickups sound like your guitar, only louder. They are very realistic pickups and NOTHING like a piezo system.

I put bone pins and saddles in both of my acoustic guitars (Martin and Yamaha). Would I do it over again? Absolutely, even though the pins can be a pita. Both guitars sound better, with more volume and increased sustain. The sound of both guitars is more balanced as well. +1 on Bob Colosi, a knowledgeable and friendly guy who offers quality products.

The skinny is this, the main thing that transfers vibration to your guitars soundboard (top) is the saddle. An improvement here definitely will help your guitar's sound. Bone is the saddle of choice for high end instruments for a reason, it simply does the job better than anything else.

The pins, on the other hand, do not affect the sound as dramatically. You may notice more sustain, you may not. I like them because they are more durable, and to my eye they look better.

I bought a new Guild D35 in 1971. In 1972 when I was at university, I had a gifted luthier change out the saddle and nut to real ivory, as it was available back then. Last year, I finally got around to changing the original plastic bridge pins to really good bone pins because I found a good, handmade custom set at a guitar show... and lo' n' behold!! it made another noticeable improvement! This is still my favorite acoustic, it has a wonderful loose jangly sound to it and the bass side is not overwhelming or boomy.

here's a demo of a tune featuring the '71 Guild D35, if you want to hear it's tone. It was recorded with a Rode NT2000 and the vocal track was recorded simultaneously.

Guild D35 with ivory nut & saddle and bone bridge pins (http://soundclick.com/share.cfm?id=9993277)

Give Bob Colosi a call. [URL="http://www.guitarsaddles.com/"] my 2005 Gibson Advanced Jumbo (come on Gibson... plastic pins?!?!?)



http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd219/lofapco/Peace_Dove_Strap.jpg
]

Holy crap that's a great looking guitar.

The best bridge pins are ones that work for you.

I have them made of the following materials:

black plastic
white plastic
bone
brass
nickel
titanium
fake (dental) gold
non-fake (real) gold
and maybe a few more that I can't think of right now

On a well set-up acoustic, the strings, once tuned, should stay in even with the pins removed. That sort of tells me that they don't do much in the "signal chain."

The cheap plastic ones will probably be the least massive.

The oddball metal ones (gold, nickel, depleted uranium) will be the most massive.

The addition, or subtraction of mass from the bridge will probably make a change in the sound of the guitar, but that will be a qualitative change and you will need to decide if it is what you seek.

The coupling of the strings to the saddle/bridge/bridge plate should be the same regardless of the material used to make the pins.

All that being said, I usually put bone pins on an acoustic, just because they look (and feel) neat.

:smile:

okay I finally settled on the StewMac Ebony pins with the abalone dots. On 1st insertion they stuck out about 3/8" but I sanded them all down one by one and I must say I am very pleased with the result. They just seem heavier and more substantial than the black plastic ones. :smile:

I also ordered a tusq saddle and replaced the cheap plastic one at the same time I replaced the plastic pins. Overall, I noticed a better sound right away and I can't say for sure which change affected the overall sound more.

All I know for sure is the itch to mod has been scratched (for now) :wink:

Probly gonna need one of those tusq nuts or something......

, it has a wonderful loose jangly sound to it and the bass side is not overwhelming or boomy.

Guild D35 with ivory nut & saddle and bone bridge pins (http://soundclick.com/share.cfm?id=9993277)

yeah I think you described it's sound pretty well and it is a good sound.

I noticed the difference with a bone saddle replacing a plastic one, but not with the bridge pins. Plastic pins are just a bit cheap and nasty on a reasonably expensive guitar, so 10GBP for this tiny upgrade makes me feel better about picking it up. Incidentally, I still have the stock plastic nut because that has very little influence on tone and the slots are cut nicely so...leave it alone.

I replaced my plastic bridge, nut and pins with bone all at the same time. It made a massive improvement to the tone! I cna't say what effect changing only the pins would have, but if you've got to replace them anyway i say why not?
Bone's just more natural, more organic. Seems like a better fit for an acoustic instrument.

i bought into the brass pins for my cheap acoustic. i did not know any better. yes, they sound better than the cheap plastic ones that came with my guitar. but i think in the long run bone would probably better option. easier on the instrument if anything? as the brass is harder than the rose wood id imagine.. so every time i change strings i can only imagine im inducing un wanted wear.. i could be wrong.. but i wont be spending 15.00 again on brass bridge pins.. ill go with bone.
chris.

The most important thing about bridge pins is that they keep the ball end of the string snug under the bridgeplate, whatever the material may be.

That means that the taper of the hole needs to fit the taper of the pin.

With slotted pins, the ball end sits halfway on the bridgeplate, and half into the slot, so it's a certainty that over time the holes in the bridgeplate are going to get chewed up. When this happens , tuning problems start to become apparent.

The ideal configuration is unslotted pins, a slotted bridge, and the holes reamed out to the same taper as the pins, allow the pins to sit neatly, all at the same height, and to do their job of keeping the ball-end under the bridgeplate.

I put fossilized walrus ivory on my Martin JC16re and the tonal difference may be minor but the cosmetic difference is huge. Everywhere I play people ask about them. I got them from Bob Colosi and I highly recommend his stuff. My next upgrade will be FWI nut and saddle...Jim