I'm just getting back into guitar after many years. While getting back up to speed, I was reading about bridge pins and the differences in tone and sustain that may be expected with the various materials the pins come in these days - various plastics, wood, bone, horn, ivory, brass, fossilized walrus ivory, etc. I never even thought (or knew) about this when I played many years ago.
I also was surprised to learn that bridge pins come in many different sizes. It turns out that Guild guitars (like mine) may use a unique pin that no other brand of guitar uses. Then again, it sounds like Guild may have used several different size pins. (My guitar is a F212 12-string, circa 1967.) Of course, oversize pins can be sanded to adjust their fit but a pin that is too small to start couldn't be sanded to fit. So before I buy a set of pins, I would like to make sure that I am ordering the right size or at least one that I can fine-tune to fit. I would like to try pins other than the plastic ones that I have if it will produce a noticeable improvement for my guitar.
Questions:
1) Have you experienced significant differences in tone and sustain with different type of pins? If so, what type of pins do you like best?
2) Does anyone have a Guild like mine and, if so, have you had a problem getting proper pins for it? I do know what the designation for Guild pins is (at least some Guilds) but it looks like you can only order those special pins in very high-end pin types. Guild doesn't say anything about their pins on their website. I don't want to order expensive pins only to find that they don't fit and can't be made to fit.
3) Getting pins that can be sanded to fit would be no problem as long as they are large enough. Does anyone know what pins can be sanded for a perfect fit on a Guild?
1. adding mass to the bridge can increase sustain. by extension, common sense tells us brass or similarly more massy pins should do that. is it desirable or even noticeable? probably not and probably not. and also consider that sustain is not the most important tonal attribute of an acoustic guitar. many of us believe that claims of "better tone", "more sustain" from exotic pin, saddles, bridge reinforcements and the like are purely marketing hype. replacing a cheap plastic bridge can be noticeable. but these are part of the fundamental coupling of the strings to the guitar. OTOH, pin replacement is a relatively inexpensive change, and probably won't hurt anything. I just wouldn't expect miracles, esp on a 12-string where the octave "harmonics" are so prominent as to hide a lot of subtlety.
2. I have a 70's Guild F112 12 string. I changed the bridge pins to black when I repaired the bridge years ago. I don't recall having any trouble finding pins to fit it.
3. no idea. but Martin guitars seem to have smaller bridge pin holes, as evidenced by the fact that replacements (and even originals) often "stick out" (don't push in completely). you might try Martin brand.
stew-mac.com carries a variety of pins, and would probably be helpful over the phone.
-=tension & release=-
Thanks, gnease. Always the skeptic, I always question claims like those I have read about bridge pins. Of course, the people selling them have a stake in those claims but I have also read reports from users who say some bridge pins have made a noticeable improvement in the sound of their guitars.
I replaced my pins many years (decades) ago too with whatever plastic pins the music store had and I didn't have any problem but I wanted to ask about this when I found out that there are about 12 main sizes of pins for various guitars. Some have 3 degree tapers while others have 5 degree tapers and the thicknesses under the button and lower on the pin vary too. I figured that if I do buy a fairly expensive set up pins, I would like to get the closest size match that I can. When you order them from specialty dealers, you have to choose from about a dozen different sizes. However, at least those dealers do list the number for Guild pins but, as I said, it appears that Guilds used various sized pins over the years.
Some pins are extremely expensive, such as the FWI type. Of course, that cost because of the rarity of the material itself but one has to wonder if there is something to it if people are spending $150 to $200 ($300 to $400 for a 12-string) for them. Then again, the people who are buying them probably can justify spending a lot of money for a product that may be only slightly better (diminishing returns). But what I would like to know is if more common and less expensive pin materials really do make a difference. Some guitarists claim that they make a very noticeable difference. If that is true, then the relatively small expense may be worth it and that's why I brought the topic up.
I would like to hear from anyone who has switched to pins made of special materials and what they think of them.
BTW, thanks for your suggestion about contacting Stew Mac. I do have their catalog and I have bought things from them. They don't have a big selection of different types of pins but that, in itself, may say something. I'll look in their catalog right now. I just got a new one the other day and it's sitting three feet from me right now. :D
Also, I realize that this subject involves a fine-point. I'm not obsessing about it at all but when I read that different pin materials may possibly make a positive difference in sound, I thought.. what the heck! It sounds like an inexpensive way to possibly get some improvement in sound. And, when you think about it, playing guitar, like so many things, is made up of a lot of little things that add up.
Thanks again.
I've done blind testing listening to several different kinds of pins and even no pins at all on the same guitar. I can't tell the difference.
I always wanted to get Goldbugs, but just never had to, or didn't get around to it?
http://www.goldbugproducts.com/bpins.htm :shock:
Like a bird on the wire,
like a drunk in a midnight choir
I have tried in my way to be free.
