Should I swap plastic bridge pins for bone or wood?

Evan · April 2022

I recently bought 280 quids worth of Alvarez Delta 00 acoustic guitar a few weeks ago and have been endlessly fiddling about with it.

I’ve got rid of some sharp fret ends, polished the frets, sanded the saddle till the action is where I want it and I’m just waiting for my head to shrink back down to normal size after recklessly and stupidly drilling a bleeding great hole in the bottom and fitting a Gretsch Deltoluxe pickup.

It looks good, plays good and sounds great and I’m wondering what other needless tinkering I can perform next.

What about swapping the plastic bridge pins for bone or wood?

Will they make a difference? Is it a worthwhile upgrade? Or am I just jerking off?

Any opinions welcome.

bertie · April 2022

marmite I think

personally I dont think it makes a great deal of difference "tone wise" certainly not for brass/metal - tho there are those that will say it does.......... its more cosmetic for my ears (see what I did there !!!

)

you'd be better off getting a bone nut and saddle, or some new strings

RickLucas · April 2022

^ Agreed.

Evan · April 2022

The guitar came with a bone nut and saddle, just put on new strings.

ICBM · April 2022

Evan said:

What about swapping the plastic bridge pins for bone or wood?

Will they make a difference? Is it a worthwhile upgrade?

No difference, unless you like the look of them better.

The only type that sound different are brass. I did some fairly careful comparisons, just swapping three pins at a time, with plastic, wood, bone and brass, and could hear no difference at all except with the brass ones.

mrkb · April 2022

ICBM said:

Evan said:

What about swapping the plastic bridge pins for bone or wood?

Will they make a difference? Is it a worthwhile upgrade?

No difference, unless you like the look of them better.

The only type that sound different are brass. I did some fairly careful comparisons, just swapping three pins at a time, with plastic, wood, bone and brass, and could hear no difference at all except with the brass ones.

Suspect the difference with the brass is purely down to the weight difference vs the others. The pins aren’t part of the string vibration path.

bertie · April 2022

Evan said:

The guitar came with a bone nut and saddle, just put on new strings.

gotcha

Evan · April 2022

ICBM said:

Evan said:

What about swapping the plastic bridge pins for bone or wood?

Will they make a difference? Is it a worthwhile upgrade?

No difference, unless you like the look of them better.

The only type that sound different are brass. I did some fairly careful comparisons, just swapping three pins at a time, with plastic, wood, bone and brass, and could hear no difference at all except with the brass ones.

I’ve heard that brass ones sound terrible, overly bright or something, if I remember correctly.

Mellish · April 2022

This is always a tough one because no-one can tell you what *you're* going to hear. We can tell you what *we* hear and that's all. Like Liquid Metal bridge pins. Martin tells you that they give more volume. Not to me. So all you can do is grab bone, ebony, rosewood etc and see what *you* hear

VimFuego · April 2022

heheheheheheheh

bone.

Kittyfrisk · April 2022

VimFuego said:

heheheheheheheh

bone.

Dude, he like totally almost said boner. Heheheheheheheh

Kittyfrisk · April 2022

Evan said:

I recently bought 280 quids worth of Alvarez Delta 00 acoustic guitar a few weeks ago and have been endlessly fiddling about with it.

I’ve got rid of some sharp fret ends, polished the frets, sanded the saddle till the action is where I want it and I’m just waiting for my head to shrink back down to normal size after recklessly and stupidly drilling a bleeding great hole in the bottom and fitting a Gretsch Deltoluxe pickup.

It looks good, plays good and sounds great and I’m wondering what other needless tinkering I can perform next.

What about swapping the plastic bridge pins for bone or wood?

Will they make a difference? Is it a worthwhile upgrade? Or am I just jerking off?

Any opinions welcome.

I'd be inclined to address this issue first.
Could be just me, but I've never been a huge fan of unnecessary DIY trepanning ...

ICBM · April 2022

mrkb said:

Suspect the difference with the brass is purely down to the weight difference vs the others. The pins aren’t part of the string vibration path.

Either the weight or the hardness. Both are quite different from the other materials, which are all quite similar.

I don't think it can be weight alone, or changing just three pins would affect all the strings. (Half as much as changing all six.)

Evan said:

I’ve heard that brass ones sound terrible, overly bright or something, if I remember correctly.

I wouldn't say terrible, but not to my liking - definitely an increase in upper-mid 'zing'.

Mellish said:

This is always a tough one because no-one can tell you what *you're* going to hear. We can tell you what *we* hear and that's all. Like Liquid Metal bridge pins. Martin tells you that they give more volume. Not to me. So all you can do is grab bone, ebony, rosewood etc and see what *you* hear

This. But do try to compare them accurately, or you're likely to fool yourself. If you change the pins at the same time as the strings, of course you will think the new ones sound brighter, whatever the material

.

When I was doing the comparisons I purposely kept the same strings on, and just swapped three of the pins at once, leaving the other three strings as a 'control' so I could see if the three with changed pins sounded different. I changed them in both top three/bottom three, and an alternating pattern.

Personally, unless you really want that upper-mid thing that the brass ones seem to do, I would just pick the ones you like the look of and either don't worry about it, or convince yourself they sound better

.

At the end of the day strings and saddle material make a *far* bigger difference anyway.

Evan · April 2022

Kittyfrisk said:

VimFuego said:

heheheheheheheh

bone.

Dude, he like totally almost said boner. Heheheheheheheh

Not to mention wood.

LastMantra · April 2022

I can't see it making any noticeable difference. I've just spent a few minutes experimenting with my acoustic including putting a coin against the string behind the bridge and it made no difference.

BillDL · April 2022

As long as the taper of the pins fits the inside taper of the pin holes and you have the ball ends (snigger) right up against the bridge plate, it doesn't really matter but slotted wood or bone pins are less apt to get chewed up where the ball end pushes against the pin and they are less apt to break off at the rounded head (snigger) if they get a bit stuck.

I wouldn't pay the money most places ask for ebony bridge pins. If you ever buy anything from Thomann, the next time you place an order add a set of these pins for £4.85 as long as the measurements and resultant taper match the ones from your guitar:

https://www.thomann.de/gb/harley_benton_parts_bridgepin_set_tl_plain.htm

They are made from a wood commonly known as Tintul (Tamarind tree) that is pretty hard and polishes up nice and smooth.

Evan · April 2022

BillDL said:

As long as the taper of the pins fits the inside taper of the pin holes and you have the ball ends (snigger) right up against the bridge plate, it doesn't really matter but slotted wood or bone pins are less apt to get chewed up where the ball end pushes against the pin and they are less apt to break off at the rounded head (snigger) if they get a bit stuck.

I wouldn't pay the money most places ask for ebony bridge pins. If you ever buy anything from Thomann, the next time you place an order add a set of these pins for £4.85 as long as the measurements and resultant taper match the ones from your guitar:
https://www.thomann.de/gb/harley_benton_parts_bridgepin_set_tl_plain.htm
They are made from a wood commonly known as Tintul (Tamarind tree) that is pretty hard and polishes up nice and smooth.

Thanks, much appreciated (you dirty, dirty boy).

DavidR · April 2022

With acoustics, and because its so easy, I usually have a fiddle about with different bridge pins when I change strings over the first year or two with a new instrument. Ebony, Plastic, tusq, bone, brass. That's my lot. (Never tried Martin's Liquid Metal because of the cost and I'm not convinced about the sales pitch and the supposed advantages).

Then it's which ever sounds best with Monel strings - which I love - on each particular instrument. So my strings aren't changing, they're always Martin MM12.

Listening (with only my ears and brain only obviously - pitch is individual and subjective) I've never found much difference between plastic and tusq. Mostly I work through but settle on bone. On one guitar it (Yamaha FG5) its brass. Bone seems to give a very slightly cleaner sound. Ebony can be more woody on an instrument which isn't very woody and brass is unquestionably brighter.

The biggest and most noticeable timbre change with all of these different pins is brass. Otherwise, as others have said, fiddling with pins is not often a huge game changer. But it's fun and cheap so good luck!

Top fave? Those bone pins with abalone dot inlays on the top. Usually about a tenner a set on Amazon (c.f. Liquid Metal which will set you back a ton).

(Apologies to non-cockneys. tenner = £10. ton = £100. ............and that info will cost you a pony my son).

:-)

bertie · April 2022

LastMantra said:

I can't see it making any noticeable difference. I've just spent a few minutes experimenting with my acoustic including putting a coin against the string behind the bridge and it made no difference.

what denomination ? everyone knows pre decimalisation works best, unless its a cedar top, then you need spanish pesetas

LastMantra · April 2022

bertie said:

LastMantra said:

I can't see it making any noticeable difference. I've just spent a few minutes experimenting with my acoustic including putting a coin against the string behind the bridge and it made no difference.

what denomination ? everyone knows pre decimalisation works best, unless its a cedar top, then you need spanish pesetas

I'd say that would make about as much difference

hollywoodrox · April 2022

Evan said:

I recently bought 280 quids worth of Alvarez Delta 00 acoustic guitar a few weeks ago and have been endlessly fiddling about with it.

I’ve got rid of some sharp fret ends, polished the frets, sanded the saddle till the action is where I want it and I’m just waiting for my head to shrink back down to normal size after recklessly and stupidly drilling a bleeding great hole in the bottom and fitting a Gretsch Deltoluxe pickup.

It looks good, plays good and sounds great and I’m wondering what other needless tinkering I can perform next.

What about swapping the plastic bridge pins for bone or wood?

Will they make a difference? Is it a worthwhile upgrade? Or am I just jerking off?

Any opinions welcome.

Will it make you happy ,if so do it . I can imagine bone or wood as opposed to plastic can only be better (although perhaps not) do they do some with abalone inlays in the pins ? I think I’ve seen those . I like things that look nice and flashy . I think actually there may be brass pins too

Supportact · April 2022

I changed to wooden bridge pins just on a whim. I can't say I noticed any difference in sound, but I prefer the way they look.

Stratavarious · April 2022

I put some ebony ones with nice abalone tops on my wife’s acoustic and she comments on how pretty they look.

Eye candy, not tone candy

Mellish · April 2022

Some will say they can't hear a difference in tone between plastic, wood or bone. Others will swear they can. Me, I just put in what I think looks best which, to me, is Bob Colosi bone. He's got some gorgeous dyed ones on his website

bertie · April 2022

Stratavarious said:

I put some ebony ones with nice abalone tops on my wife’s acoustic and she comments on how pretty they look.

Eye candy, not tone candy

I take it she cant sing then ?

Evan · April 2022

Mellish said:

Some will say they can't hear a difference in tone between plastic, wood or bone. Others will swear they can. Me, I just put in what I think looks best which, to me, is Bob Colosi bone. He's got some gorgeous dyed ones on his website

Just had a look, they are lovely .

bertie · April 2022

Evan said:

Mellish said:

Some will say they can't hear a difference in tone between plastic, wood or bone. Others will swear they can. Me, I just put in what I think looks best which, to me, is Bob Colosi bone. He's got some gorgeous dyed ones on his website

Just had a look, they are lovely .

shame about the use of elephant ivory tho

Mellish · April 2022

@bertie ; brother you can say *that*again. That's one bridge pins material I'd never buy

bertie · April 2022

Mellish said:

@bertie ; brother you can say *that*again. That's one bridge pins material I'd never buy

he seems to be "open" about it - on the home page it states "cannot ship elephant ivory out of georgia" or words to that effect.

Hes' getting no trade from me

Mellish · April 2022

@bertie ; maybe that's more to do with licencing than him personally. That's a pure guess on my part, though. I have had problems with his bone saddles but years ago. Mostly I use bone but Antique Acoustics does lovely galalith pins if you're interested

bertie · April 2022

Mellish said:

@bertie ; maybe that's more to do with licencing than him personally. That's a pure guess on my part, though. I have had problems with his bone saddles but years ago. Mostly I use bone but Antique Acoustics does lovely galalith pins if you're interested

Ive ordered bespoke stuff before from a guy in the UK - he was very good, well packaged etc. Cant remember his name, sure it was Steve ............................... I'll see if I can find "something" with his name/site on

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Should I swap plastic bridge pins for bone or wood?

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