Brass bridge pins

[jff]

Hi all,

 

I got my hands on a Larrivee parlor guitar last week...like the one below. It had a very dark sound when I brought it home (naturally, it sounded much better in the guitar shop). A new set of strings made it sound much livelier and now I'm thinking of replacing the ebony bridge pins with brass pins, which supposedly results in a brighter sound and slightly more sustain.

 

The brass pins are only $15, so I'll probably try them no matter what, but I'd be interested in hearing about any experiences with brass pins compared to the typical plastic, bone, ebony, etc?

 

[Gobias Industries]

Haven't tried brass myself, but I would imagine the change would be equivalent from switching to brass saddles on a Telecaster: a much brighter sound. I'm not sure on the sustain, but I would imagine that you would get more sustain with brass pins than with ebony/plastic, etc.

[In a little rowboat]

i have a lot experience here...and while it depends on who yo talk to, i dont care for brass pins for a few reasons...first off, brass is dense and after alot of playing, the metal will eat away at the pin holes in your bridge, and more seriously, the bridgeplate underneath top...granted itll take a long time but why chance it...secondly, youll break more strings if you play hard...the metal on metal contact is harder on bronze acoustic strings...

 

If your guitar is new, itll take some time for the sound to open up...ebony is my choice usually, so id recommend either some nice bone/ivory pins (not cheap), tusq, or even better, some buffalo horn pins ($25)...much more organic sound and still dense enough to bump up the tone a bit

 

http://cgi.ebay.com/6-Bridge-Pins-Black-Bu...1QQcmdZViewItem

 

have fun with that new box, sounds terrific im sure

[oceanman]

first off, brass is dense and after alot of playing, the metal will eat away at the pin holes in your bridge, and more seriously, the bridgeplate underneath top..

yup

 

That can cause even further damage else where on down the line.

 

If you decide to, really bend and twist or even wrap your strings around the pins.

[anthony]

I tried those EX Pegs once. Like said above: very bright with lots of sustain and volume. I didn;t really like the tone all-in-all. A little too jangle-y, IMHO.

 

Some argue that pins make zero difference. I tend to disagree - but the effect is subtle. Even with brass.

 

My two cents. YMMV.

[jff]

i have a lot experience here...and while it depends on who yo talk to, i dont care for brass pins for a few reasons...first off, brass is dense and after alot of playing, the metal will eat away at the pin holes in your bridge, and more seriously, the bridgeplate underneath top...granted itll take a long time but why chance it...secondly, youll break more strings if you play hard...the metal on metal contact is harder on bronze acoustic strings...

 

If your guitar is new, itll take some time for the sound to open up...ebony is my choice usually, so id recommend either some nice bone/ivory pins (not cheap), tusq, or even better, some buffalo horn pins ($25)...much more organic sound and still dense enough to bump up the tone a bit

 

http://cgi.ebay.com/6-Bridge-Pins-Black-Bu...1QQcmdZViewItem

 

have fun with that new box, sounds terrific im sure

 

Thanks, great insight! I ordered some brass pins yesterday, so I'll see how it goes. I'm happy with the sound I'm getting now that I put on a fresh set of strings. Next time I change strings I'll install the brass pins. I had heard that vibration could cause some issues, but I had not considered the metal-to-metal contact.

 

I've never heard of buffalo horn pins. If the brass doesn't work out, maybe I'll try a set of those.

 

Either way, I'll come back and report my thoughts on the brass pins once I've tried them out.

[Golden Smoghead]

Yeah I wanted to pipe in that I agree, that post was really helpful rowboat. I bought some tusq pins online after hearing you talk.

 

Not that bridge pins are the world or anything, but every little bit helps. I was surprised by how much I really heard things different when I finally found strings I like... Who knows maybe someday my ear will be sensitive enough to actually PERCEIVE the bridge pins too! haha. But thanks man.

[jff]

I installed the brass pins yesterday. The increase in sustain is noticable. Its tough to tell if the sound is brighter. It seems slightly brighter, but the strings are brand new compared to the one week old strings I replaced. Usually one week old strings would be virtually new on my guitars, but since this is a new guitar I've been playing it constantly and the strings were probably starting to dull a bit.

[Golden Smoghead]

Earlier today, I swapped out my plastic Martin "came with" bridge pins for the $12 tusq ones I bought.

 

I detect a slight change in tone but nothing dramatic, just a subtle shift towards the bright, and a slight bump in sustain. Either way, the plastic ones were only 2 or 3 months old and starting to warp/bend -- so much so that I was being careful to use the warped ones on the thicker wound strings. These pins seem unlikely to warp in my lifetime.

[Guest Cousin Tupelo]

I can echo this. I used a set of brass pins with an old beater. They bore open the pin holes, much sooner than you wuld think, and any sort of value the brass might add is lost on the saddle.

 

Honestly, I haven't heard a ton of difference between bone, ivory or plastic. Never heard of buffalo, do they react to humidity at all?

 

i have a lot experience here...and while it depends on who yo talk to, i dont care for brass pins for a few reasons...first off, brass is dense and after alot of playing, the metal will eat away at the pin holes in your bridge, and more seriously, the bridgeplate underneath top...granted itll take a long time but why chance it...secondly, youll break more strings if you play hard...the metal on metal contact is harder on bronze acoustic strings...

 

If your guitar is new, itll take some time for the sound to open up...ebony is my choice usually, so id recommend either some nice bone/ivory pins (not cheap), tusq, or even better, some buffalo horn pins ($25)...much more organic sound and still dense enough to bump up the tone a bit

 

http://cgi.ebay.com/6-Bridge-Pins-Black-Bu...1QQcmdZViewItem

 

have fun with that new box, sounds terrific im sure

[In a little rowboat]

I can echo this. I used a set of brass pins with an old beater. They bore open the pin holes, much sooner than you wuld think, and any sort of value the brass might add is lost on the saddle.

 

Honestly, I haven't heard a ton of difference between bone, ivory or plastic. Never heard of buffalo, do they react to humidity at all?

 

The non-wood pins dont respond to humidity by nature, but the wood of the bridge does...still, to my ears, ebony pins generally sound/work best, there asre of course plenty of options...i just place brass and plastic at the bottom of the food chain

[jff]

I can echo this. I used a set of brass pins with an old beater. They bore open the pin holes, much sooner than you wuld think, and any sort of value the brass might add is lost on the saddle.

 

Having installed the brass pins, I can see how they'd do what you are describing. I might try out the buffalo tusk, or whatever they're called, at some point. I'll probably go another week with the brass and switch back to the stock (ebony) pins.

[jff]

I switched back to the ebony pins the other day. I had been using D'Adario phosphor bronze strings since purchasing the guitar (someone on a guitar forum said they are good strings for parlor guitars), but my new strings are D'Adario 80/20s. According to the package, the 80/20s produce a brighter sound than the phosphor bronze. I find that to be true, as the combination of ebony pins with the 80/20 strings produce the same bright sound (to my ears) as the phosphor bronze strings with the brass pins. I wasn't satisfied with the phosphor bronze/ebony pins combination and the brass pins, despite having a pleasing sound, have their drawbacks, so after some tinkering I've found a solution I'm very happy with.

 

Thanks for the input everyone!

[In a little rowboat]

I switched back to the ebony pins the other day. I had been using D'Adario phosphor bronze strings since purchasing the guitar (someone on a guitar forum said they are good strings for parlor guitars), but my new strings are D'Adario 80/20s. According to the package, the 80/20s produce a brighter sound than the phosphor bronze. I find that to be true, as the combination of ebony pins with the 80/20 strings produce the same bright sound (to my ears) as the phosphor bronze strings with the brass pins. I wasn't satisfied with the phosphor bronze/ebony pins combination and the brass pins, despite having a pleasing sound, have their drawbacks, so after some tinkering I've found a solution I'm very happy with.

 

Thanks for the input everyone!

[Guest Cousin Tupelo]

 

Now if you're talking about the nut, I had a brass nut cut for an electric hollow-body Rickenbacher knock-off that I bought for likes $25 from a pawn shop. I definitely had a jingle-jangle-jingle!

[jff]

Now if you're talking about the nut, I had a brass nut cut for an electric hollow-body Rickenbacher knock-off that I bought for likes $25 from a pawn shop. I definitely had a jingle-jangle-jingle!

 

Whoa, when I first read this I overlooked the word 'knock-off". That would have been the best deal ever. Still, it sounds like you got a super fun guitar for a great price.