After my luthier replaced my
old saddle with a Tusq saddle
and I noticed a BIG difference in sound, he told me I should also
change my
bridge pins to Tusq to hear even more improvement but he didn't have
any in
stock at the time so I didn't have it done then.
I recently went through the process of trying to purchase &
install Tusq
bridge pins in a few of my guitars and ended up learning quite a bit
about
bridge pins in general. First of all at the time of this
writing at least,
I had a hard time even finding a music store that stocked the Tusq pins
so I had
to order them. They come in different colors and end
decorations, so I
tried to order new pins that resembled the old pins I was replacing to
preserve
the same look of the guitar. The standard sized Tusq pins
seemed to fit in
my Guild pretty well with only a slight amount of pin sticking up above
the
bridge. I also noticed a marked improvement in
sound. When I tried
the same sized pins in my old Martin D18, they were way too loose and
the sound
was worse. Then I remembered when ordering the pins at the
store, seeing
the words "Martin pins" out of the corner of my eye in the
catalogue. Yep, the Martin pins are larger. When I
finally reordered
the pins in the Martin size they fit perfectly and I didn't think it
was
possible but they actually made my old Martin, the guitar I judge all
others to,
sound better! The trick is definitely in the fit.
As I started looking at other pins from different manufacturers like
Alvarez for
example, I found even more differences in size, taper, and
groove. There
IS a difference in the size, taper, & groove between the
manufacturer's
pins. It says on the package of the Tusq pins to have them
professionally
installed by a guitar tech. The pins can be sanded, etc.
I guess the trick is to find a music store that sells Tusq pins, has a
guitar
tech knowledgeable in the subject, and making sure the pins fit
right. The
store I ordered my pins from wasn't aware of the different Martin size
for
example.
In summary, I found the Martin pins to fit my old Martin very well with
no
modification, the standard sized pins fit my Guild pretty
well. They only
stick up a little. I guess they could be sanded a bit smaller
but they are
working fine.
If you try a set of Tusq pins, make sure they aren't too big in
diameter.
Install the pins one string at a time by gently pushing them
in. If
binding occurs part way in the hole, don't force them in or the bridge
may be
damaged. If the pins drop in too easy and can be easily
removed after the
string is tuned up, the pin is too loose. You may need the
larger Martin
size and then possibly have a guitar tech sand them to proper size
afterwards.
Bob, Gman ( o )==#