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Post by Alan on Jan 20, 2006 16:05:19 GMT
Do bridge pins of different materials really make that much of a difference to the sound?
Also while looking through various manufactures sites, I noticed that either NuBone or Tusq is used for the nut and bridge set - Any opinions?
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Post by Michael Messer on Jan 20, 2006 17:33:47 GMT
Hi Alan,
Yes they do. Bridge pins are supposed to be made of wood, but some people prefer brass, bone, etc. Personally I'd stick with high quality wood. I think with al these things - everything makes a difference, but working out exactly what each component adds to the tone can be difficult.
I think Pete Woodman or Dave King could be more help to you on this one. Hopefully one of them will drop by and see this thread.
Shine On Michael
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Post by Alan on Jan 20, 2006 17:47:04 GMT
I'm just interested in knowing as its not something thats often discussed, yet its cheap and easy to do (depending on what you buy).
It was just that a couple of weeks ago I realised that a lot of good and vintage guitars had hardwood or bone. When I went into a shop today they ale seemed to be plastic (or plastic bone copy). After a bit of research, I noticed that people also use brass pins, interestingly I also saw a kit that Yairi used to produce with a brass bridge insert. Never seen that before, but supposed I have'nt looked.
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Post by Michael Messer on Jan 21, 2006 1:23:03 GMT
Your observations are spot on! Well worth putting good quality wood ones on a cheap guitar, it can really help. Brass is good on cheap guitars, it will give them a lift. Just as a brass nut would.
Let me know how you get on with different ones
Shine On Michael
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Post by LouisianaGrey on Jan 29, 2006 22:21:55 GMT
Opinions vary widely on this one. Just do a search on somewhwere like the Acoustic Guitar Forum and you'll find people coming to blows about it.
Personally I belong in the camp that says nothing as small as a bridge pin outside the speaking length of the string (i.e. nut to bridge) has any significant (i.e. audibly noticeable) effect on the sound.
However other people say they can hear a difference and the fact that I've never heard a difference is really no reason to disbelieve them. The problem is, of course, that we all hear different things and in any case guitars are not all the same - what improves one guitar may do nothing for another one, even when it's the same model from the same manufacturer.
In any case changing bridge pins is a pretty cheap and easy experiment to make, so it's always worth trying. Even if I couldn't hear a difference I'd still rather use good quality materials than cheap plastic.
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Post by Alan on Jan 30, 2006 9:35:49 GMT
Changed the nut and bridge for Tusq - Made the guitar brighter and maybe louder.
Changed the pins for ebony and instantly went dull, but picked it up the day after and it seemes to have balanced out and was much more bassy and still had the treble.
What you have to bare in mind is that this was a cheap plywood dreader from the early 80's. Infact the nut was hollow and the bridge (insert) was so thin that it started to bend.
So there you go I personally would have took the £30 (inc strings) and got put it towards a new cheapo guitar, but it was'nt mine. It plays fine.
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