pinless bridge
I couldn't find the thread about this subject, but I just have a general observation about the subject. I own one of the early '90s Taylors with the pinless bridge. I also just happen to have an old Harmony Sovereign with a pinless bridge. The main difference a bridge with pins and one without is the angle of tension between the strings and the bridge. On a traditional steel string bridge, the ball end of the strings is behind the face of the guitar. So the tension is pullling on the face and the bridge in an upward direction. With a pinless bridge, the ball end is in only in the bridge itself, so the tension goes (nearly)straight between the tuning head and the back of the bridge.
There is a lot of tension on the glue between the bridge and the face. Given enough time(and the time will vary for a number of reasons) the tension will pull the bridge off the face. It took well over ten years with my Taylor, but I took it to Greg at Main Street Music in Nashville, AR and he glued it back on, so I'm good for at least another ten. It's worth mentioning that when I change strings, I take the old string loose from the tuner, then I take my wire cutter, and clip off the twisted end of the string. That way, when I pull the string out of the bridge, it slides right out and doesn't scratch the guitar face.
|