The Acoustic Guitar Forum

Go Back   The Acoustic Guitar Forum > General Acoustic Guitar and Amplification Discussion > General Acoustic Guitar Discussion

Reply
 
Thread Tools
  #1  
Old 09-14-2017, 01:50 PM
Riverwolf Riverwolf is offline
Registered User
 
Join Date: Feb 2013
Location: OREGON
Posts: 4,277
Default 2 Bridge Pin Questions

Hello and thanks in advance for all replies.

1- While restringing a guitar today that I seldom play or restring, I noticed that
the bridge has been slotted but it also has slotted pins.
Is this OK? If not, why not?

2- When restringing do you put the pins back in order to the hole they came out of?
Is this a good thing or just silly?

The guitar is an Ibanez AC240 and the bridge was slotted at the first set-up years ago.
The pins are stock Ibanez black plastic.
Reply With Quote
  #2  
Old 09-14-2017, 01:52 PM
Athens Athens is offline
Registered User
 
Join Date: Apr 2017
Location: Tellico Village, TN
Posts: 1,878
Default Pins

Usually slotted on one not the other, in other words, if the pins are slotted, the bridge isn't and vice versa.

If the bridge is slotted, just turn the pins so the slot is away from the bridge.

As far as which holes each pin goes into, it shouldn't matter, but sometimes you'll notice that pins ride high or low in different holes. If that's the case, just keep them in order. it's not a big deal if that happens.
Reply With Quote
  #3  
Old 09-14-2017, 01:56 PM
Rodger Knox Rodger Knox is offline
Registered User
 
Join Date: Jul 2013
Location: Baltimore, Md.
Posts: 2,431
Default

It's OK to have slotted pins and slotted holes, just turn the pins so the slot faces away from the saddle.
Some guitars have the pins individually fitted, and the pins do need to go back into the same holes. That's pretty unusual, most pins are interchangeable.
__________________
Rodger Knox, PE
1917 Martin 0-28
1956 Gibson J-50
et al
Reply With Quote
  #4  
Old 09-14-2017, 03:09 PM
5th Element 5th Element is offline
Charter Member
 
Join Date: May 2016
Location: Area 52
Posts: 477
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by Riverwolf View Post
1- While restringing a guitar today that I seldom play or restring, I noticed that
the bridge has been slotted but it also has slotted pins.
Is this OK? If not, why not?
Are the holes slotted, or just ramped? It seems common to ramp the holes, which controls break angle. Slots go all the way down through the bridge plate. If slotted, it makes sense to turn the pins around, as already mentioned. It seems that slotted holes coupled with a slotted pins would invite the ball ends to dig into the bridge plate even more than slotted pins alone. Just speculating, not a tech.
Reply With Quote
  #5  
Old 09-14-2017, 04:01 PM
Riverwolf Riverwolf is offline
Registered User
 
Join Date: Feb 2013
Location: OREGON
Posts: 4,277
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by 5th Element View Post
Are the holes slotted, or just ramped? It seems common to ramp the holes, which controls break angle. Slots go all the way down
Good catch!
Upon further review, no, just the top of the holes are slotted and out about 1/4" on to the top of the bridge.
Yes now I remember this was done with the new saddle to improve break angle.
Case closed.
Reply With Quote
  #6  
Old 09-14-2017, 04:59 PM
merlin666 merlin666 is offline
Registered User
 
Join Date: May 2013
Location: Canada Prairies
Posts: 2,957
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by Riverwolf View Post
Hello and thanks in advance for all replies.
2- When restringing do you put the pins back in order to the hole they came out of?
Is this a good thing or just silly?
If the pins are of a natural material such as bone there could be some variability, and holes on hand built guitars are not necessarily all the same diameter either. With my custom shop guitar, I once removed all strings at the same time and then mixed and matched the bone pins and as a result some pins were quite lose and I was worried they pop out. Next time I tried to find the best pairing between pins and holes, and from then on I just change the strings one at a time so each pin goes back into its matched hole. But with plastic pins and guitars that come from assembly lines there is probably less variance.
Reply With Quote
  #7  
Old 09-14-2017, 06:08 PM
Greg Ballantyne Greg Ballantyne is offline
Registered User
 
Join Date: Sep 2016
Posts: 817
Default

I always put the pins in the same holes......and just as certainly as I always do that, I'm just as certain it doesn't matter - but my habit remains none the less.....
__________________
In order of appearance:
Aria LW20 Dreadnaught
Seagull Maritime HG Dreadnaught
Seagull Natural Elements Dreadnaught
Taylor 418e
Taylor 514ce LTD
Reply With Quote
  #8  
Old 09-14-2017, 09:32 PM
5th Element 5th Element is offline
Charter Member
 
Join Date: May 2016
Location: Area 52
Posts: 477
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by Riverwolf View Post
Good catch!
Upon further review, no, just the top of the holes are slotted and out about 1/4" on to the top of the bridge.
Yes now I remember this was done with the new saddle to improve break angle.
Case closed.
Cool!

As for your second question, I've not paid attention to which bridge pins go where. Two guitars are reamed for common size 1 pins; a third will be shortly. It hasn't seemed to matter at all, before or after reaming.
Reply With Quote
  #9  
Old 09-15-2017, 08:30 AM
51 Relic 51 Relic is offline
Registered User
 
Join Date: Sep 2014
Location: Whippingham Isle of Wight England
Posts: 1,313
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by 5th Element View Post
Cool!

As for your second question, I've not paid attention to which bridge pins go where. Two guitars are reamed for common size 1 pins; a third will be shortly. It hasn't seemed to matter at all, before or after reaming.


Easy I use a black marker on my Gibson pins and put very small number of black marker dots on the side according to the string number . For black ones very small silver ones with a Sharpie . You can't see them above the bridge
__________________
Martin OODB JT
Gibson J45
Yamaha LLTA
Yamaha SLG200S
Yamaha NTX1200R
Taylor GSMiniE Rosewood
Joe Brown Uke
AER Compact 60
Marshall AS50D

Now 100% Acoustic and loving it ! No more GAS
Reply With Quote
Reply

  The Acoustic Guitar Forum > General Acoustic Guitar and Amplification Discussion > General Acoustic Guitar Discussion

Thread Tools





All times are GMT -6. The time now is 08:42 AM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.11
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions Inc.
Copyright ©2000 - 2022, The Acoustic Guitar Forum
vB Ad Management by =RedTyger=