Pinless bridge - good, bad, or indifferent?

[TBman]

I change my strings with the guitar sitting in a guitar stand. After years of changing strings this is the easiest and most effective way for me. My McIlroy, with its pinless bridge, forces me to use the living room couch as a bench so I can lay the guitar down to thread the string through the bridge. I then clamp the string in place with a keyser, place the guitar in a stand and then wind the string close to pitch. Then I repeat for the rest of the strings. According to my wife the dining room table is off limits for hobby activities

That's about the only effect the pinless bridge has had on my life. If the bridge comes flying off hopefully it will be while it's in its case

[colins]

I have a mix of pinned and pinless bridges on my little herd. I am allowed to use the dining table and I do all my restrings there. I find the pinless bridges much easier to restring; and having had guitars with pinless bridges for 17 years I definitely prefer them to pinned bridges.

Different tone? Couldn’t say. Bridge lifting experiences? Only on one guitar, and it had pins.

[CharlieBman]

When I picked up both my Breedloves many moons ago I thought the pinless bridge was a pretty cool design. At this point I'm indifferent...unless I'm working on a saddle adjustment. I'm no luthier so it takes me awhile to get it right. In that case, being able to just loosen the strings and pop the pins out to work with the saddle is a benefit...at least to me. Doesn't happen that often to be a big concern, but over the years its been the only pinless downside I've recognized.

[KevinH]

I'm agnostic re pinless bridges. I have one one my Breedlove. It looks cleaner w/o the pins but, as CharlieBMan noted, a downside is it takes more effort to temporarily remove a string.

Emerald Guitars uses a different type of pinless bridge on most of their carbon fiber guitars (sample below). Some don't like them because they have trouble changing strings. Pretty easy though once you do it a few times.

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[stormin1155]

Originally Posted by murrmac123

Intuitively, my gut reaction is that it would need an even more substantial bridge plate than a normal pinned bridge, since the torque is greater.

I just installed a K&K pickup on an older Ovation (pinless bridge), and it had no bridge plate.

[Bluemonk]

Archtop bridge and tailpiece. The best of both worlds.

[musicman1951]

Originally Posted by SixStingString

I love mine. Only benefits thus far. Cant see me ever messing with bridge pins ever again.

My Lowden is a joy for string changes. The only disadvantage is needing to put a bit of protection down so you don't scratch the top.

I'd like to say I'll never mess with bridge pins again, but a couple of my other guitars have them.

[phavriluk]

I am in the midst of replacing the pinless bridge I installed on one project, seeing as it gave in to string tension and uninstalled itself two days ago. No finish damage. It was installed with Titebond the same way as my pinned bridges. I think that a pinless bridge causes all the string tension to pass through the bridge glue joint, while a pinned bridge, especially one that's been slotted, has the string tension make its way to the underside of the soundboard. Tomorrow I'll install the ebony pinned bridge I made today.

[JayBee1404]

Originally Posted by musicman1951

My Lowden is a joy for string changes. The only disadvantage is needing to put a bit of protection down so you don't scratch the top.

https://shop-gb.lowdenguitars.com/co...tringing-guard

I have a similar suede-leather guard which I bought from Bluedog Guitars, formerly in Vancouver BC, but now in Nanaimo, Vancouver Island BC, IIRC. Works great.

[s11141827]

Pinless bridge Guitars would need a tailpiece to keep them from ripping off, this is the same idea as a Spanish Laud.

[JayBee1404]

Originally Posted by s11141827

Pinless bridge Guitars would need a tailpiece to keep them from ripping off, this is the same idea as a Spanish Laud.

Have you tried telling that to the guys at Lowden Guitars? Pinless bridges, no tailpieces, very very few reports of their bridges ‘ripping off’.

I’ve owned Lowdens for over thirty years, never had a bridge ‘rip off’, and nor have any of the numerous Lowden owners I come into contact with. They have refined their gluing process to prevent their pinless bridges from ‘ripping off’, no tailpieces, screws, bolts, or other mechanical doo-dads, just good glueing technique.

The vast majority of reports I read and hear of bridges separating from tops come from owners of guitars with pin-bridges, very few from pinless-bridge owners. In reality, a well-executed pinless bridge is no more likely to ‘rip off’ than a pin-bridge.

[rstaight]

I don't own any acoustic guitars with a pin less bridge. Now my electric guitars are of course pin less.

Oh, my mandolin is pin less.

[mesabgM4]

The only issue I have with pinless is when I need to change the pickup battery. On my pinned guitars I can simply capo the strings down, pop the pins, replace the battery, reinsert the strings in the pins, and tune it back up. Easy peasy. Not so much with my Breedlove though. Pretty much have to perform a new string change just to change the battery. Talk about first world problems.

[JayBee1404]

Originally Posted by mesabgM4

The only issue I have with pinless is when I need to change the pickup battery. On my pinned guitars I can simply capo the strings down, pop the pins, replace the battery, reinsert the strings in the pins, and tune it back up. Easy peasy. Not so much with my Breedlove though. Pretty much have to perform a new string change just to change the battery. Talk about first world problems.

No batteries needed with the K&K Pure pickups I’ve had in all my guitars for the past twenty years, including the Lowdens. Highly recommended.

But there’s no need to ‘perform a new string change just to change the battery’ - simply slack the strings off until you can tape three each side over the soundhole, as in the pic below. Then tune them back up once the battery change is done. No different to your pin bridge guitar in terms of effort, just a slightly different technique…

IMG_2387.jpg

IMG_2388.jpg

[colins]

Originally Posted by s11141827

Pinless bridge Guitars would need a tailpiece to keep them from ripping off, this is the same idea as a Spanish Laud.

Most pinless and pinned bridges on acoustic guitars are glued to the top, and there is no need for a tailpiece. There is also no need to attach a pinless bridge differently to a pinned bridge.

Having said that, you got me searching online to see what a Spanish Laud is...interesting looking instrument!