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  #1  
Old 11-18-2005, 01:27 AM
taylor taylor is offline
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Default Pinless bridge design

Hello Folks

Would appreciate your opinion on guitars with the pinless bridge designs.
Besides the obvious convenience when it comes to changing of strings,
are there any other benefits to this?
Does it have any difference in tone, as compared to the conventional
bridge with pins?

Thank you for your views.
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  #2  
Old 11-18-2005, 02:04 AM
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I like pinless designs. The current thought is that you can not get the same optimum break angle that you can with pins. You can come close. Does it really matter? Maybe in theory, perhaps a bit in practice.

I wouldn't worry about it to much. Let your ears decide.
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  #3  
Old 11-18-2005, 04:06 AM
Onemanband Onemanband is offline
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Default Pins v Pinless ?

Hi Taylor,
I've played Ovation's (pinless) in the past but am currently playing a Taylor 354CE (12string). I think it's nothing more than a matter of personal choice, but here are a couple of thoughts:
1. Why is it that when one snaps a string onstage, the bridge pin flies out and disappears off the face of the earth!!
2. On the other hand. with the pinless bridge it is not possible to capo the guitar at (say) 12th. fret, remove the bridge pins and have easy access to the body of the guitar when necessary.
Brian.
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Old 11-18-2005, 04:27 AM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Onemanband
Hi Taylor,
2. On the other hand. with the pinless bridge it is not possible to capo the guitar at (say) 12th. fret, remove the bridge pins and have easy access to the body of the guitar when necessary.
Brian.
For the amount of times there is a need to access the body, IMO, it's a moot point. Unless, you have a habit of fiddling around in there.
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Old 11-18-2005, 04:48 AM
Onemanband Onemanband is offline
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I'm "fiddling around" in there all the time. I can't wait to get up in the morning to start "fiddling around" in there.
One example though, on many Electric Accoustics the pre-amp battery is only accessable from inside the body!
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Old 11-18-2005, 05:35 AM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Bern
For the amount of times there is a need to access the body, IMO, it's a moot point. Unless, you have a habit of fiddling around in there.
I keep sandwiches in mine. The bridge pins make for easy access to my goods.







(okay, not really )
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Old 11-18-2005, 05:54 AM
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I prefer pinned bridges, that way you can spend alot of money on "special" bridge pins.
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Old 11-18-2005, 06:54 AM
Onemanband Onemanband is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by jeffrey
I keep sandwiches in mine. The bridge pins make for easy access to my goods.







(okay, not really )
Nice One Jeffrey, same sense of humour as me.
A day without a laugh is a day wasted !!
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Old 11-18-2005, 07:51 AM
jimklein jimklein is offline
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I like them.... I think their more convienent & IMHO less string breakage because of the lesser angle.
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Old 11-18-2005, 08:02 AM
dudley doright dudley doright is offline
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Default I love mine as well..........

..........because of the ease of re-stringing. I also find it to be of a non-standard, so it makes my guitar unique.
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Old 11-18-2005, 08:54 AM
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Default I can tell you this...

Having guitar with both pinless and pinned bridge designs, neither one is better than the other in terms of sound. Taylor guitars have already claimed that though their pinless bridge guitars are just as good as their traditional pinned bridge guitars, making all their guitars with the pinned bridge is just more cost-effective for them in the long run. Speaking of "traditional"...and most acoustic guitar players are, any "changes" (i.e. pinless bridges, etc.) that's done to what a "standard" acoustic guitar should look like, is well...almost sacreligious.
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  #12  
Old 11-18-2005, 09:09 AM
Johnny5 Johnny5 is offline
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Default The Luthier who does my guitar work...

The guy who works on my guitars made the only valid point I've ever heard against the pinless bridge... it has nothing to do with tone, sound, feel, or anything like that... it's all about the adjustments. When he does setups, if he has to shave down the bridge saddle for instance, with pins you can pop on a capo, pop out the pins quickly and go to work... then you can check your adjustments quickly. If you need more taken off the bridge it is quite easy to capo again, and repeat. You cannot do this with a pinless bridge so it adds quite a bit of time and tediousness to the process.

Personally, I never met a pinless bridge I did not like... but I'm a player, not a luthier!
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Old 11-18-2005, 09:11 AM
aschroeder aschroeder is offline
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You do need to be more careful with humidity on pinless bridges. They are more likely to pull up from the soundboard since glue is the only thing holding the bridge on. Pinned bridges reduce some of the stress on the bridge glue joint.
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Old 11-18-2005, 09:18 AM
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I must be lucky. I have a 1978 Ovation with the pinless bridge and I'm the original owner. I only started using a soundhole humidifier 4 years ago. No issues with the bridge or top. It was kept in it's case, but the summers and winters are a real joy here in the midwest. I was clueless about the effects on guitars until 2001.
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  #15  
Old 11-18-2005, 09:29 AM
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i like pinless bridges. my main guitar in pinless, i own others, and i have a number of guitars with pins as well. steve mentioned thoughts about break-angle differences. that's the only thing i've ever heard that makes any sense, really. but i don't hear differences in tone at any rate.

changing strings and convenience? yes. going on. coming off, i cut the strings (after loosening of course) at the bridge and remove the ball ends to avoid pulling the wound end through the bridge. marginally more convenient than pins, but changing strings is changing strings.

one thing that at least for me is a little easier with a pinless bridge is palm muting. i just have a little more surface area with which to work. not to say i can't do it on a pinned bridge, but pinless is mo' comfy.

i like the look, too.
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