It was once explained to me (in detail!) that the bridge pins ARE NOT what hold the string in place... that it's the sideways torque from the wedge formed between the bridge pin and the slot/bridge itself (like jamming something in a chimney) with the ball end/string pulling against it.
This was to explain to me why the bridge pins don't want/need to go "all the way down" to the rounded top...
To this end, I will fit the ball end into the slot on the pin as I put it in the hole in the bridge, then holding the bridge pin in place, pull up on the string until I feel it "seat itself" against the bridgeplate... then, as I apply tension to that string, I will hold the bridge pin in place while simultaneously pulling up slightly on the string, to make sure it's all seated properly...
It seems a very common misconception to think that those pins are what should hold the string in the hole...
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"Home is where I hang my hat,
but home is so much more than that.
Home is where the ones
and the things I hold dear
are near...
And I always find my way back home."
"Home" (working title) J.S, Sherman
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