So when do you decide to change out your endpins?

[BigTim]

I do not know if this has been covered a million times or not.

Anyways, the other day when i was changing strings on my guitar I was having a hard time keeping the E and A strings end pins in place while I was tuning the string up until it got some good tension on it.

So with that said....Can an end pin get narrower over time or am I doing something wrong?

Do any of you pre bend the eye end of the strings before you put them in the bridge and cinch them down with the end pins?

Or should I just shut up and quit whining about it?

[rick-slo]

String ball end was not up against the bridge plate when you started to tune up the string but was rather behind the end of the bridge pin. I usually put the ball end of the string a little ways in the bridge pin hole and then insert the bridge pin making sure the end of the bridge pin goes in past the ball end of the string.

[Sax Player Guy]

Originally Posted by BigTim

Do any of you pre bend the eye end of the strings before you put them in the bridge and cinch them down with the end pins?

I don't know if you have discovered Silly Moustache yet, but he has produced a bunch of very helpful and informative videos and posted them on youtube. One is about how to string an acoustic guitar, and he is a proponent of bending the ends of the strings before putting them in the bridge holes. Ever since I watched his video I have been doing it that way. He's a regular poster on this forum, so perhaps he will weigh in on this thread, but here is the video:
https://youtu.be/9v8aBwxEnQk?t=390

[Brucebubs]

BigTim we call those 'bridge pins'.
The term 'end-pin' usually refers to the big pin on the bottom of the guitar designed for a neck strap.

Those 2 strings are the thickest and if you follow the suggestion by rick-slo above you should find it OK.

[BigTim]

Originally Posted by Brucebubs

BigTim we call those 'bridge pins'.
The term 'end-pin' usually refers to the big pin on the bottom of the guitar designed for a neck strap.

Those 2 strings are the thickest and if you follow the suggestion by rick-slo above you should find it OK.

Ok I got a little confused......see I have already learned something!!

[BigTim]

Originally Posted by Sax Player Guy

I don't know if you have discovered Silly Moustache yet, but he has produced a bunch of very helpful and informative videos and posted them on youtube. One is about how to string an acoustic guitar, and he is a proponent of bending the ends of the strings before putting them in the bridge holes. Ever since I watched his video I have been doing it that way. He's a regular poster on this forum, so perhaps he will weigh in on this thread, but here is the video:
https://youtu.be/9v8aBwxEnQk?t=390

Cool and thanks for the link. I will watch this video.

Originally Posted by BigTim

am I doing something wrong?

Yeah, kinda, as noted above. But rest assured that everyone here did it wrong until somebody told 'em.

Originally Posted by BigTim

Do any of you pre bend the eye end of the strings before you put them in the bridge?

I read somewhere once that you're supposed to bend the ball-end section down slightly, to help it slide up the pin more readily. I haven't noticed a big difference when I don't do it, though.

Originally Posted by BigTim

Or should I just shut up and quit whining about it?

Aw, c'mon... you gotta whine about this stuff to someone!

[Wade Hampton]

Tim, there can be wear to both the bridge pins and to the bridge plate that the strings’ ball ends press against. You can replace the the pins if you like, but what I generally do when a bit of wear starts to show on the ends of the pins is simply turn the pins around so that the slotted side is turned away from the strings, and the strings rest against the unslotted side.

There isn’t room to do that when the bridge pins and guitar are brand new, but once some wear occurs it works just fine. Because the pins are thicker on their unslotted sides, turning them around like that actually adds years to their serviceable lifespan.

Hope that makes sense.


Wade Hampton Miller

PS: Welcome to the forum!

[YamahaGuy]

I install wooden bridge pins into any and all my guitars that come with plastic pins at the very first string change.

[Nyghthawk]

The same time as you change the air in your tires?

[vindibona1]

I changed the bridge pins on my Martin D35... When it was 43 years old .

[zombywoof]

When you change strings and they shoot across the room endangering somebody's eye.

[zombywoof]

Originally Posted by vindibona1

I changed the bridge pins on my Martin D35... When it was 43 years old .

I have an 87-year old Gibson that still has its original hard celluloid pins.

[redir]

The proper way to make a bridge is to have key hole slots cut in each hole so that the ball end rests fully under and on the bridge plate and not half on the bridge plate and half in the string hole. In theory when done properly you should be able to remove the bridge pin and the guitar string will stay locked in place. Also you should use nonfluted bridge pins so that all the pin does is hold the string in place when you change them and tune them up. Fluted or slotted bridge pins are used in place of the proper keyhole method but what happens over time is the ball end can wear out the pin and start to creep up the pin hole ruining both the pin and the bridge plate.

So instead of changing pins you might want to consider taking it to a guitar tech and having the holes slotted.

[JBCROTTY]

Originally Posted by YamahaGuy

I install wooden bridge pins into any and all my guitars that come with plastic pins at the very first string change.

Ditto for me.