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Old 04-14-2021, 10:44 AM
boneuphtoner boneuphtoner is offline
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Default Emerald Pin-less bridge restringing

Hey Guys - literally the day after I really struggled in restringing the new X30, Davy sent me a ~30 second clip showing their recommended way (I had written to him complaining that I was having trouble) - the video is at the 9:45 mark:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1M850P0_kVs

I was unable to keep sufficient tension on the string without it popping out as I was trimming and threading the string. I used the golf tee/bridge pin trick that Earl and others have described here. I also had a hard time getting the ball end to latch into place like they showed here - I had to insert the string, put my other hand inside the soundhole and guide the string into the groove where it locks in, and while pulling really firmly, inserting the temporary bridge pins - while doing all of this, it would work 2/3 of the time, but sometimes when I would add tension and remove the bridge pin, the string would come out. Hopefully next time I will have less trouble.
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Old 04-14-2021, 01:26 PM
steelvibe steelvibe is offline
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Just like anything that takes practice- you will be a pro in no time.

Remember the first time you put new strings on a guitar by yourself? I took me forever and now I can do it in about 10 minutes, and that is without a automatic string winder.
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Old 04-14-2021, 01:48 PM
boneuphtoner boneuphtoner is offline
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Originally Posted by steelvibe View Post
Just like anything that takes practice- you will be a pro in no time.

Remember the first time you put new strings on a guitar by yourself? I took me forever and now I can do it in about 10 minutes, and that is without a automatic string winder.
Great points Steelvibe! As a middle aged guy learning guitar, trying to put new strings on a guitar the first time, it did take me forever. I rewatched the Taylor video multiple times - they seemed to do the best job of showing you exactly what to do, but even with that approach, I found issues with my first couple of tries as the ball ends were not consistently seating firmly and my winds were not as clean as they are now. After doing it twice, I found a very helpful video on youtube by Randy Schartinger (sp?) that clarified a couple of questions I had. Now I would wager I'm as fast and efficient as any of you regarding changing strings. But some people have the intuition to figure these things out the first time around - I'm not one of those people.

Regarding the Emerald method, I'll be happy if I can reliably latch the ball end without having to stick my hand in the sound hole to guide it into the slot.
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Old 04-14-2021, 05:08 PM
seannx seannx is offline
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Santa Rosa luthier Bob Groat lowered the saddle on my first X20 to specs Kevin gave me, and returned it with a 2” length of 3/16” wood towel, tapered down to 1/8” over 3/4” on one end. It’s the perfect tool to hold the ball end in place when changing strings. Bending the ball end is key, too, but it’s not so easy to keep enough tension on the string so that it doesn’t come out of the slot. I used it on my new X20 and it made changing strings so much easier. IMO Emerald would be wise to ship a similar tool with their pinless bridge guitar models.
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Old 04-14-2021, 05:49 PM
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David Eastwood David Eastwood is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by seannx View Post
IMO Emerald would be wise to ship a similar tool with their pinless bridge guitar models.
IMO, Emerald would be wise to tweak the design of the pinless bridge so that no funky little tools are needed at all. That ball end should slot in and lock. Period.

No pin bridge, ever, needed a helping hand like this.

I’m seriously close to ordering an Amicus, but that 12-string pinless bridge is, equally seriously, giving me pause.
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Old 04-14-2021, 09:53 PM
seannx seannx is offline
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Originally Posted by eatswodo View Post
IMO, Emerald would be wise to tweak the design of the pinless bridge so that no funky little tools are needed at all. That ball end should slot in and lock. Period.

No pin bridge, ever, needed a helping hand like this.

I’m seriously close to ordering an Amicus, but that 12-string pinless bridge is, equally seriously, giving me pause.
From changing strings on my X20s, I think that if the ball end locked in any tighter it could be hard to remove. My simple dowel tool is so easy to use, and it’s no more work than putting in a bridge pin. The only difference is that you only need one, instead of 6 or 12. What could be even more frustrating with a pinless bridge for some, could be loosing the option of being able to try different materials or combinations of bridge pins chasing that elusive perfect sound.
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Old 04-14-2021, 10:10 PM
seannx seannx is offline
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Double post...
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Last edited by seannx; 04-17-2021 at 07:52 AM.
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  #8  
Old 04-14-2021, 10:18 PM
jklotz jklotz is offline
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I think bending the ball end of the string before putting it in solves most of the headache. Bend it, insert it and put a little tension on it. It's not difficult to feel wether or not it is taught against the bridge plate and into the slot. It's easier for me that stringing my bigsby equipped guitars. Honestly, I'm not sure what the big deal is.
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Old 04-15-2021, 04:44 AM
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Methos1979 Methos1979 is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by eatswodo View Post
IMO, Emerald would be wise to tweak the design of the pinless bridge so that no funky little tools are needed at all. That ball end should slot in and lock. Period.

No pin bridge, ever, needed a helping hand like this.

I’m seriously close to ordering an Amicus, but that 12-string pinless bridge is, equally seriously, giving me pause.
Agreed. I've owned five Emeralds. One was a pinless. Never again. Not only was it a PITA to get the strings to stay in but one of them all but refused to come out due to something going on inside that I could not see. VERY frustrating.

I had a nylon custom Emerald and that bridge is excellent. I started thinking, why can't they just use that type of bridge for their pinless guitars, similar to a Lowden? Slide through from the bottom and done. No fuss, no muss.

Unless there is a sonic or some other difference it's certainly a better design from a function standpoint. I actually emailed them that question as part of a potential custom order but got no reply so no custom order.
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Old 04-15-2021, 05:43 AM
Tøf Tøf is offline
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My first Emerald had a pinless bridge (costly option at that time!) and the 2nd string slot was quite whimsical. I tried a new X20 since then and there was no problem with the slots. I still don't like this system though, but it's a matter of preference.

When I ordered my X30 I asked for a simpler string-through bridge, and it worked flawlessly. The only condition is to have access under the bridge through the sound hole, meaning no Anthem pickup possible (except if you have tiny forearms!).
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Old 04-17-2021, 06:55 AM
Irishrep Irishrep is offline
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Innovation is good. Well thought out innovation is better. I am at the point that i have no real idea of what an Emerald guitar is these days. I say that in a sad way, not a critical way. I have held off buying anything new from Emerald for that reason. I know they have started to standardize some things, but this half baked pinless bridge needs to be “painless” to be an improvement. They have also eliminated the molded in bridge - without any real announcement of the change that I know of. I do not want to bash them - i purchased two from them and would like to buy more. Build promise dates confidence is critical in the long run for any company, regardless of what you manufacture. I understand the Covid issues but lets get real.
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Old 04-17-2021, 08:24 AM
jklotz jklotz is offline
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Alistair specifically said the reason for this design was to maximize the strings energy that gets transfered to the top. Maybe it's because I've had guitars with bigsby's, slot heads, etc, etc, but I really don't see what the big deal is. Just bend the ball end and keep a little tension on the string. It's not that difficult, and you don't need pins or clamps. I think you guys are making a mountain out of a mole hill.
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Old 04-17-2021, 08:29 AM
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David Eastwood David Eastwood is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by jklotz View Post
Alistair specifically said the reason for this design was to maximize the strings energy that gets transfered to the top. Maybe it's because I've had guitars with bigsby's, slot heads, etc, etc, but I really don't see what the big deal is. Just bend the ball end and keep a little tension on the string. It's not that difficult, and you don't need pins or clamps. I think you guys are making a mountain out of a mole hill.
If that’s the case, that’s exactly as it should be

And thanks for the perspective check. I used to own a Rickenbacker 12-string, and changing strings on that thing was truly an exercise in patience and dexterity.
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Old 04-17-2021, 03:48 PM
jdrnd jdrnd is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by jklotz View Post
I think bending the ball end of the string before putting it in solves most of the headache. Bend it, insert it and put a little tension on it. It's not difficult to feel wether or not it is taught against the bridge plate and into the slot. It's easier for me that stringing my bigsby equipped guitars. Honestly, I'm not sure what the big deal is.
I just restrung my X-30. This time tried Elixir PB nanoweb medium 13-56.

This is my second string change. It still took 45 minutes. I tried using a bridge pin. If you push it in too much it knocks out the ball end. I had the string pop out of the bridge on multiple occasions after I thought I had tightened it. It bent the ball end as you described. It helped... a little. A motorized peg turner also helped.
It is harder not easier to use a pinless bridge. It takes practice. I assume after the 10th string change I will have it back down to 15 or 20 minutes.

By the way, the Elixir PB mediums sound spectacular. Weird unusual "B" string though. Its louder than the other strings. I looked inside with a flashlight. All of the strings are sitting comfortably in their respective slots.
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Old 04-17-2021, 07:02 PM
boneuphtoner boneuphtoner is offline
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It takes practice. I assume after the 10th string change I will have it back down to 15 or 20 minutes.
I hear you - I did my first string change earlier this week and I’ll bet I spent over 2.5 hours (after the first hour of getting no where, I put it away for the night in total frustration). But I did get it done, but one of the things that really bugged me is I kept having to insert one hand in the sound hole to guide it in the slot. I was amazed when I saw this video how they just locked it without any of that stuff.

So today, after using my usual Martin PB strings for 3 days, I decided that there seemed to be a little more presence in the trebles with the stock strings, which were EXP19s (medium bass, light trebles). I had an extra set of light strings around, so I took the treble strings and installed them on the X30 - essentially turning it back into the stock Bluegrass gauge strings, although a Martin one and not D’Addario. I swore I was not going to make this harder that it needed to be and I would try using their technique of letting it catch in the groove on the outside instead of sticking my hand in the sound hole to do it. And I did it - I’m not 100% proficient yet, as both the E and B strings had the ball end come out one time each when I removed the bridge pin after I started winding up. You have to really pull hard as you insert the temporary bridge pin. The G string was installed with no hiccups. The good news, even with the hiccups, is that I did this all in 15 minutes. At that rate, to install 6 strings, that would take 30 minutes - which is well over double the time it normally takes me, but significantly better than before.

You will get better with practice! Earlier in the week I did attempt to install a string without the bridge pin/tee trick like they showed in the video - I still can’t figure out how they managed to keep tension on the string the whole time, while trimming/winding the string. If I can prevent the string from coming out when I remove the bridge pin close to 100% of the time, I’m confident I can come very close to my standard time.
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