![]() (We haven’t had an order for strings from a customer named ‘Clarke Kent’ as yet so we’re assuming he’s probably more of a drummer!)Īs a result, getting this part right definitely becomes a bit of a “feel” thing. Of course, our biggest issue here is that once the string is placed in the hole, unless you are Superman with X-Ray vision it’s nigh on impossible to see where the ball end is sitting. Once this happens, that’s our cue to pounce and push the pin in place. We need to feed the string down the hole first, place our bridge pin in (gently!…don’t push it all the way down yet) then slowly pull the string back up until the ball end hits the underside of the guitar. So how do we ensure the ball end is where it needs to be? If these are not filed and smoothed away, the ball end can get caught up in these splinters which can prevent it from coming all the way up too.** **Something to be mindful of – Where some acoustic guitars are manufactured to a certain budget, you may find that when they drill the holes through the bridge, the wood around the underside of the holes can splinter. (See image below) The issue with the ball end residing in this position is again, once we begin to wind the string around the tuner, any increasing tension in the string will cause the ball end to act as a lever and push the pin up and out. Another place the ball end of the string usually ends up is caught directly underneath the bottom of the bridge pin. As this happen, the ball end will inevitably pop up.Ģ. As a result, when the string is tightened up by the machineheads, the increasing tension will keep pulling this “excess” string up until the ball end eventually sits underneath the bridge plate. ![]() Before the string is “secured” in position there may have been a little more string still yet to be pulled up. ![]() The pin may have been pushed down prematurely. Well this is where the string has “slipped” and what has probably happened here is one of two things ġ. Have you ever been tuning up your strings then “pop”… all of a sudden the pitch drops? You look down at the bridge and that pesky bridge pin has stuck its head above the parapet. What happens if the string isn’t sat directly underneath the bridge plate? If you take a look at the image below, you’ll be able to see exactly what you’re aiming for. If you can get this first part of the restring process done correctly, you’re on to a winner and it will make life a lot easier when it comes to winding the strings on and tuning up. Once it’s there, we can then push the pin down and secure the string in place. The ball end should be directly underneath the top of the guitar and butted snugly up against the bridge plate. ![]() So where does the string and pin need to be?īefore the pin is fully pushed down and has secured the ball end of our string in position, we need to ensure the ball end is brought up as high as it can go without reappearing from the hole. Well yes, essentially this is what the process involves, however, there are a few things to be mindful of to ensure the pin doesn’t pop out whenever it wants, and let’s face it, it’s always at the most inconvenient moment. “Surely it’s just a process of putting the ball end down the hole and shoving the pin in, right!?“ Bridge pins play a very similar role to that of a tailpiece or bridge on an electric guitar which stops the string being pulled all the way through. So what exactly is a bridge pin’s purpose?Ī bridge pin acts a little bit like a doorstop and holds the string in position so that when we start to wind it around the machine heads (or tuners.tomatoe, tomato), the ball end stays put and allows us to bring the string up to pitch without it flinging out. However, that being said, one of the most common reasons players experience frustration with their bridge pins is because they haven’t been fitted correctly. Whilst many guitars are quite happy to be fitted with standard sized bridge pins, a smaller number of guitars may require bridge pins that are sized and shaped differently. We often receive messages from customers telling us that they’re struggling to find a set of bridge pins that fit their acoustic guitar properly, or that their bridge pins keep popping out. ![]()
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