Official Luthiers Forum!

Where are folks getting their unslotted bone bridge pins? Paying for Waverly pins seems insane when you can get good slotted pins at half the price. Looking for 3 degree taper.

Thanks!

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Tony Thatcher
Bozeman, Montana

My stock came from LMI - https://www.lmii.com/search?controller=search&s=bridge+pins+3+degree+unslotted
Search results not specifically unslotted, but they are in there.
Got some from bone ones china via ebay too.
Used to be a supplier in the States or Canada selling 3 degree unslotted wooden pins on ebay.com in bulk, but can't find him at the moment

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The name catgut is confusing. There are two explanations for the mix up.

Catgut is an abbreviation of the word cattle gut. Gut strings are made from sheep or goat intestines, in the past even from horse, mule or donkey intestines.

Otherwise it could be from the word kitgut or kitstring. Kit meant fiddle, not kitten.

I had an OLFer make mine and he did outstanding work. I'm trying to remember his name and it's escaping me but if you search on bridge pins and me as the author we may find it. Mine were unslotted, 3 degree and I would send him BRW and cocobolo to make mine and one time some African Blackwood.

All my guitars were 3 degree unslotted and every one of them the bridge plates look like new still.

Each one was individually made on his lathe and I don't think he was CNC either. Old school baby!

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Ann Arbor Guitars

I just fill the slots with little slips of Corian. Small slips of hardwood might work as well and give a "designer" element to the pin.

Bob Colosi of www.guitarsaddles.com

David Warther

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Stay with the happy people.
--Reynolds Large

I bought a couple of gross from Michael Gurian (gurianinstruments.com). I sent him a block of Persimmon and he turned them into pins. He said he had a machine that popped out one every 7 seconds. The cost was quite affordable. You have to contact them and work out your specifics.

Before that, I turned some myself. You know how to make a set of matching pins? You make a whole bunch and then sort them into sets where 6 sort of match. I still turn my own end pins and the larger bridge pins for acoustic basses.

You can just turn the slot towards the back and the unslotted side towards the saddle.

Mark no offense intended but I would advise against this.

Presumably someone asking for 3 degree, unslotted pins is going to do what you have to do when you use unslotted pins and that is slot the bridge plate, top and bridge. If you prepare the guitar, convert it or build it for unslotted pins and slotted pins are used and the slot is forward the string and string ball will damage the bridge plate very, very quickly. It's effectively doubling the clearance for the wrapped and ball end of the string and that permits the string ball to be pulled up the pin hole and lodge wherever it chews it's way to.

We've seen this before and the damage is so extensive to the bridge plate that capping was not appropriate and the plate had to be replaced or should have been replaced so that's what we did.

So sure you can turn the slots around but if you ever forget or someone else services the guitar or even restrings it and is not knowledgable about slotless conversions substantial and expensive damage to the guitar can result.

Just better to use unslotted pins and keep it simple.

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Ann Arbor Guitars

I hear that Hesh, but I have noticed I can remove my unslotted bridge pins and still have the strings under tension.

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The name catgut is confusing. There are two explanations for the mix up.

Catgut is an abbreviation of the word cattle gut. Gut strings are made from sheep or goat intestines, in the past even from horse, mule or donkey intestines.

Otherwise it could be from the word kitgut or kitstring. Kit meant fiddle, not kitten.

Thanks for the ideas, all. I sure can't find any bone unslotted pins on LMII. They are my usual go to for pins, but since finally getting on the slotted bridge bandwagon, I can't find any for a reasonable price from the standard sources. Seems that unslotted should be cheaper than the slotted! I sent LMI a message to see if they are hidden somewhere. And it seems their out of stock for a lot of Bone pins. Perhaps I'll try some wood ones.

For now I'll turn my pins backwards until I can track down some unslotted pins.

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Tony Thatcher
Bozeman, Montana

Japarts in Vancouver Canada has them.
japarts.ca

Might have been Burton LeGeyt.

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formerly known around here as burbank
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http://www.patfosterguitars.com

If you turn them 1/4 turn instead of halfway the tip doesn't collapse as easily.
Hey! Just searched for "unslotted" pins at LMII and they listed Ebony and Rosewood 3 degree pins.

Wish I'd said that

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The name catgut is confusing. There are two explanations for the mix up.

Catgut is an abbreviation of the word cattle gut. Gut strings are made from sheep or goat intestines, in the past even from horse, mule or donkey intestines.

Otherwise it could be from the word kitgut or kitstring. Kit meant fiddle, not kitten.

Nope not Burton and I'm still trying to remember who it was they did great work.

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Ann Arbor Guitars

Sure that's because the string balls are over the slots and not between the pin and the slot from an unslotted pin. It's very possible for an slotted pin slot forward to not push the string ball back into the slot in the plate, top and bridge and when that happens if you pull that pin the string comes up too. This is when the string ball does the most damage to the bridge plate when it's slotted for unslotted pins and slotted pins are used.

Dave Collins did a presentation on this at the Northwood Seminar using examples of bridge plates going back to 1870. It's an interesting subject how with the advent of cheap, molded bridge pins this part of guitar construction changed.

If I remember I'll take some pics of his presentation that is on our wall and post it.

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Ann Arbor Guitars

I would offer that Hesh may be thinking of Custom Inlay for bridge pins
https://custominlay.com/shop/ols/produc ... dot-inlays

Hey Mike, hope you are doing great.

No not them who made mine was just a member here and he did not have a company of sorts or was affiliated with one. A man with a lathe so-to-speak

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Ann Arbor Guitars

Found it, it was Louis!!! Louis sorry for my bad memory I'm like WIllie Nelson and a life long pot smoker.

http://www.luthiersforum.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=10102&t=14415&hilit=+BRW+bridge+pins+

So no clue what-ups up with Louis these days it's been a long time since we were in touch.

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Ann Arbor Guitars

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Ann Arbor Guitars

Hey Chris Ensor, after reading that thread Hesh linked, I think we have a new Elevate tool for you to make One-pass bridge pin head cutter for lathe. I know I'd like to have one.

My favorite material for bridge pins is sycamore sticks from the back yard. They have a nice radial pattern, and similar color to the boxwood pins LMI sells. Fairly soft, but with a slotted bridge the strings aren't bearing on the pins when under tension.

They look real nice, Hesh. The unslotted pins I use (Gurian) aren’t as nicely finished as those.

There was an OLF gathering 8 or 10 years ago that was hosted in someone's buisness in Lake Zurich, Illinois. I don't recall his name but he was making bridge pins.
Kent