Switched to bone pins, liked their contribution to tone

[Shishigashira]

So I've had an E20D-TC for about a year now.  Getting to know the guitar has been very interesting.  Fit and finish and looks are outstanding on it, but the tone has always been a bit off in my mind.  And by that I mean that it wasn't delivering in the power and clarity that I wanted out of the guitar. 

So far two changes have helped dramatically IMO.  The first one was moving from phosphor bronze strings to 80/20.  To my ear, the 80/20s have helped with note separation and clarity when I strum.  

A second change, and arguably even more dramatic, has been to move from light gauge strings to mediums.  The medium 80/20s really move the top and the whole guitar now reverberates.  The tone is much more assertive while still being clear.  I've had guitars go somewhat dead on me with mediums (chocked the top) so I wasn't expecting this one to go in the other direction.  But this one will be on mediums for the foreseeable future.  

And finally, and the top of this post, is that I bought some unbleached bone pins from amazon.  They are super affordable, so I wasn't going for top quality.  I just wanted to compare them to the ebony pins and see if I notice any difference.  I've switched from plastic pins to ebony before and with one guitar I noticed a big immediate difference.  With the other, I didn't notice much at all, although I prefer the look so I left them on.  

The E20D-TC had ebony pins on and they were in fine shape.  But I noticed that most Martins have bone pins on their D28 / HD28 guitars so I wanted to see if it changed anything.  Much to my surprise, the guitar improved noticeable to my ear.  Now, part of that was that loosening and tightening the strings seems to liven them up.  But even a week or two later, the guitar has improved sustain and sharpened up the tone, which is something I was looking for.   So overall quite pleased with the change.  And for about $10, it is a no brainer to try for me.  Oh and the pins just dropped right in with no adjustment which is key.  

I'd definitely recommend trying it out.

[Pura Vida]

I've always said that the guitar, strings (type, gauge), and listener's ears all need to find the right combination, so I'm happy you found the magic combo for your E20D-TC.

Bridge pins are funny... and kinda like a Tonerite conversation, where some people notice a difference, while others don't.  My take (which I got from someone else, whom I respect greatly) is that the material is less important than the change in mass.  I'm not sure what the difference is between Ebony and Bone, but it was obviously enough to cause a positive difference in sound transference.  Maybe the change in string gauge from light to medium strings factored into the pin mass equation.  So many moving factors to optimize the sound, and unique to the guitar and listener too!

[SneakyDeaky]

I have obsessed over bridge pins for years on many guitars. I've tried bone, buffalo Horn, rosewood and ebony and I believe wholeheartedly they make an obvious difference. I also accept that it's perhaps a minor difference that only enthusiasts like us would worry about. 

IME: 

Bone  - More sizzle and sustain - slightly too bright/sharp/high frequency for me every time I use bone
Ebony - Dampens the tone slightly and warms the tone, but I personally feel ebony dampens the guitar's high end/sparkle too much, tried ebony so many times and I still don't like it
Rosewood - Should sound really close to ebony - not to my ears - brighter than ebony, with warmth over plastic - my 2nd favourite. Looks great on a rosewood bridge
Buffalo Horn - My personal favourite - like bone, more sustain and more definition/articulation but not as sharp to my ears. Always sound great to me!

Larry Gragg, who was a guitar tech for Neil Young, once suggested a hybrid set, from his website. 

"In the September 2006 issue of the ToneQuest Report, I talked about the importance bridge pins play in the tone of the guitar. This is a simple modification that is often overlooked. If your guitar has plastic bridge pins, your tone is not what it could be. 

I recommend using water buffalo horn for the three high strings, which makes the highs more brilliant; and ebony for the three low strings, which brings more oomph to the lows."

I have tried this a few times with good results. You can try just 2 buffalo horn on the high strings and ebony for the other 4 for more warmth, or my favourite hybrid is 4 buffalo horn pins and two ebony pins on the low E and A strings.

[Shishigashira]

Interesting.  Can't say I've seen a guitar with two different types of pins at the same time.  Also, buffalo horn doesn't seem all that easy to find.  But I'll keep a look at to see if I find an affordable set.

[SneakyDeaky]

Are you based in the US or Europe? 

The bridge pins I haven't been able to try yet though I have literally read hundreds of posts praising them on the Martin and Acoustic forums are Antique Acoustic bridge pins from Elderly.com.

These are true replicas of original pins from the golden age and use a much harder plastic giving them a better tone than stock plastic and also much better durability.

Some come unslotted requiring a slotted bridge and they are not cheap... 

Acoustic Guitar Bridge Pins & Endpins (elderly.com)

Antique Acoustics Replica Martin Guitar Pin Set, Style 28 (1945-1966) (elderly.com)

I'm in the UK, but I eventually would like to try the slotted Gibson set for my E10SS 
 

[cjhorne]

"In the September 2006 issue of the ToneQuest Report, I talked about the importance bridge pins play in the tone of the guitar. This is a simple modification that is often overlooked. If your guitar has plastic bridge pins, your tone is not what it could be. I recommend using water buffalo horn for the three high strings, which makes the highs more brilliant; and ebony for the three low strings, which brings more oomph to the lows."

I prefer pins from the horn of the woolly mammoth, but they are just so difficult to find anymore.

https://guitarpartsandmore.com/products....ge-Pins-55

CJ

[TTiimm]

I've had excellent results with Waverly Ivoroid (Galalith) pins.

Unfortunately they don't come in the 3° taper required for Eastman guitars or they would be on my E10OM already.

[SneakyDeaky]

"In the September 2006 issue of the ToneQuest Report, I talked about the importance bridge pins play in the tone of the guitar. This is a simple modification that is often overlooked. If your guitar has plastic bridge pins, your tone is not what it could be. I recommend using water buffalo horn for the three high strings, which makes the highs more brilliant; and ebony for the three low strings, which brings more oomph to the lows."

I prefer pins from the horn of the woolly mammoth, but they are just so difficult to find anymore.

https://guitarpartsandmore.com/products....ge-Pins-55

CJ 

I have yet to try woolly mammoth bridge pins, and I didn't realize they could be shipped internationally. (I;m in the UK BTW)

But when I had my HD28, Strings Direct here put a woolly mammoth nut and saddle in for me. I believe the luthiere got them from allparts.com

I really think the guitar had an almost "creamy" sound to it afterwards.

[onepatrick]

And finally, and the top of this post, is that I bought some unbleached bone pins from amazon.  They are super affordable, so I wasn't going for top quality.  

You can get excellent bone pins affordably if you just search them out.

While pin material does make a difference that is often audible -- wood absorbs energy a bit more than bone, which transmits it -- fit is really important as well. Most people are unaware of pin taper or good fit, period, and with bone that can be a problem because it doesn't give and you can end up with bone pins that work but don't actually fit really closely, destroying any advantage they might have offered. Wooden pins are a little softer but they give a little and so you can actually get a closer fit and better tone than with ill-fitting bone pins. So I'm a fan of bone, but only when they're a good fit.