Name: Matt Date: 8/12/2011 Review: Bone Bridge Pins Rating you give the Bone Bridge Pins: 4 - Highly recommend it Likes: Ordered a set of bone bridge pins with ebony inlay for my 2006 Guild F50. My Taylor 710CE came from the factory with ebony pins. Bone vs. Tusq I know this has probably been discussed before, but I am curious as to any insight concerning bone vs. tusq - not fosilized ivory, just cow bone. High quality precision acoustic guitar bridge pins, end pins and strap buttons. Bridge pins hook the strings’ ball ends to the bridge plate, which is located under the bridge. I replaced the plastic saddle and pins … Fig. I'm not making a useful contribution to this thread and should just be quiet. The bone pins at Maury's Music are a fine example. This is the brand name for an alternate man-made material that is often used today in place of traditional bone or ivory for acoustic guitar saddles and nuts. 3) Fossilized Mammoth Ivory for $ 110/set Bridge pin set, slotted (6 pcs.) Now that we’ve gone over everything, let’s have a quick recap.eval(ez_write_tag([[300,250],'killerguitarrigs_com-box-4','ezslot_4',148,'0','0'])); If it were me, I would pick Tusq every time. Tusq. Stock bridge and pins next to the installed Colosi bridge and pins. I replaced my saddle and bridge pins on my 810 with bone components from Bob. Cheap plastic saddles just "thunk" with no ringing component to the sound. Gibson uses a lot of Micarta for their nuts and bridge saddles. What are the advantages of a Tusq nut Vs Bone Nut? TUSQ nuts, saddles and bridge pins are precision engineered under high pressure and heat, specifically to govern which frequencies are transferred to your guitar top … As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases. Set of 6 bone bridge pins and 1 end pin, slotted. Otherwise, I really cannot perceive much of a difference between bone, plastic, ebony or Tusq… The six-piece set is … While bone and ivory both have a reputation for big open lows and clear bell like highs, they are both natural materials, and as such are quite inconsistent. Best Electric Guitar Starter Kits for Beginners, Best Kids Guitars – Acoustic, Electric, and Bass, Epiphone Les Paul Custom Classic Pro 2020 Review – Custom Looks, Affordable Price. And YET.....  people swear up and down they hear big differences in strings. Bone Bridge Pins: Exotic bone materials are rare and expensive for obvious reasons, these pins are said to add a bit more bottom end and sustain. There’s also the fact that bone nuts need to be lubricated, either with graphite or a product such as nut sauce, otherwise strings can catch in the slots. Cheap plastic saddles just "thunk" with no ringing component to the sound. Graph Tech also makes a “TUSQ derivative” they call NuBone. The result is an increase in volume and sustain, without sacrificing the low-end, or richness, of the guitar’s tone. Buy It Now +C $3.83 shipping. In addition, they are extremely durable and will last significantly longer than most bridge pins on the market today. What makes Dragon Heart Picks so popular? Graph Tech also makes a “TUSQ derivative” they call NuBone. I have experimented quite extensively with bridge pins, including bone (from various sources, fossilised and otherwise), tusq, brass, ebony, etc., and would say that whether or not they make a difference is generally down to the guitar itself. Taylor puts bone nuts and saddles on the 9 series. That said, moving from bone to Tusq or Tusq to bone is generally considered a bad use of money when done for it’s own sake. They will also be different from blank to blank, and you’ll need to try several to find the best one. Available in packs of six only*. Tusq Bridge Pins. Final trimming required. with Pearloid dot and end pin. Article + … 3) Fossilized Mammoth Ivory for $ 110/set Frank | forum intro #1331 [maybe one more guitar ... maybe not; one never knows ...]. How to hang a guitar on the wall without drilling/no screws, Harley Benton HB-35 Review – Best Budget 335, 7 Best Guitar Books in 2020 for Beginners through Advanced Players, Movements’ Ira George – “Working with Will Yip has been a match made in heaven”, War On Women’s Brooks Harlan – “We couldn’t suck in front of a crowd waiting to see Propagandhi or Refused”, BRKN LOVE’s Justin Benlolo – “We had no clue that the world was going to fall apart”. We make guitar pins of: 1) North American Cattle Bone for $39.95/set. Man-made ivory from Graph Tech, for enhanced tone and sustain. C $15.30. Tusq goes "Plonk" - not as bright sounding. In addition to clarity, bone bridge pins also significantly increase the treble and sustain of an acoustic guitar, too. Unbleached bone makes a slightly louder "plink" noise than bleached bone. One quick way to hear the pronounced difference between bone and Tusq is by dropping the blanks on a hard tile floor. Micarta is a synthetic bone. 2) Fossil Walrus Jawbone for $74.95/set. It was a story about how easily people fool themselves. Tusq will slot consistently and wear concisely, which means consistent tone and sustain. Choose classic ebony, add an extra touch of style with ebony and abalone dots, or opt for a minimalist look with black plastic. Over the years I’ve owned dozens of guitars and who knows how many pedals, playing everything from punk to polka. You can buy one off the shelf and get exactly what you expect. Every material sounds different, and bone is probably the most inconsistent between various blanks, but a good well-cut bone nut is hard to beat. Tusq. The higher the pitch, the higher the density and the closer to fret density you’ll be. Hanging the saddle of the guitar has more effect on the tone of a guitar as compared to bridge pins. Best bone acoustic guitar bridge pins, Made in USA. I have done this to all guitars I have bought with tusq saddles and always thought it a worthy upgrade. I had a luthier install a Colosi bone saddle in my 814ce and have been pleased with the results. When upgrading a guitar, the nut is often the first place people look, particularly when attempting to improve tuning stability. Do you put EQ before or after compression? Frankly I think that's a real stretch, even if theoretically true. The guitar has a much richer sound, a long sustain and terrifically responsive dynamics. "TUSQ nuts and saddles have improved the sustain and clarity of our guitars. I can state with a fair degree of confidence that, from the analytic viewpoint, that test is a load of rubbish with more holes than a decent Swiss cheese. The six-piece set … It's designed to transfer string energy more efficiently, to make guitars come alive with enhanced harmonics, volume and sustain. With bone nut and saddle, between 10 and 18 seconds. Frank Ford posted a story about bridge pins--probably more than a decade ago. A significant part of my PhD and subsequent career was based on the design and subsequent analysis of trials designed to establish the statistical significance, or otherwise, of small differences. Bone Bridge Pins: Exotic bone materials are rare and expensive for obvious reasons, these pins are said to add a bit more bottom end and sustain. We make guitar pins of: 1) North American Cattle Bone for $39.95/set. As some others have said here, it may or may not be an improvement. 1) See our PIN SIZE GUIDE CHART BELOW (Scroll a lot to get it all) to select the pin size that is right for your make and model. You also need to lubricate bone or ivory nuts, whereas Tusq XL nuts are self lubricating. Our Size 2A pins will fit the same way. Find pins with a 3-degree taper or 5-degree taper to suit nearly all Martin guitars, Taylor guitars, Gibson guitars -and many other brands, including most vintage guitars. Disclosure: Links below are affiliate links, meaning I get a commission if you make a purchase through my links, at no extra cost to you. Something else that users mentioned is that bone and ivory will typically stay white, whereas Tusq will darken over time – one person even said they took in a guitar for repair where they couldn’t distinguish between the nut and the rosewood fingerboard.Watch this video on YouTube. One forum user shared an experience they had during a class with renowned master luthier Dan Erlewine.eval(ez_write_tag([[728,90],'killerguitarrigs_com-medrectangle-4','ezslot_10',147,'0','0'])); Even with bone blanks they will often sound different. Some have argued that each affects tone in different ways, with brass being the brightest and wood and bone offering excellent sustain. Plastic Bridge Pins. Let’s look at why. Drop a plastic nut and you’ll hear just about nothing. To be fair, Frank was not presenting it as a scientific test of anything. Any time I read about an "experiment" in which there is a player who must play exactly the same each time (and always testifies that he was really really careful to do so), I bemoan the lack of understanding of scientific methodology that is rampant (unless it's an experiment to test whether a player can actually play the same every time). Tusq on the other hand is a synthetic material, and as such will be consistent not only within the nut, but from one to the other. But that can also be a subjective matter, just … I then made a new saddle out of a bone blank from Stewart McDonald and the original tone came roaring back. 7 JetBoy55 5 years ago ... saddle and bridge pins!). The tusq nut and saddle on my DN4 looked ratty after just a few months. Bone Bridge Pins 2. Tusq tends to produce notes that have more sustain and many find the tone much clearer and sharper. Traditionally, bridge pins were made of ebony or bone and they didn’t have slots drilled in them. Bone Bridge Pins 2. Final trimming required. Get a low price and free shipping on thousands of items. Get the guaranteed best price on Bridge Pins like the Graph Tech Tusq Ivory Acoustic Guitar Bridge Pins at Musician's Friend. Graphtech PP3000 Tusq Black Bridge Pin Set (6pcs) PP-3000-00 Graphtech Tusq Martin 2mm Acoustic Bridge Pins (Black - White Dot) Set of 6 Graphtech Taylor Tusq Acoustic Saddle Compensated 1/8 inch Graph Tech TUSQ Acoustic Guitar Saddle - Compensated Martin 3/32" Regular(Ivory) Graph Tech TUSQ Martin Acoustic Guitar Slotted Nut TUSQ Bridge Pins, on the other hand, are precision engineered under high pressure and heat specifically to deliver the maximum amount of vibration directly to the top of your guitar. We also have bone bridge pins and black horn bridge pins. Tusq XL nuts on the other hand are self lubricating, so offer improved tuning stability without having any maintenance.eval(ez_write_tag([[468,60],'killerguitarrigs_com-medrectangle-3','ezslot_9',145,'0','0'])); While the difference between the two isn’t as pronounced as going from a cheap plastic nut to a bone or Tusq nut, there are definitely some advantages with Tusq. % BP-2847 Unslotted Ebony Bridge Pins … The product protects the bridge and the bridge plate. Got the action right but never happy with the sound. Plastic Bridge Pins. Nearly all the pins we sell can be paired with a matching end pin, or strap pin. 16 product ratings - NEW - Graph Tech Tusq Bridge Pins Martin Style, White, Black Dot, PP-1122-00 Get the guaranteed best price on Bridge Pins like the Graph Tech Tusq Ivory Acoustic Guitar Bridge Pins at Musician's Friend. Really this is down to the user, but at the end of the day, the consensus is that Tusq sustains longer, has more volume, and has an overall more brilliant sound. Bridge bone pins increase the purity of the essential notes, which helps out cheap guitars with bolt-on necks. I put zero stock in any of these tests. Graph Tech PP-1122-00 Tusq Traditional Style Bridge Pins White With Black Inlay. Disclosure: Links below are affiliate links, meaning I get a commission if you make a purchase through my links, at no extra cost to you. Or, do they achieve something that the big-name brands have overlooked despite being around for decades? The one no brainer is replacing plastic bridge pins with ebony, tusq, bone, heck I don't care. My dealer installed a Colosi bone nut and saddle. GraphTech PP-1122-00 TUSQ Bridge pins. Are they just another eccentric guitar pick in a market flooded with unconventional designs? Tusq or bone saddle is a good upgrade from the plastic, and noticeably better in tone. The plastic pins seemed a little weaker to me but maybe that is because I don't like plastics. He pulled out a handfull of various blanks and had me listen to the various sounds when dropped on a hard surface. I had a luthier install a Colosi bone saddle in my 814ce and have been pleased with the results. I think tusq is a definite step down I managed to shave too much off my stock bone saddle on my BR160 and replaced it with tusq. Something else to consider is that all Tusq nuts will sound the same, whereas you’ll find great variance between bone nuts. An Unofficial forum for those who love Martin instruments - Founded by Steve Stallings. So, let’s compare their similarities and differences in terms of performance, looks, and overall tonality. The product protects the bridge and the bridge plate. For example, in this case the differences in how he played the harmonics is readily noticed. Share . Available in convenient ready-made shapes and sizes, TUSQ ® bridge saddles are preferred by many acoustic guitarmakers for rich tone and sustain. Suspended by those two large screws, it gives the guitar a nice bit of archtop vibe. The denser bone or ivory pins transmit the sound … This is the site where I share everything I’ve learned. 8 product ratings - Genuine Bone Bridge Pin Peg & 3mm Abalone Inlay TUSQ size for Acoustic Guitar. In addition, they are extremely durable and will last significantly longer than most bridge pins on the market today. The bone goes along the entire length of the top of the bridge piece. I want consistency in tuning, and I don’t want my strings to start ringing in different ways becuase they’ve hit a soft spot in the material. A bone nut will produce something of a ring, while Tusq has a pronounced ring, almost musical on it’s own. Share . We have a simple 2 step process to help you purchase the correct pins:. Tonally, does tusq have even more brilliance and sustain than bone? Tusq Nut vs Bone: Similarities and Differences. Performance: Tusq nuts have gone on to become standard in high quality guitars from manufacturers such as Taylor, Gibson and Tacoma.Watch this video on YouTube. GraphTech PP-1122-00 TUSQ Bridge pins. *Abalone dot bridge pins are available to ship within the United States only. The Tusq bridge pins are ideal for moderate treble and volume to the Martin guitars. I sometimes use ebony, but prefer either to any bone or ivory that I've tried. TUSQ is an advanced polymer that's formed under high heat and pressure for uniform density. Nearly all the pins we sell can be paired with a matching end pin, or strap pin. Find pins with a 3-degree taper or 5-degree taper to suit nearly all Martin guitars, Taylor guitars, Gibson guitars -and many other brands, including most vintage guitars. Antique Acoustics and Waverly solid pins are plastic, but in my opinion preferable to just about anything else on the market. It was well worth it. Bridge pins are super easy to replace – and they often need replacing because often manufacturers will save costs by using cheap plastic. I would be hard pressed to tell which was which if I was blindfolded. Man-made ivory from Graph Tech, for enhanced tone and sustain. Graph Tech PP-2122-00 TUSQ Traditional Style Bridge Pin Set - Black with 2mm White Dot Inlay (set of 6) TUSQ Martin Bridge Pin Set, 2mm - Black with White Dot (6 Pcs) $ 19 .99 Bone Guitar Bridge Pins. I’ve been playing guitar since my brother taught me to play Wild Thing when I was seven years old. High quality precision acoustic guitar bridge pins, end pins and strap buttons. Only a plastic nut is cheaper. Bone offers everything Tusq provides, but in bigger doses. On my '61 Gibson B45-12 with the ADJ bridge, I have tried both tusq and bone but ended up going back to the original rosewood saddle. >> Bone Bridge Pins >> Tusq Bridge Pins >> Ebony Bridge Pins. This is my sound comparison on Dreadnought acoustic guitar between plastic bridge pins and bone bridge pins. Share this page: By Sweetwater on Oct 17, 2008, 12:00 AM. Of course, many folks on these lists would say that it's invalid if there is not a player in the loop, so we're never going to agree. Graphtech PP3000 Tusq Black Bridge Pin Set (6pcs) PP-3000-00 Graphtech Tusq Martin 2mm Acoustic Bridge Pins (Black - White Dot) Set of 6 Graphtech Taylor Tusq Acoustic Saddle Compensated 1/8 inch Graph Tech TUSQ Acoustic Guitar Saddle - Compensated Martin 3/32" Regular(Ivory) Graph Tech TUSQ Martin Acoustic Guitar Slotted Nut Tusq is a brand name of synthetic ivory that is rapidly growing in popularity due to its clean, bright tones. TUSQ nuts boast “permanent lubrication” and definitely deliver in the self–lubrication category, being easy to shape. Unbleached bone makes a slightly louder "plink" noise than bleached bone. When comparing plastic and a bone, it’s clear that the bone will dominate. Altogether, it cost about $125. Mammoth Ivory with Abalone 6pk Bone and ivory bridge pins have one inherent problem - they're made from animals, which have have inconsistent dead spots, soft and hard sections because of their inherent grain. In additional to improving the looks of my guitar, the new bone bridge pins significantly increased sustain. Something else to consider is that all Tusq nuts will sound the same, whereas you’ll find great variance between bone nuts. Buffalo Horn sounds almost identical to bone, and is a great choice if you want a dark looking pin with bone tone. We are a participant in several affiliate programs including but not limited to the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites. 4.5 out of 5 stars. Replacing lost or worn bridge pins is now just a click away. There are plastics, and there are plastics. Bone vs. Tusq I know this has probably been discussed before, but I am curious as to any insight concerning bone vs. tusq - not fosilized ivory, just cow bone. I tried the Tusq XL. Wood Bridge Pins 4. I am going back to the old Tusq saddle on the 810 as it just sounds better than the bone saddle on this guitar. Bridge Pin, Nut, and Saddle comparison: Liquidmetal, Tusq, Ebony, Bone, Plastic Sweetwater did a very interesting comparison of the effect of various materials on tone. Color: Bone; Red Inlay; 6 bridge pins per set *Item not … TUSQ nuts, saddles and bridge pins are precision engineered under high pressure and heat, specifically to govern which frequencies are transferred to your guitar … What Howard said. 2) Then click on the red button below corresponding to your pin size. Bone Guitar Bridge Pins Martin, Gibson, Taylor, Collings, Santa Cruz etc. Ditto any experiment that relies for its results on the subjective impressions of self-selected observers listening to their computer's speakers (unless it's an experiment to test the computer speaker variable). Available in convenient ready-made shapes and sizes, TUSQ ® bridge saddles are preferred by many acoustic guitarmakers for rich tone and sustain. (I do not have this problem with any other bridge pins, plastic, wood, or bone -- only these TUSQ bridge pins) I cant even return them now that I havee altered them, the advice I received from TUSQ support (who by the way is very slow to respond to any questions, if they even answer at all). I got a first class setup while I was at it. TUSQ nuts boast “permanent lubrication” and definitely deliver in the self–lubrication category, being easy to shape. This therefore means they will have inconsistent soft or dead spots because of their natural grain. Ron Thorn. They are also increased to add a more focused singing up in higher harmonics and ring off the top voice. As bone and ivory will have soft spots, you may find they are hard to slot to the exact depth you want, and you may also find that they’ll wear unevenly over time. These unique pins are made out of natural bone. Ebony can add bass and warmth to your Martin, along with a significant increase in sustain & volume. If you are in the market in search for natural bone, carefully hand polished bridge pins for your acoustic guitar, look no further than the Luvay. I don't see any difference between "testing" pins and saddles and strings. The only thing I have noticed with different bridge pins is Tusq seems to accentuate sustain just a bit. Bridge pins come in various sizes and can be made from plastic, wood, ivory, bone, and even brass. I have tried both Bone & Soft Ivory pins.In my opinion there is a difference in tone when you compare plastic pin's to bone or ivory pin,s.Bone seems to bring out the high's and add's a bit more sustain than plastic.Soft ivory seems to be a bit warmer sounding than the bone pin's and add's more sustain.In my opinion adding a bone saddle & nut will make a bigger difference than the pin's … Stock nut next to the installed Colosi nut. So, to compensate for that and to allow for the strings to fit into the bridge, you had to take a small file and slot the bridge in the bridge plate to allow enough clearance for the string to go into the bridge. If you own a new Martin guitar, chances are the bridge pins are installed so that the head of the pin sticks up about 1/4" above the bridge. Just the fact that there's a player in the loop makes it invalid. 2005 D-18 Authentic 1937 Shade Top 1 of 4. The size 4.2D pins fit PERFECTLY, and look fantastic. Going back to plastic was huge, and then going to bone was very dramatic as well. While bone has long been the favoured material for nut upgrades, more and more people are opting to go for Tusq. Bone nuts seem to be a relic of a time with less choice. Tusq bridge pins offer an ethical alternative to those who don’t want to use animal products. To me, pins tend to sound much the same unless they're of radically different material, like putting brass in there, which probably effects the entire bridge assembly in horrible ways. Mammoth Ivory with Abalone 6pk Once a note is fretted, the nut is no longer part of the tonal equation. Bone Guitar Bridge Pins Martin, Gibson, Taylor, Collings, Santa Cruz etc. Copyright © 2020 Killer Guitar Rigs. #1 Luvay Guitar Bone Bridge Pins. >> Bone Bridge Pins >> Tusq Bridge Pins >> Ebony Bridge Pins. Made from bone, these pins will improve the acoustical properties of most guitars when replacing softer materials such as horn or wood. View on Amazon. Many luthiers say they will be slotting a nut and then run into a soft spot in the material that will means you can’t always get to the exact depth you want, and the slot might naturally deepen over time. % BP-0855 Slotted Dotted Bridge and End Pins from $20.00 . The maker of Tusq will tell you that bone, being natural, is subject to air pockets or something like that which CAN make them inconsistent from string to string if that ever happens to you. Tusq goes "Plonk" - not as bright sounding. 2) Fossil Walrus Jawbone for $74.95/set. Description Specs TUSQ nuts and saddles have rich tone without the inconsistency found in ivory, bone The problem with Bone and Ivory nuts & saddles is that they are organic materials. That tells the story for me. Metal Bridge Pins 3. They cost far less than pins of more exotic materials but offer classic looks and a noticeable increase in sound quality. Tusq or bone saddle is a good upgrade from the plastic, and noticeably better in tone. TUSQ is an advanced polymer that's formed under high heat and pressure for uniform density. Bridge pins are made of different materials, most commonly plastic, wood, bone and metal (like brass). This is the brand name for an alternate man-made material that is often used today in place of traditional bone or ivory for acoustic guitar saddles and nuts. It's designed to transfer string energy more efficiently, to make guitars come alive with enhanced harmonics, volume and sustain. More volume, dynamics and resonance, for sure. The PQ-1530-00 is a great option to upgrade or replace the nut on your mandolin. I've never played a guitar with a tusq nut, but have an acoustic with a bone nut. They add a remarkable amount of volume, clarity, sustain, and treble to your instrument.