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Change from plastic to bone


Richie321

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Hi guys i was thinking as i mentioned in another post that i was wanting a bone saddle. A few days i got my self some bone buffalo bridge pins

And after stringing the guitar back up with 12 gauge gibson strings i do feel that im hearing a difference .now im not necessarily saying this is because of bone pins all though i do think they have a small part. But i think the sound could all so do with the fact ive jumped from light gauge strings up to 12s.but my question is this is it really necessary to change pins saddle and nut to get the sound you want.can it be possible to just change one and leave the rest.ive got 12-53 gauge gibsons on.atm.but ive got some elixir pollyweb 12-56gauge to put on

Thanks Richie

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Every guitar differs as does every listening ear. I have some guitar's where different combinations work best. So sometimes it's only a matter of changing one thing, some guitar's it's more, some guitars it is not changing anything.

 

Hope this helps.

 

QM aka Jazzman Jeff

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The choice of bridge pins has no effect on sound, and the impact of switching from ABS to bone saddle and bone nut is negligable. All these upgrades do add to the bling of the guitar, though, and that alone may be worth the investment for you.

 

Changing strings, on the other hand, does have an immediate and actual impact on the sound of your guitar especially when switching string types and gauges or simply when installing a new, fresh set of strings.

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Every guitar differs as does every listening ear. I have some guitar's where different combinations work best. So sometimes it's only a matter of changing one thing, some guitar's it's more, some guitars it is not changing anything. Hi thanks for that reply cheers

 

 

Hope this helps.

 

QM aka Jazzman Jeff

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It's Ok to debate whether changing pins, saddles, and such makes any difference - but my thought is that there's a difference if you hear one and there's not if you don't. Once your guitar sounds good to you, it's time to stop experimenting and enjoy playing. After all, you don't have to make anyone else happy, just you☺

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It's Ok to debate whether changing pins, saddles, and such makes any difference - but my thought is that there's a difference if you hear one and there's not if you don't. Once your guitar sounds good to you, it's time to stop experimenting and enjoy playing. After all, you don't have to make anyone else happy, just you☺

Well said mate thank you

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I have mod'd almost every guitar I've owned for almost all of my life...here is what I think:

 

If you feel your guitar's tone is lacking, the first thing to change from plastic to bone is the saddle...just be aware that your bridge must be firmly attached to the soundboard...and you will notice a greater difference if your soundboard is solid wood than if it is a laminate product. There will also be a difference in tonal inprovement depending on whether your guitar is rather new and the cells are still full of cytoplasm, or if the guitar has some age on it and the wood has had a chance to "age in", which results from the cytoplasm inside the cells drying up and therefore creating more "resonant space" inside the cells. Imagine the difference in tone you will percieve if you tap a wine glass with thin walls compared to tapping an equivalent wine glass with thick walls...the one with thin walls will ring much more loudly as well as longer...try it!

 

As for the nut, I always change that out at the same time I change out the saddle and with the same product...I like the appearance when both match! Changing out the nut has little, if any, impact on the guitar's tone...but I usually detect better sustain. That is not the reason to change out the nut, though. The real reason I change out the nut is longevity. The wound strings can have much the same effect as a nut-file (which is actually just a very small, precisely sized rat-tailed file), and over time the wound strings will cause the plastic nut to wear the nut slots deeper...and then you need a new nut, anyway, so get both done at the same time, you'll save $$ and the aggravation of having to replace the nut later (...and at a time when it is usually decidedly inconvenient...Murphy's Law is ALWAYS in effect)!!!

 

As for the bridge pins, I agree that there is no impact on tone, volume or sustain...but sometimes bone pins can be problematic because variations in temperature and humidity can cause the wood from which the bridge is made to swell and shrink. If you replace the plastic pins with bone (or ivory, fossilized walrus tusk,etc.) at a time when the wood is at low humidity and the holes for the bridge pins are enlarged (and most of us make sure the bridge pins are pressed into the bridge's holes quite firmly) when the wood from which the bridge is made swells with increased humidity there is a good chance that the bridge can develop splits/cracks from the increased "grip". If you really need to change out your bridge pins, get wooden pins and splitting will not be a problem.

 

As for going to larger size strings, I always notice the increase in volume...but if I need greater volume I just switch to a heavier gauge flatpick and I get greater volume without having to suffer from the increased tension on the neck and the increased wear/tear on the fingertips on my left hand caused by the heavier strings (yes, I am right handed).

 

I haven't even started on the differences these changes/improvements make on guitars equipped with spruce soundboards as compared to cedar soundboards (or even redwood soundboards, with which both my concert grade Hippner classical guitar and my custom shop Breedlove 000 Revival instruments are constructed)...another time??

 

Gotta admit, though... my favorite guitar, by far, and the one that gets the most play time, is my beloved Epuphone AJ500RC!!! It is still box-stock and I use .011-.053 light gauge strings....changed the strings out just today. Man, I loves me the sound of some new strings!!!

 

Cheers!!

 

"Dugly"

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