Replacing DR500MCE Bridge Pins

[Isakale]

Hi! You guys are so awesome!

I am getting a DR500MCE and since the nut and saddle are bone, I figured I may as well switch out the plastic bridge pins with better ones. Any suggestions?

 

I was thinking either ebony or ivory, but I heard buffalo horn is nice too.

 

I have another question... Are all bridge pins a universal size?

Will Taylor bridge pins on my Epiphone guitar fit?

Are bridge pins pretty much a universal size?

 

These interested me

http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/E…

 

I am not sure if the pins will fit into my guitar...

 

THANKS!!! :D

[gta05]

Hi Isakale, IMO no need to change the bridge pin. You better spend your money on a good set of string, care product or maintenance tools.

[Theidlersdream]

Hi Isakale, IMO no need to change the bridge pin. You better spend your money on a good set of string, care product or maintenance tools.

 

I agree, the difference that a good set of strings will make cannot be understated whereas the difference that new Bridge pins will make is negligible by comparison. Aesthetically speaking though, It couldn't hurt for your pins to match your bridge.

[GuitarLight]

I changed my DR-500mce pins out to these graph tech tusk ivory pins.They come in various colors.Changing pins is a small option which can change the tone of a guitar in a small way. I tried ebony pins on this guitar and did not like it, as it made it sound too dark.The plastic factory pins made it sound muffled. graph tech tusk ivory pins make mine play a bit more open as bright in my opinion.They are also life time pins which will never go bad.The tusk pins are designed to NOT have them pushed all the way in the bridge, but leave the heads sticking out evenly across, just enough for a pin puller to easily get under them. On this guitar I use Elixir nanoweb 80/20 light strings of gauge (.12 thru .53) ...but the choice is yours. I would wait till you get it and play it to see what you might want. But you will need strings...and as always, it is never a bad idea to get it set up by a luthier of even Guitar Center to see that it is playing as good as it should be! Good luck! Here are the ones I use.. remember to read the reviews and select a style if you intend to buy them here. http://www.musiciansfriend.com/accessories/graph-tech-tusq-ivory-acoustic-guitar-bridge-pins

[Isakale]

I changed my DR-500mce pins out to these graph tech tusk ivory pins.They come in various colors.Changing pins is a small option which can change the tone of a guitar in a small way. I tried ebony pins on this guitar and did not like it, as it made it sound too dark.The plastic factory pins made it sound muffled. graph tech tusk ivory pins make mine play a bit more open as bright in my opinion.They are also life time pins which will never go bad.The tusk pins are designed to NOT have them pushed all the way in the bridge, but leave the heads sticking out evenly across, just enough for a pin puller to easily get under them. On this guitar I use Elixir nanoweb 80/20 light strings of gauge (.12 thru .53) ...but the choice is yours. I would wait till you get it and play it to see what you might want. But you will need strings...and as always, it is never a bad idea to get it set up by a luthier of even Guitar Center to see that it is playing as good as it should be! Good luck! Here are the ones I use.. remember to read the reviews and select a style if you intend to buy them here. http://www.musiciansfriend.com/accessories/graph-tech-tusq-ivory-acoustic-guitar-bridge-pins

 

I definitely am restringing it. I ordered some of those exact strings from Amazon last night. In my searching, I come to like Elixir the best! :D

And thanks for the tip about the pins. I guess I will do as you suggested and just wait and see.

 

:]

[sdnesmithcpa]

I just got some of these bridge pins for my DR-500MCE:

 

http://www.ebay.com/itm/251244341496?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1423.l2649

 

I can't tell any difference in tone, but for me they dress up my guitar nicely. :D

 

 

Shawn

[diverden]

Simpl, The best.

http://www.guitarsaddles.com/products.asp

[P90]

I can't tell any difference in tone, but for me they dress up my guitar nicely. :D

 

 

Shawn

 

The thing it seems to improve is sustain rather than tone. Either way you are putting a higher quality, better looking and longer lasting component on your instrument than it came with originally which can't ever be a bad thing!

 

Have you got any pictures of your Guitar mate?

[sdnesmithcpa]

P90,

 

Here's a couple of pics.

 

One in the case...

 

 

Close up of the bridge pins...

 

 

 

Shawn

[P90]

Beautiful guitar, I think the DR500 is my next guitar... Theres nothing else at that pricepoint that competes in my opinion

[meanstreak]

P90,

 

Here's a couple of pics.

 

One in the case...

 

 

Shawn

 

 

Great looking guitar and pins. Two questions for you - What gauge strings do you use, and did those pins fit without any sanding or adjustment? On a side note, I have my study painted dark brown with light carpet just like yours. Love it!

[sdnesmithcpa]

Great looking guitar and pins. Two questions for you - What gauge strings do you use, and did those pins fit without any sanding or adjustment? On a side note, I have my study painted dark brown with light carpet just like yours. Love it!

 

 

I just replaced the original strings with Gibson Masterbuilt 12s. The pins did require enlarging the holes just a tiny bit.

[sjruvolo]

I replaced mine with Tusq pins.

[P90]

Well I was down my local Dawson's today and played a lovely DR500 exactly the same as the one pictured and it was lovely! I love the material on the back of the neck, so smooth and lovely, I gotta have one once I have enough pennies...

[Crunch Enhancer]

I replaced mine with Tusq pins.

 

I just bought a set of Graphtech TUSQ traditional's and they stick up farther than stock. I measured them with a digital caliper and they are thicker [5.1mm] compared to OEM pins [4.9mm]

According to graphtechs chart I should have bought presentation pins which are around [4.93mm].

 

I saw the reply about tusq's being higher but that doesnt make sense to me if presentation pins are the same diameter below the collar like the diagram on the package.

Wouldnt you want to simply run presentation pins? Not sure if I should exchange these.

 

Crunch

[GuitarLight]

I just bought a set of Graphtech TUSQ traditional's and they stick up farther than stock. I measured them with a digital caliper and they are thicker [5.1mm] compared to OEM pins [4.9mm]

According to graphtechs chart I should have bought presentation pins which are around [4.93mm].

 

I saw the reply about tusq's being higher but that doesnt make sense to me if presentation pins are the same diameter below the collar like the diagram on the package.

Wouldnt you want to simply run presentation pins? Not sure if I should exchange these.

 

Crunch

Crunch....Just some thoughts here...I have tusk presentation pins from MF and the same guitar. The pins in mine CAN be pushed all the way in, but I pull back on them and lift them up while string changing ..JUST ENOUGH to allow a standard plastic pin puller to glide under the heads, equally on each pin....no more than that. But they do not stick up very high on my guitar. Perhaps your pins came a bit thicker, or the bridge holes were drilled a bit smaller on your guitar? ---But they should not stick up any more than a Martin does...most Martins, if not all Martins have pins, by design, which stand well above the bridge. They actually almost look odd on a martin because you can not push them in any further and the heads stand well above the bridge making it look like they are not pushed in enough, but this is normal on a Martin....My MB DR500mce pins do not stand up nearly as tall as those on my martin. A picture of how you have the tusk pins inserted could help to clarify if your pins are seated normally.

[Crunch Enhancer]

Crunch....Just some thoughts here...I have tusk presentation pins from MF and the same guitar. The pins in mine CAN be pushed all the way in, but I pull back on them and lift them up while string changing ..JUST ENOUGH to allow a standard plastic pin puller to glide under the heads, equally on each pin....no more than that. But they do not stick up very high on my guitar. Perhaps your pins came a bit thicker, or the bridge holes were drilled a bit smaller on your guitar? ---But they should not stick up any more than a Martin does...most Martins, if not all Martins have pins, by design, which stand well above the bridge. They actually almost look odd on a martin because you can not push them in any further and the heads stand well above the bridge making it look like they are not pushed in enough, but this is normal on a Martin....My MB DR500mce pins do not stand up nearly as tall as those on my martin. A picture of how you have the tusk pins inserted could help to clarify if your pins are seated normally.

 

Here ya go.

 

stock

stock 2

graphtech traditional style

graphtech traditional style 2

comparison

 

Crunch

[GuitarLight]

Thanks for the pics...My tusk pins definitely do not stick up that high on my DR-500mce. Mine slid in much deeper, in fact I was able to push them ALL THE WAY in...too far...and then back off lifting them up till only the head was exposed so the internal part of the pin does not show....however all guitars are different and some pins could be made different also. Its interesting to see that your pins stick out just about exactly as far as my factory Martin pins do, on my Martin J-40.So they just look like a Martin fit and not bad looking. I would say if you can get used to the look and like the tone, there is nothing wrong with the way you have them. If you DO want them in deeper for visual reasons, you may have to have the pin holes bored just a tiny bit, or exchange for another type, or brand of pin. Below in the link are the exact pins I ordered, and yours look just slightly different somehow. I ordered the black ones with a white abalone dot and they fit easily as I described. Here they are...a bit costly at $17.99..but I DID notice a clearer sound and they did fit quite well and look good. http://www.musiciansfriend.com/accessories/graph-tech-tusq-ivory-acoustic-guitar-bridge-pins

[Crunch Enhancer]

Thanks for the pics...My tusk pins definitely do not stick up that high on my DR-500mce. Mine slid in much deeper, in fact I was able to push them ALL THE WAY in...too far...and then back off lifting them up till only the head was exposed so the internal part of the pin does not show....however all guitars are different and some pins could be made different also. Its interesting to see that your pins stick out just about exactly as far as my factory Martin pins do, on my Martin J-40.So they just look like a Martin fit and not bad looking. I would say if you can get used to the look and like the tone, there is nothing wrong with the way you have them. If you DO want them in deeper for visual reasons, you may have to have the pin holes bored just a tiny bit, or exchange for another type, or brand of pin. Below in the link are the exact pins I ordered, and yours look just slightly different somehow. I ordered the black ones with a white abalone dot and they fit easily as I described. Here they are...a bit costly at $17.99..but I DID notice a clearer sound and they did fit quite well and look good. http://www.musiciansfriend.com/accessories/graph-tech-tusq-ivory-acoustic-guitar-bridge-pins

 

Yours are the same brand of pin, just the presentation vs traditional style. Obviously now we can agree traditional style tusq pins do not fit the DR500MCE properly and they need to be presentation style pins.

 

Weird...

 

Crunch

[Crunch Enhancer]

Put in the new "presentation" style pins, and they are loose as heck!

 

Man I am so aggravated, I just exchanged the traditional style for the presentation style, they definitely fit flush with the bridge now but they are super loose!

I taped off the neck and polished my frets tonight with some flitz and a dremel and got everything ready for a fresh set of strings & pin install...now I dont even wanna bother putting these pins in, I think they will pop out they are so loose.

[Crunch Enhancer]

Thanks for the pics...My tusk pins definitely do not stick up that high on my DR-500mce. Mine slid in much deeper, in fact I was able to push them ALL THE WAY in...too far...and then back off lifting them up till only the head was exposed so the internal part of the pin does not show....however all guitars are different and some pins could be made different also. Its interesting to see that your pins stick out just about exactly as far as my factory Martin pins do, on my Martin J-40.So they just look like a Martin fit and not bad looking. I would say if you can get used to the look and like the tone, there is nothing wrong with the way you have them. If you DO want them in deeper for visual reasons, you may have to have the pin holes bored just a tiny bit, or exchange for another type, or brand of pin. Below in the link are the exact pins I ordered, and yours look just slightly different somehow. I ordered the black ones with a white abalone dot and they fit easily as I described. Here they are...a bit costly at $17.99..but I DID notice a clearer sound and they did fit quite well and look good. http://www.musiciansfriend.com/accessories/graph-tech-tusq-ivory-acoustic-guitar-bridge-pins

 

Were you able to slide your presentation pins all the way in and still be at the point where they were relatively loose? I can pull the pins out with my fingers with no effort at all and I do not need to use my tool. With the traditional style they stuck up but at least they were in snug. I have not tried the presentation ones with strings in them, would it make any difference?

[GuitarLight]

Yes, I COULD remove the tusk pins by by fingers before tightening the new strings up. And after I put the strings on,and tightened them up, the loose pins got tight because of string pressure when I brought them up to pitch....Not sure here..I could be wrong...but your tusk pins, in your photo, APPEAR to be bought from a different source than mine were, and the heads appear slightly different,as the top inlay looks different on yours than mine, which could mean that they ARE slightly different in width size. ....Pins can vary greatly depending upon the manufacturer....there is also the possibility that your bridge pin holes in your guitar vary slightly, but I suspect that is not the case. When I replace bridge pins, I always inter-switch a pin to a different hole, if it does not fit in that hole well, as sometimes a pin that does not fit properly in the sixth string hole, will fit properly in the 2nd string hole.Then I keep those pins always in the same hole positions from then on....another option for you here if tusk do not work.....I recently, as an experiment, tried black Abalone Ebony wood pins in this MB DR-500mce, as I had two extra sets sitting around. There were a few Ebony pins that did not fit in certain holes...too tight, but I did find six to fit well by switching them to different holes as needed... "Ebony bridge pins" are very popular, probably much more popular than even tusk, and are a good hard dense jet black wood that looks and sounds good and the pins are cheap. Let us know how it goes, or if you need more help with questions Good luck. Recent UPDATE from the above comments......I returned to the tusk pins on this guitar, as my ears tell me they sound better, but that of course is a subjective thing. Best advice is..Follow your ears! What sounds right to you, as a player...IS usually right for you!

[Crunch Enhancer]

Yes, I COULD remove the tusk pins by by fingers before tightening the new strings up. And after I put the strings on,and tightened them up, the loose pins got tight because of string pressure when I brought them up to pitch....Not sure here..I could be wrong...but your tusk pins, in your photo, APPEAR to be bought from a different source than mine were, and the heads appear slightly different,as the top inlay looks different on yours than mine, which could mean that they ARE slightly different in width size. ....Pins can vary greatly depending upon the manufacturer....there is also the possibility that your bridge pin holes in your guitar vary slightly, but I suspect that is not the case. When I replace bridge pins, I always inter-switch a pin to a different hole, if it does not fit in that hole well, as sometimes a pin that does not fit properly in the sixth string hole, will fit properly in the 2nd string hole.Then I keep those pins always in the same hole positions from then on....another option for you here if tusk do not work.....I recently, as an experiment, tried black Abalone Ebony wood pins in this MB DR-500mce, as I had two extra sets sitting around. There were a few Ebony pins that did not fit in certain holes...too tight, but I did find six to fit well by switching them to different holes as needed... "Ebony bridge pins" are very popular, probably much more popular than even tusk, and are a good hard dense jet black wood that looks and sounds good and the pins are cheap. Let us know how it goes, or if you need more help with questions Good luck. Recent UPDATE from the above comments......I returned to the tusk pins on this guitar, as my ears tell me they sound better, but that of course is a subjective thing. Best advice is..Follow your ears! What sounds right to you, as a player...IS usually right for you!

 

Well I strung up the guitar with a new set of Ernie balls... Some of the pins started to pull out as I began to tune them to pitch but I kept pushing them in as I went along...so far everything is OK and they are in pretty much like stock.

[agradeleous]

HI folks newbie here:)

 

I been reading your posts and I am looking for ivory bridge pins. I contacted one company but they don't think they can help. They say it should be a type 1 pin for martin and Gibs measuring 0.210 under the apron.

 

it seems my Dr500cme pins our 0.198 - 0.199 bridge hole is 0.198

 

Has anyone replaced that pin size with ivory or bone without drilling the bridge ? I prefer a nice fit not so up the slightly loose fitting method .

 

I might be old school on this remark LOL but why do the sizes vary so much ? Wondering why the 0.210 is not standardized even though the guitars are made in different places

one might think that a drill bit is a drill bit and quality control would make sure that's it right. But Maybe 0.199 is right though it does not help the customers who want to spruce up there git fiddle LOL it be ok if Epi offered the upgraded pins which might cost us a tad more no doubt but at least we had an easier option.

 

Ok your thoughts I'm going back to my bubble and research :)

 

Thanks

Ags

 

 

 

Edit;

May 16th , I sent an E-mail to Gibson CS they are very nice. They say the Specs for the pins are 0.220 with a 5 degree taper !? A fully dragged out Whaaaaaaaaaaat ? is in order LOL maybe on paper but do they QC tese things ?

 

anyways not really mad just shaking my head . Anyway I found this gentleman and spoke with him he told me pin size for the above measurements would be a 1T which is 0.205 so real close and he has them .

 

All the bone and Ivory and walrus pins look real nice . which ones to get? .. wife says the brown dyed bone with the 4m inlay :) I want Ivory but she's the boss, if this link is a repost sorry I missed it or have forgot .

 

Enjoy I'll post back after I receive them to go over adjustments if any . linkage :

http://www.guitarsaddles.com/products.asp

[agradeleous]

Ok I'm back made a poor mans vid not good at this stuff LOL here's some pics and a youtube link for my new bone bridge pins.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=neHooHa2k-A&feature=em-upload_owner

 

Sorry no pics here files to big if wish to see the pics go here;

http://www.twotrackmusic.com/forums/index.php?topic=3994.msg49618;topicseen#msg49618

 

Peace

Ags