James1234 Posted October 27, 2018 Share Posted October 27, 2018 I'm sure this topic has been covered somewhere on this forum but I suppose I'll revive it! Correct me if I'm wrong but the bridge pins that come with the J-15 are plastic so I've heard? If that is the case, does anyone agree that switching to something like bone improves tone? (Not that it really needs improvement. The guitar kicks butt). Just curious to hear other's opinions on this. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fortyearspickn Posted October 27, 2018 Share Posted October 27, 2018 Yes plastic. You should be able to see a line running the length from the mold. Some can hear an improvement in tone from bone, some can't. More folks hear a more noticeable change if they use brass pins. But it's subjective as to whether it's an 'improvement'. I changed to bone on mine - because of a aversion to cheap looking pins. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slinky1 Posted October 27, 2018 Share Posted October 27, 2018 Very subjective! I left the bridge pins on my J-15 on. Actually, all 5 of my Gibson acoustics still have the stock pins in place. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AngelDeVille Posted October 27, 2018 Share Posted October 27, 2018 (edited) I put brass ones with pretty pearloid buttons on my J-45 at my first string change 19 years ago, I doubt it did more than lighten my wallet. 2 years ago I put the original J-45 pins on my Fender Sonoran, I doubt it did much good there either, but it gave me something to do. Not sure if those were bone or plastic. Now I have a set of black plastic Fender pins with a while dot on em I need to buy a guitar for. It’s a viscous cycle we can never escape. Edited October 27, 2018 by AngelDeVille Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
QuestionMark Posted October 27, 2018 Share Posted October 27, 2018 My preference is wood bridge pins. QM aka Jazzman Jeff Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MR GIBS Posted October 27, 2018 Share Posted October 27, 2018 An all solid wood Gibson acoustic guitar with plastic pins? Shame... Go find some bone ones. By the way what is the material of the nut&saddle of this J15? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alex_78 Posted October 27, 2018 Share Posted October 27, 2018 An all solid wood Gibson acoustic guitar with plastic pins? Shame... Go find some bone ones. By the way what is the material of the nut&saddle of this J15? Pretty sure they are Tusq, pins, saddle and nut. Older models had glossy plastic pins, now they look different. As discussed previously Gibson's acoustics are well priced guitars and they prefer to invest in solid wood than bone pins, then the owner can decide to upgrade or not. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rev Roy Posted October 27, 2018 Share Posted October 27, 2018 Yes, they are plastic or Tusq. I always swap them out for bone pins...but only for some bling. Never noticed a significant change in tone. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peter Holliday Posted August 21, 2021 Share Posted August 21, 2021 I found a huge difference in getting hearing aids , really. I can now hear midranges , which I could not before. It's like I'm seventeen again , even enjoying old records again. But I can now tell a big difference in bridge pins, Rosewood makes my guitar do better Rolling Stones sound, bone more cleaner sound and other woods more Beatles ,pop song sound. Just my opinion. All things are amazing now with my new hearing aids. Without them I can only hear very high and very low. Now I can hear midranges. Get a hearing test. Best thing I ever did at 55 year young. Mind of a 14 year old though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fortyearspickn Posted August 21, 2021 Share Posted August 21, 2021 True dat ! Welcome Holiday! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kwlsky Posted November 9, 2021 Share Posted November 9, 2021 I definitely feel that bridge pin material affects the guitar sonically. I found this out by accident, being quite dimwitted. Years ago I swapped out some bone pins with rosewood during a string change only because I thought it looked better. Then completely forgot about it. After 2-3 days of the strings settling in, I noticed a definite mellowness to my guitar that was not there before. No change in string type, same ones as before. For days I couldn't understand why my guitar sounded different, and the tone change was driving me crazy. I felt like I lost a friend. Finally, finally I noticed the rosewood bridge pins and remembered that I put them in with my last string change. I unwound the strings, changed the pins back to bone, and my friend was back! The mellowness was gone and the tone I have loved for years was there again. I wouldn't have believed it if it didn't happen to me. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ALD323 Posted November 10, 2021 Share Posted November 10, 2021 (edited) 21 hours ago, Kwlsky said: I definitely feel that bridge pin material affects the guitar sonically. I found this out by accident, being quite dimwitted. Years ago I swapped out some bone pins with rosewood during a string change only because I thought it looked better. Then completely forgot about it. After 2-3 days of the strings settling in, I noticed a definite mellowness to my guitar that was not there before. No change in string type, same ones as before. For days I couldn't understand why my guitar sounded different, and the tone change was driving me crazy. I felt like I lost a friend. Finally, finally I noticed the rosewood bridge pins and remembered that I put them in with my last string change. I unwound the strings, changed the pins back to bone, and my friend was back! The mellowness was gone and the tone I have loved for years was there again. I wouldn't have believed it if it didn't happen to me. Exactly! And without question! Pins affect tone on most acoustic guitars. And this important to remember..." if your hearing does not happen to be compromised, you will hear the difference in those pins." ...Ebony and Rosewood pins will often soften and mellow out a guitar that is too bright or snappy. Bone pins and Tusq pins will brighten up a dark and mellow guitar that may sound too mumbly. But you may not hear this change of tone if your hearing is compromised, even in a small way. Other bridge pins will affect tone accordingly, depending upon the pin material, and the guitar itself. Edited November 10, 2021 by ALD323 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
egoidealmusic Posted November 11, 2021 Share Posted November 11, 2021 I just said this on another post I'd started about pin for a J-45, but I'm really loving ebony on the high 3 and Tusq on the low 3. Maybe that's just my girl, but I'm really impressed by the balanced tone I'm getting right now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kwlsky Posted November 12, 2021 Share Posted November 12, 2021 FWIW, I changed out my J15 to bone nut, saddle and bone pins. Now there is nothing bright about this walnut guitar at all. Very deep, chewy tone that checks a major box for me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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