Bridge Pin Shootout: Does Material Matter? | Plastic Metal Ivory | Acoustic Guitar Test

[@alliecat.3]

I have been playing 30 years. I fell in love with TUSQ parts 15 years ago. TusQ nut & bridge pins is always my first upgrade for my new guitar

[@bobman929]

Love that they are honest and say that it sounds amazing but the looks would stop me using them. This is why guitars are so personal.

[@mikecleary9485]

Martin Liquid Metal and the Ebony for me were the fullest sounding, and the plastic was a huge tonal difference. Great video guys !

[@larriveel03]

When I changed to brass pins on my Alvarez baritone guitar, gosh, what a difference that made from the standard issued ones. The sound is now very much clearer, brighter sounding, with a more pronounced ring to it. A definite improvement.......

[@Andre4548]

I have ebony bridge pins in 4 of my 5 acoustic guitars; the other has Tusq "Presentation" pins. I get the ebony pins from Journey Instruments for about $7.99 a set, and they work great.

[@robmc1232]

Perfect timing! I’m reconditioning an old MIJ Alvarez that I recently bought. It came with mismatched, stained old plastic pins. I decided that this was an opportunity to upgrade, but I couldn’t decide which type to get. I’m going to listen to your A-B-C-D-E-F (whew!) comparison a couple more times with good phones, but my ears are pulling me toward ebony. Gentlemen, as always, thanks for these interesting and informative videos. Keep ‘‘em coming! (Build that center block acoustic!)

[@stevebernard221]

Ebony for me. I like the combination of Bone nut and saddle with Ebony pins.

[@Ndo_sanz]

I liked the tusq

[@RobertHamm]

Who else plays along with you guys on the intro? I do. It's one of my favorite parts about your videos- you start with a play along and the viewer can join in. It's a great way to practice AND demo the instruments showcased. Please never stop that part of your productions.

[@AlvarezGuitarsOfficial]

Love it. Thanks for strumming along! 👍

[@sununtaschnittker6469]

That E chord with the added E note on the D string is elegant. @@AlvarezGuitarsOfficial

[@mattnelson8325]

Hey guys, Thanks for another great informative video. We all appreciate the hard work you put in to making these. Always something new to discover and fun to watch.

[@AlvarezGuitarsOfficial]

We love hearing that! Thanks for watching, we're glad you enjoyed. 👍

[@trevorgwelch7412]

This is a true to life way of determining if bridge pins sound different or the same . Great Guitars ✨✨✨✨✨✨🇺🇸🇨🇦☮️

[@cliftonjackson7531]

I put ebony pins and bone saddle and headstock nuts on my AJ60SC. I made a big difference, it projects better across the the tonal spectrum.

[@derekdlhandcraftedguitars3133]

I listened with my studio headphones and studio monitors quite a few times and one thing that was noticeable was the plastic pins were quieter. After listening a few times the difference is quite subtle but I liked the ebony pins probably best. The liquid metal made the guitar louder and boomier. I use bone nuts and saddles on all my acoustics and wont be changing them. Sound is subjective and what one person likes someone else doesn't.

[@AlvarezGuitarsOfficial]

We agree and love hearing that. Thanks for playing Alvarez!

[@LukeCorradine]

two different guitars played by two different players and hands, in different ways (obviously!). FANTASTIC COMPARISON guys... excellent

[@Ziraffe2]

Hi - A believer in material-differences here and I personally tune with various materials after each individual string and each individual guitar. Typically with brass in the bottom, then some mid-bone and bone, plast or wood for the top. I sense you accept the thought that it matters. However it's best heard when the strings begin to fade. New strings shout too loud to really allow the nuances across. The final strumming told a lot. Plastic lost while brass & bone were blooming. Thanx for testing. Keep having fun

[@AlvarezGuitarsOfficial]

Great point! Thanks for sharing. 🙌

[@panagdimi]

Clearly Martin liquid metal and especially the Ebony result in a bigger sound, slightly more amplified and with better definition, both with individual notes and/or strumming. But I was really surprised to hear such a distinctive degradation of the sound (e.g. less volume, not so well pronounced) with the plastic pins which was somewhat expected I guess. Great video thanks Alvarez!

[@AlvarezGuitarsOfficial]

Thank you for watching Dimitrios!

[@robertshorthill6836]

It took a few hours to hand make ebony pins for my old J-50, but after several tries to get a blank to fit onto a holder on a lathe, I used a combination of chisel and files with calipers. It was fun and took more than 6 to get enough good ones.

[@gilbertstevenson1494]

I like wood pins in my wood guitars. I have a CF that I’ve got Brass pins in. But it’s a parlor for all intents and the purposes. And it adds volume. I used to use them in my old 5013 with 10-50 gauge strings years ago. It was every bit as loud as wood pins with 12-53’s. In listening to the comparo. I liked the ebony best.

[@STRUMMERBOY1975]

Interresting comparison video!! In trying different types of bridge pins without any big difference in tone... I decided to not use any bridge pins at all... Instead I drilled 6 string size holes through a 1/4 inch Wood Dowel and have the strings going through it and placed the Wood Dowel on the underside of the bridge.... And that got me the best Volume so far..... And I am also using medium gauge strings to minimize string breakage and offcourse to Maximise Volume... 😀

[@AlvarezGuitarsOfficial]

Great idea, @STRUMMERBOY1975! Thanks for sharing.🙌

[@RtaniDean]

Genius. Is it a flat dowel or rounded?? And this just freely rests under the bridge plate from inside guitar? Please. TY. Dean.

[@arniebaird7852]

What a great idea! And... You may have a true break-through! It would seem that having the string attached to top (via the wood dowl) could produce greater vibration and thus volume.

[@alan4sure]

Look up Tone bar here on yt. He sells a brass bar $9 that the ball end of the strings goes through and it sits inside under the bridge. Claims it improves tone markedly.

[@robertnewell5057]

I've been experimenting with pins for about 40 years, and, of course have heard a lot of argument. Apart from appearance, I have never found a convincing difference between them. Now it may just be I have tin ears (or plastic?), but here are a couple of thoughts. It's generally agreed that lighter bridges convey sound better than heavier ones, meaning that the guitar is more responsive. What is not agreed is how big a difference in bridge weight or density leads to a discernible difference in responsiveness. However, changing out pins won't change the overall wei ghtof the bridge by much (the weight difference between pins is a small percentage of the total bridge weight). Also the sound is being transferred via the saddle, further reducing the impact of bridge material and pin material. Finally. there are several pinless bridge designs on high end guitars which seem to work just fine. That said, the saddle material makes a massive difference. If you get hold of a bunch of saddles (say all bone) and drop them onto a hard surface (I use a granite countertop) they all sound different. Since this is the point at which the sound is transferred to the top, that's where the smart money is. However, as I said in response to a different post, what really counts is if YOU prefer one to another. You'll be happier with the sound and you'll play better because of it.

[@timber750]

There is a significant weight difference between brass pins and all the non-metal ones.

[@juliemulie1805]

Ebony, then Tusq for myself. One of my guitars, Oregon Breedlove, has an ebony string though bridge and I've wondered if it isn't better to skip the pins all together. Sure makes restringing easier. It's sitka on myrtlewood and is completely different in voice than my Alvarez cedar on acacia. Love them both.

[@jertexjertex7880]

I have the same guitar & I love the string through bridge design & the myrtlewood tone is truly wonderful, now if I could just replace the thin neck with a more substantial v or modified v, it would be the perfect guitar.

[@juliemulie1805]

@@jertexjertex7880 my Breedlove is the concertina model, so the neck seems to be perfectly suited to it, while my Alvarez is a OM and comfortable as well. That myrtlewood has really become fabulous over the 4 years that I've owned it.

[@RR-mi5ni]

Thank you for another great and helpful analysis. A step in a neverending chase of the "ideal" sound. Looking forward to the next Alvarez video.

[@billallen1594]

Good video - thanks. Was surprised how bad the plastic ones sounded. Everything else sounded better! Ebony sounded best to me with individual strings being played. Strumming wise anything except the plastic was good.

[@AlvarezGuitarsOfficial]

Thanks for watching!

[@HarryNicNicholas]

13:15 little anecdote. easiest to watch the video i made, but, i bought some "olympia" strings, that i'd never heard of until a few weeks ago, and i put them on my 66 j45, they were decent enough but the strings and the guitar weren't particularly special, and back in the case it went for a while. then it's turn came up again to be played and it blew me away, it sounds at the moment, better than it ever has in the forty five years i had this guitar. same thing happened with the maton i have, strung it up, played it, okay but nothing special, then it's turn to be played came up again, and to be honest i was even thinking of selling it, and bingo - it too sounds amazing. guitars have minds of their own.

[@AlvarezGuitarsOfficial]

Great news! Thanks for sharing.

[@RAkers-tu1ey]

Great comparison! I have found that If I make absolutely sure that the ball end of the string makes really firm contact with the underside of the bridge plate, the pin material makes less difference. Most factory guitar pins need a little fitting (especially the big strings E,A, sometimes D?) before they stop binding on the sides of the strings. That said, I use Tusq pins for simplicity and consistency. The plastic ones can be fitted properly, (and they sound better when they are) but I feel like they are a bit dead. This demo really brings this out.

[@AlvarezGuitarsOfficial]

Some great thought here @RAkers-tu1ey . Thanks for sharings 👍

[@firebald2915]

When restringing, I use a used set of ball ends and slip them on the string before passing them thru the hole. When the string pulls up to the bridge plate, the whole flat side of the ball end touches up against the bridge plate, not the half round of the single ball end. Makes great contact. Wouldn't it also be a good idea to put a new saddle in the bridge ? It adds to tone also. Nut, too.

[@RAkers-tu1ey]

@@firebald2915 Sure, a good bridge and nut fit can't hurt. I have found that the nut makes more difference to playability and stable tuning than tone, but I don't do much electric work, so I can't really speak to sustain.

[@paulsharp6559]

I purchased all three for my J-45 SJ Gibson. I can’t wait to try the tusq on my guitar. Thanks great video.

[@AlvarezGuitarsOfficial]

Let us know how you get on!

[@mk-wv6yv]

Always love the lessons learned from watching Alvarez TV. I have installed liquid metal pins on my DYMR70SB and it went from a cannon to a howitzer. For fingerpicking it is a perfect fit. Might project a little too much with heavy pick use, but they are staying on my guitar for my style of playing. In addition to the booming effect, the liquid metal pins allow each string to ring true and long.

[@fugalibrana]

I've tried several materials looking for the right one. Of course it depends on more than one factor, but I like how the rosewood and ebony pins works great in combination with bone saddle and nut. But in the other hand, I've tried ebony saddle and nut as well, if I want a darker sound. But in matter of tastes there's nothing written. Thanks for sharing this video!

[@paulechols]

Great episode, I made 6 individual antler saddles and bought bone pins for my 1989 Washburn Stephen Davies Lexington extended cutaway 6 string and it woke it up. Was fun as well

[@AlvarezGuitarsOfficial]

Sounds great @paulechols!

[@paulechols]

@AlvarezGuitarsOfficial nothing sounds like my Yairi DYM60HDE though!!!!

[@TheJasonEstes]

Ebony for me

[@sununtaschnittker6469]

My wife patiently listed to me describe your guitar videos. THAT is an accomplishment!

[@chester2cows]

Bone VS Ebony VS Brass nut?

[@davidedie1518]

I actually like the sound of the liquid metal. To me it was a toss up between them and the bone. One thing I got from this, is I only really heard a difference when it came to the plastic pins. There was a big decrease in sound and clarity to me, where all the others were pretty close in sound and tone.

[@40rpt]

I agree that the plastic did sound different. I didn't really hear much between the others. I guess the take home message is that anything other than plastic is an upgrade.

[@cooloutac]

Had to turn off the video after the guy said he liked the brass more than the liquid metal. Wtf? Sounded muffled and flat compared to the loud clear liquid metal u couldn't even hear any difference between any other pins.

[@MyZxcvb12]

​@@cooloutaceach person to their own I've got to say I can't hear $100 different to the others apart from the plastic pins. Martin liquid pins looks nice 😊

[@cooloutac]

@MyZxcvb12 maybe not $100 difference but obvious difference in Improvement and sound quality in my opinion. Man I find it ironic people pay $1,000 more for all wood guitar that maybe sounds slightly better than something that's laminated and then scoff at these Bridge pins which again in my opinion have a clear difference in sound.

[@MyZxcvb12]

@@cooloutac yeah each to their own if you like the sound then good in the early years of my guitar journey I tried all different strings and martin strings was for sound better and lasted better than the others and I still use them today.

[@D.Brett.Cartwright]

excellent demo, thank you!

[@antalnagy8075]

I had several guitars and always used bone or tusq nut and saddle and Martin or Elixir strings. For all mahagony guitars used rosewood or for the second one with blackwood bridge ebony pins, for spruce-rosewood guitar with rosewood bridge I used rosewood pins and interesting for spruce top - pau ferro back and sides guitar with rosewood and the second one with laurel bridge obtained for both best sound with some brass pins. This is my personal experience with the bridge pins. Greatings.

[@markmacalik9693]

love the comparisons and tests with different materials! the only thing i would ask for is that you play some lead lines or some scales so we can hear the sounds on different frets positions on the fingerboard. keep it up guys. i bought 3 of your guitars in the last year

[@AlvarezGuitarsOfficial]

Great suggestion, @markmacalik9693! We'll pass that on, thanks for watching. ❤️

[@ikigai47]

Thanks for the comparison. I do wish you also demo'd rosewood pins. Seeing those online and I'm curious

[@rhiannonpage3974]

Wow I didn't think the difference would be that audible! Another great video 🔥

[@AlvarezGuitarsOfficial]

Glad you liked it!

[@janosistvan5226]

I replaced my pins on a Gibson Gospel and a D28 copy of a Martin, with brass ones and I got louder sound and more sustain. They do have a noticeable difference. I use lights and extra lights strings also.

[@alastair6356]

3 of my accoustic guitars take bridge pins . I fitted Ebony, Bone and Brass pins on them ,it altered the tone and improve sustain on all of them. I recommend doing this it's the cheapest way to improve the tone on your guitar. Ebony gives it a mellow woody tone on the bass strings while sounding pleasant on the trebles, Bone sharpens the trebles while having a full pleasing bass , increasing the volume and resonance. Brass makes the trebles sound really sharp and increases the sustain and volume considerably. If you dont like the shine on bell brass pins just paint them black.

[@AlvarezGuitarsOfficial]

We love hearing your thoughts! Thanks for sharing 🙌.

[@billstralo7907]

My 12 string did a bone saddle and notched the bridge with solid pegs, tryed bone, too brite, ebony was better but i landed on rosewood pegs. I found out how much they do make a differencein tone.

[@dreilacadin]

Tone test timestamps: 14:36 - Brass 14:43 - Tusq 14:50 - Martin Liquid Metal 14:58 - Bone 15:05 - Plastic 15:13 - Ebony Strumming timestamps: 15:21 - Brass 15:28 - Tusq 15:34 - Martin Liquid Metal 15:40 - Bone 15:47 - Plastic 15:53 - Ebony

[@AlvarezGuitarsOfficial]

Love this, thank you!

[@isaacsailo]

Liquid Metal and Ebony sounds almost similar, then comes Tusq and Bone. Considering the availability and price, I would go for Bone

[@ronchave6354]

Tusq for me. thanks for another great video.

[@CSAndrewHenry]

Fascinating test (now a year old, sorry!) I will have to watch and listen again to study the differences. I tried a different test between ebony and bone pins, using both on a 12 string. I strung the guitar eith each pair of strings having one ebony and one bone each, meaning that the b and high e string pairs were identical in every way except for the pin. For the life of me, I heard no difference between them. Admittedly, it could be different with a whole guitar, but in my limited test, the difference was 100% aesthetic...

[@halmillett5448]

You would need a audio spectrum anylizer to truly determine the difference

[@darrylt1031]

that's exactly what I was thinking.....the human ear can only discern so much....👍

[@juliemulie1805]

If the human ear is what counts. Although my dog may disagree.

[@darrylt1031]

@@juliemulie1805 yes, but everyone's ears are different.....at least with analyzing software, we can SEE the distinct scientific audio differences....

[@juliemulie1805]

@@darrylt1031 good point, I forget that everyone isn't on a level playing ground with hearing.

[@rogershinton7483]

@@juliemulie1805 Huh? What?

[@romstrevonvliet9905]

FYM66HD, absolutely my dream guitar! Great video!

[@bighes100]

Nice comparison guys. I have a dark mahogany guitar, has a nice deep low end tone, was thinking of going for brass pins then it'll brighten up top end but hopefully keep the deep tone as well.

[@dalesearcy5734]

I put brass pins in my Alvarez Baritone and notices a difference in tone with them. The Baritone was less muddy and more bright with the Brass pins. In my Sitka/Rosewood guitars, I like the tone that Bone pins give.

[@dcallan1]

Thanks for doing the work! I enjoyed the comparison. All very similar. To my ears, or my speaker system perhaps, the liquid metal had the same lows and more highs and more sustain. Bone was next. Plastic was the only one that was really distinguishable. I could see the benefit of ebony on a bright guitar. Tusq was almost exactly the same as bone. I suspect I could not tell the difference blindfolded.

[@AlvarezGuitarsOfficial]

Thank you for sharing. 👍

[@sununtaschnittker6469]

Bone pins from China are something over $10, Waverly fake ivory are $20, cannot see how giving Martin $150 or $200 would be in any way justified, can buy a decent whole new guitar for $200!

[@ETHERMAN777]

Thank you. Enjoyed. I liked Ebony and then Tusq. Love my Alvarez Lefty Parlor and Baritone

[@kerricorser4562]

"Thats the kind of guy I am" 😂😂😂❤❤❤ This was a good subject to cover! Thanks guys

[@TheManabopo]

I ever did a combination of ebony pins on the bass strings and bronze on the treble strings. Blows the both ends

[@stevevice9863]

Surprisingly, I liked the sound of the brass pins. I thought it would be more metallic, but it sounded warm and round to my ear with good note seperation. Maybe since the strings are metal and the pins are metal, there is less of a dampening effect on the vibration...maybe brass pins allow a more direct transference of the string vibration into the top, verses a softer non-metallic material? I don't care for the aesthetic of brass pins either.

[@AlvarezGuitarsOfficial]

Great observation! We thank you for your opinion, glad you enjoyed :)

[@sununtaschnittker6469]

As soon as I hear people say brass pins are "metallic" I know they are just biased, there is no metal factor in it, it is ALL density allowing the vibrations to get from strings to top and body. This video proves the density of the brass is the factor, not that they are metal.

[@TheDouglasOxford]

I have been using pallet wood bridge pins in my D28. I haven’t tried any comparison but they seems to have a good sound. Much better than plastic.

[@TurboGuitar_]

You can get a close approximation of brass bridge pins by glueing four quarters (21.5 grams) to the bridge and using the stock plastic bridge pins to hold the strings.

[@WolfCat5102]

Ebony, then tusq, then bone. Really noticed a drop off in volume with the plastic.

[@carlosmovilla]

I think i prefer the ebony ones, but it's not too easy to determine the differences between some of them! Does somebody know which is the size of the pins for the Alvarez guitars? I'm thinking about buying an AGE95CESHB and I don't know if the Planet waves PWPS1 could fit OOB or if they'd need some additional work to make them fit. Thank you for the videos !! they're really helpful

[@kipmarchetti6123]

Liquid metal by a decent margin. Pick one for any position after that as they are all very close. Followed in last pace by the plastic pins which sound adequate enough to be the stock pins that the guitar comes with. The guitars sound great. I'm really impressed by your guitars and love the channel.

[@AlvarezGuitarsOfficial]

Thank you for watching @kipmarchetti6123!

[@mk-wv6yv]

Came back a day later and listened to the video again. My perceptions stayed the same. MIssing, though, is Bison/Buffalo horn and fossilized ivory. You can get fossilized ivory in either walrus or mammoth varieties. Would also like to hear comparisons between bone, tusq, and fossilized ivory saddles.

[@Jamman610]

Ebony for me. I have a Martin DG 16 so I’ll try the Ebony. I put on a bone nut & Saddle.

[@ReturnTheSanity]

Holy buckets! The difference between the liquid metal and brass pins was nuts! The liquid metal had a very full sound! I am a big fan of ebony, but would try Tusq if they offered unslotted pins.

[@sununtaschnittker6469]

I checked Tusq like you, couldn't find any unslotted, you can of course just turn them around but not the same!

[@ReturnTheSanity]

@@sununtaschnittker6469 After watching this I bought a set of oversized bone pins for my 37 D-28 to try as my new replacement for my original ebony pins that were way to loose. For my guitar the ebony pins sound the best. It has great mids and highs, and the ebony pins give the ol’ girl a perfectly balanced tone. There was a noticeable loss in the low end and a little boost of the highs. If I had a J-200 or something that doesn’t have the mids/highs I wanted, I would go with the bone or the Tusq. I am sure the difference is negligible when using a slotted pin that’s rotated 90 degrees, but I didn’t want to try it on this particular guitar because I wasn’t really looking to change the tone. I pretty well knew I would go with ebony because it has been such an amazing guitar. I have compared it to D-35’s, 41’s, tons of D-18’s and other 28’s and it’s the best sounding acoustic guitar I have ever heard. I played a 1938 D-18 that sounded pretty close but it didn’t sound as clean.

[@davidbrock6025]

@@sununtaschnittker6469Just asking, why wouldn’t it be the same to turn a slotted pin around string would be against a solid wall not being a little loose in the slotted pin especially strings 1,2,3,4, strings would be pressed tight when you turn the slotted pin around. Thanks

[@daviddickmeyer5231]

Ok I’m going to say right off that I wear hearing aids. The differences in all of the pins were very subtle to my old ears. I’m not sure I could pick out any one better than the other but I think the bone was my favorite. They seemed cleaner to me. Saying that though the ebony look the best. I just purchased one of your Alvarez MG75ce models. I would like to see you compare the cedar top with your other models. I really like the warm sound, but my ears have trouble with the highs anyway. Thanks for doing these videos.

[@AlvarezGuitarsOfficial]

Thanks for your suggestion @daviddickmeyer5231! We appreciate your kind words ❤️

[@richarddavis8272]

I know you could paint the brass pin heads whatever color that pleases you looks wise. But I liked the ebony the best.

[@stephenbakerLL86]

Bone and Ebony sound the most natural to me. The brass/Liquid Metal /TUSQ sound brighter in that order.

[@davidcohencrumpton9884]

I have two Alvarez guitars . A DY 45, and a 12 dtring, and along with my Martin D-15 I've always used Rosewood pins. They soun the best and bring out the Mahogany. They are not new and have openened up. Thanks.

[@AlvarezGuitarsOfficial]

Great news! We are happy you're enjoying you Alvarez.

[@chucklakeridge7944]

Brass and Tusq are both nice, for different ends. Liquid was loud, but a bit messy. It seemed to send harmonics of each string into conflict with their neighboring string. I bet if you soaked the brass in vinegar, it would make a really nice patina that gives better aesthetics.

[@EddyLeger-r1j]

Hi, great test about materials, but slotted vs unslotted ? thank you

[@kurt8805]

What size and taper bridge pins for a modern Yairi? In my case, a DYM60HD which came with ebony unslotted pins but I don't have a good way to measure them. Liquid metal pins sounded the most metallic and brash, others had subtle differences although I'm now curious to try brass on some strings. I do feel I can get greater differences at low cost and time by trying plectrums/picks of different materials and shapes, even with how I hold the pick.

[@kurt8805]

Add: Bone and liquid metal sounded similar when strummed. Ebony sounded more ringy than I thought it would and sounded good strummed here. Plastic sounded the most muted but could have its use on some guitars or on a particularly shrill string.

[@WolfCat5102]

I love watching, and listening, to you two play at the beginning of the videos. Oh, and I enjoy those, too!

[@AlvarezGuitarsOfficial]

We love hearing that!

[@MisioNalle]

Thank you guys...now I have learn much from your movie..... love bone sound but Ebony sonds good too !🤞🤞🤞💝💝💝

[@AlvarezGuitarsOfficial]

Thanks for watching @MisioNalle!

[@johnny.musician]

Ebony is best for my ears fwiw…might just have to invest in some! Those Martin Liquid Metals shone out too.

[@spikewills6927]

Another great and helpful video, and I always look forward to your videos. Very interesting and entertaining and I love that you did one of the comparisons on the FMY66HD, my new favorite guitar. However I am happy with the ebony pins in my two Yairi's and my Alvarez Mahogany parlor. Thanks again and keep it up.

[@AlvarezGuitarsOfficial]

We always love hearing that. Thanks for playing Alvarez. 🙌.

[@magshop-us]

I love this video and I'm a huge fan of Alvarez but did I miss the part when you mention the strings you're using in each comparison. Not to hate on the content but I think it'll really come down to the guitar chosen and string selection of each individual guitarist.

[@dougharriman711]

What brand and model Ebony pins are they?

[@scottfishkind5335]

Great content! Appreciate the time and effort put into this presentation! I liked the Tusq and Ebony the most. Perhaps because I'm used to that sound ( my Furch Yellow Master's Choice Gc-CR has ebony and my others have Tusq. Well definitely Tusq nut and saddle actually need to double check the pins. But in any case those were my preferences for this comparison. I would definitely love to see a demonstration of those types of material for the nut and saddle. While my Furch has Ebony pins, the nut and saddle on my guitars are all Nubone/ Tusq.

[@AlvarezGuitarsOfficial]

Great idea, thank you for sharing!

[@j.t.2722]

I use ebony and tusq and like the texture of both. In my opinion the Liquid Metal sounded a little muddy. I moved away from bone several years ago. Never used plastic or brass. My Dy84’s have tusq in them, my Martin and my DY68 have ebony in them. My Takamine Limiteds don’t require pins as the bridge is a different setup.

[@bobnolin9155]

Can you talk about slotted vs. unslotted pins and where you use each? Shouldn't the slot be in the bridge, not the pin?

[@darrencarillo7321]

Does it make a difference if the bridge plate is slotted and modified to used non-slotted bridge pins?

[@STRAT1974]

Ok here is how I hear it liquid metal first put I’m not paying for that small bi of difference Brass next I can’t feel it but I hear it Closely Next is Tusq I already am an Ebony player but I have a guitar or two to try something different. I’ll go one Brass(as fitting a visual design I can find) And one Tusk Great video Easy to hear Great sound engineer! Perfect guitars! I also appreciate hearing the same model guitar under the same conditions right next to each other I’ve never heard that before and I’m amazed, even though I knew it was a thing, to hear the difference sounds from two identical guitars. Kudos to The Maker…

[@AlvarezGuitarsOfficial]

Thank you for your comment @STRAT1974 👍

[@stevehardy7584]

What about the argument I heard from a luthier, that grooved pins lead to the ball sitting 1/2 on the bridge plate and 1/2 in the groove of the pin - thereby interfering with the transfer of acoustic energy via the plate?

[@tao265]

I would imagine that wood on wood is better for similar vibration frequency tranference. Thus, the ebony, IMO, sounds best of the bunch here.

[@tedgoff4559]

With my tinnitus riddled ears, it's difficult for me to tell much difference, although I could discern some. I'm curious as to how these different bridge pins would compare to a pin-less bridge like what Breedlove uses. It does make string changes easier and mine sounds good (cedar top, koa back and sides.) Even if this is something you can't test, I'd be interested in your thoughts. Thanks.

[@AlvarezGuitarsOfficial]

Some very interesting idea @kipmarchetti6123, thanks for sharing!

[@PEELIO-1]

Are you guys compressing the signal at all on this? It sounds a bit compressed and I’m just curious if these guitars are naturally like that, or if you are doing in post?

[@fedexnman]

I love the wood pins that come in the Alvarez Masterworks series ... They look better than bone or plastic in appearance . I want to say they sound better but I have no idea .

[@LegsON]

Wooden pins are the lightest, and that makes guitars more responsive in my experience. Bone is more articulate, but a bit harsher.

[@BigBirdFliesAgain]

Have been messing with my Martin 000 28 EC ,Taylor 810 , and Gibson Maestro and have done bone and wood pins in all. The guitars sound best to me with ebony,,,, too bright with bone... one guitar worked on was an Alvares MF 610..... My original PLASTIC MARTIN PINS WORKED BEST IN IT. SOUNDED AMAZING WITH those pins and Daddario white coated strings.. Slotting the pin hole makes all sound better, the pin string fully rests on the bridge. Pins do make a difference good to have several sets to try out, most are in the range of the price of strings. $10 to $40 all make a difference, each guitar and ear is different. play around and make your guitar better, takes a while but is fun......................

[@AlvarezGuitarsOfficial]

Thanks for great thoughts @BigBirdFliesAgain 👍

[@slapmiki]

Hello thanks for your video, i prefer the sound of brass, but it's possible to have the reference or the brand of it ? Do you think it's possible to install on the Taylor gs mini ? Thank you 😊

[@Geetarzan3180]

Those Alvarez guitars sound amazing!!’ Gotta get one now. Thanks guys! Lol

[@johnhuggins5021]

To me both the liquid metal and bone had virtually the same sound and sustain length. I'm just wondering though, since I've never used bone pins, do they have a tendency to crack or check over a period of time than any of the others when you consider that you remove and replace strings periodically (for me every couple or three months) to maintain their sound. Of course the pins are routinely taken out to do that ..... whereas the bone on the bridge and/or nut are normally NOT something that is removed in order to accomplish restringing, and so when they crack it's exceptional. Anyone who uses bone pins know the answer to the cracking question? And do you have to take exceptional care when removing them?

[@DrAdams-fx6gy]

Also the wood of the guitar will sound different even if it's the same type due to the closeness of the wood grain and tree it came from. ie different of growth and age of tree. No two acoustics will sound the same. I bought a Yari DY50 when they 1st came out. made 900 of them . I play guitars in the 200 range up to the 800 and I bought the 767th guitar because of the tone, straightness and closeness of wood grain on the cedar top. I could hear the difference this guitar had. More resonance, sustain deep lows great mids and highs that reacted to my picking tech rather it be with fingers or pick. I still own it to this day. It's the only acoustic that I've kept out of all the acoustics I've owned. I've had it longer than the electrics that I own too. Only other guitar that sounded as good if not better was a 12 string acoustic that I hand made from Honduras mahogany, ebony fretboard and bridge, cedar top all wood binding. I gave it to my son . I don't have much use for 12 strings not many songs to play on it. If I had made a 6 string I'd probably be playing it more than my Yari if it sounded as good as the 12 string. I've never heard a 12 string ring out and sound as good as the one I built. I'm not saying that because I built it I'm just saying from the point of tone. Everyone that has heard it can't believe how good it sounds plus I've had many offers to buy it from me or for me to build them one. I use ebony pins to match the ebony bridge and a bone nut.

[@jasper_north]

How about slotting the bridge instead of the pins and then turn the pins around (180degr)

[@darrylt1031]

Hey guys....informative video, but what would really indicate true differences between pins would be some type of audio analyzing software.....the human ear can only discern so much....

[@cowboybob0452]

What about the multi colored metal picks that match Daddario string colors. I personally like the tusk black as inexpensive and sound great. Love what y’all are doing. Educating people on how to buy and maintain your instrument. Ho about one on cleaning and polishing . Warm washcloth then polish or. Cleaner wax then polish. Maintaining the finish

[@AlvarezGuitarsOfficial]

Great idea! We will pass that on. 👍

[@bend1499]

For me it didn't change so much the tone of the guitar, but I could hear tonal differences in the harmonics and resonance of the guitar, but that could be caused by anything, maybe different pressure was applied in the strumming or arpeggio, as you guys said, its not scientific. My thought is this, if you like a certain material, then just upgrade to it...but I think at the end of the day the benefit of any material other than plastic is the durability of it...plastic pins get annihilated over time.

[@3cardmonty602]

I use Tusq bridge pins. They definitely make a difference.

[@susanroycroft89]

Brass pins Without Doubt, looks don't come into it, but sound does, I have them in 2 of my Acoustic's 😊😊😊

[@MaithriSanitgun]

Wonderful video. Love your acoustics.

[@MrTuberguber]

You could always paint the heads of the brass pins. Those mahogany models remind me of the old Cris Craft speed boats.

[@msguitargal11]

I watched the entire video and the guitars all sound great no matter what bridge pins are installed. Anyway, I decided to try bone bridge pins in my Taylor GS mini replacing the plastic ones that were in it. I really haven't noticed any difference in sound or sustain. Wondering if I should try some metal ones as I would like to get a bit more sustain but avoid it becoming too tinny sounding.

[@sununtaschnittker6469]

The brass pins from China cost $3.81 plus tax on Ebay if you are willing to wait a month to get to you, $7.44 plus tax from a US vendor. Seems a cheap way to experiment. I have some already and if they do something in my test guitar might buy more. Wish they made unslotted ones per Chris Alvarado of Driftwood Guitars' advice but you can just turn them around!

[@ditchgator1]

Great idea 😎👍

[@AlvarezGuitarsOfficial]

Thanks 👍

[@steveedsel5524]

#1 Martin liquid metal #2 Brass #3 Tusque #4 Ebony #5 Bone #6 Plastic