Acoustic guitar power pins....

Armistice

Armistice

Son of Yoda
I was blissfully unaware of these things until I read Lord Foul's thread below/above.

Now I would have thought that an acoustic guitar's tone (a guitar of any quality, anyway) would be something the maker went to considerable effort to get right, so to "improve" it via these pins (as the advertisement claims) seems a bit of a strange thing to do. "Improve" how?

And as for the argument that it makes string changing easier, how hard is it to pull a bridge pin out with a pair of pliers? I mean, we're guitarists, right, we have pliers at hand?

And they look awful.

So.... now that I've trashed them, anyone actually use them? What do they actually DO for you? :confused:
 
Snake oil.
There is always some "new improvement" over the traditional working design that comes and goes like so many have before it.

This too shall pass.


:D
 
I'd never heard of them until today either.

But as far as pulling standard bridge pins, I just use the little notch on the end of any string winder. It took me years to realize that's what that thing was for :)
 
That was pre-internet days. They used to have them in a fish bowl at the counter in the local music shop for 50 cents or a dollar. No manual, no help file, no internet forum dedicated solely to string winders. How did I manage to even feed myself back then???

I think that this is a perfect cue for Muttley to request a string winder sub-forum :D

And 2 sub-sub forums: one for the windey bit, and one for the pulley bit.
 
Tadpui said:
That was pre-internet days. They used to have them in a fish bowl at the counter in the local music shop for 50 cents or a dollar. No manual, no help file, no internet forum dedicated solely to string winders. How did I manage to even feed myself back then???

I think that this is a perfect cue for Muttley to request a string winder sub-forum :D

And 2 sub-sub forums: one for the windey bit, and one for the pulley bit.
Click to expand...

My string winder is an opposable thumb. Thirty to forty sets a week on a good month...:RTFM:

---------- Update ----------

...and I bet I;m quicker than any of you suckers...:)
 
Armistice said:
I was blissfully unaware of these things until I read Lord Foul's thread below/above.

Now I would have thought that an acoustic guitar's tone (a guitar of any quality, anyway) would be something the maker went to considerable effort to get right, so to "improve" it via these pins (as the advertisement claims) seems a bit of a strange thing to do. "Improve" how?

And as for the argument that it makes string changing easier, how hard is it to pull a bridge pin out with a pair of pliers? I mean, we're guitarists, right, we have pliers at hand?

And they look awful.

So.... now that I've trashed them, anyone actually use them? What do they actually DO for you? :confused:
Click to expand...

Thats what I was eluding to. On a decent guitar that has been voiced properly and the top braced and thicknessed to suit then to add mass to the bridge is just dumb... On an average guitar it would probably would just make it sound different. On a decent guitar it would make it sound less like it was meant to. That could be good or bad depending on what you like but it wont "improve" the tone just change it.. It's a solution without a problem.
 
Armistice said:
I was blissfully unaware of these things until I read Lord Foul's thread below/above.

Now I would have thought that an acoustic guitar's tone (a guitar of any quality, anyway) would be something the maker went to considerable effort to get right, so to "improve" it via these pins (as the advertisement claims) seems a bit of a strange thing to do. "Improve" how?

And as for the argument that it makes string changing easier, how hard is it to pull a bridge pin out with a pair of pliers? I mean, we're guitarists, right, we have pliers at hand?

And they look awful.

So.... now that I've trashed them, anyone actually use them? What do they actually DO for you? :confused:
Click to expand...

I like them and they look pretty cool to me. It's one of those things where if you want to try them go for it, if not no worries. There are plenty of videos you can find on youtube that have before and after audio. It certainly does give the guitar a much greater sustain. It took me a bit to get use to the ultra chime and long ringing sound of the guitar. I don't know if I'm just tripping, but it seems like even after the strings are warn and well corroded they still don't sound too bad. It was like it takes much longer for them to sound dead.

And I was thankful today when it only took me a few minutes to put new strings on. The next item on my to buy list is a Drill Bit Peg Winder and then you're looking at SUPER easy string changes. Here's a link to the drill bit lol...
http://www.musiciansfriend.com/accessories/daddario-planet-waves-drill-bit-peg-winder?cntry=us&source=3WWRWXGP&gclid=Cj0KEQiAsdCnBRC86PeFkuDJt_MBEiQAUXJfLcE9qneZd9g94nyDJgBQ4nMJCTUJ63cZ5lKKuNfcrFkaArvR8P8HAQ&kwid=productads-plaid^99956173467-sku^H89634000000000@ADL4MF-adType^PLA-device^c-adid^51870555867


You grandpas can keep your old bridge pins. Although like I said in the other thread if it was a really expensive guitar I doubt I would put them on. For my situation I think they work great and the guitar even seems a bit louder as well :D
 
muttley600 said:
My string winder is an opposable thumb. Thirty to forty sets a week on a good month...:RTFM:

---------- Update ----------

...and I bet I;m quicker than any of you suckers...:)
Click to expand...

I don't doubt that one bit! I own several guitars, both acoustic and electric. And I'd say that I change strings about twice every 3 months total. Every few months I go on a tear and change strings on 2-3 guitars in an evening. So these weak little digits need some mechanical assistance.

Honestly I'd be interested in watching you change strings. Since I do it so infrequently, I fumble about a bit. I forget where I just sat the cutters, forget where I sat the winder, forget where I sat that uncoiled replacement string...repeat with each string until all 6 are on. Where is that damn winder again? Oh, on my lap. OK. Now where are the damn cutters? They settled between the couch cushions. I'd say that it takes me about 30 minutes to get the old strings off, get the new strings on, and get the tuning stable. So nobody is going to be knocking on my door asking me to be their guitar tech. It's just not my calling. I get it done but it's not a pretty process.

You should shoot a film of you going all pit crew style on a set of strings. Zip zap, done. Tuned. I'd watch that!
 
Tadpui said:
I don't doubt that one bit! I own several guitars, both acoustic and electric. And I'd say that I change strings about twice every 3 months total. Every few months I go on a tear and change strings on 2-3 guitars in an evening. So these weak little digits need some mechanical assistance.

Honestly I'd be interested in watching you change strings. Since I do it so infrequently, I fumble about a bit. I forget where I just sat the cutters, forget where I sat the winder, forget where I sat that uncoiled replacement string...repeat with each string until all 6 are on. Where is that damn winder again? Oh, on my lap. OK. Now where are the damn cutters? They settled between the couch cushions. I'd say that it takes me about 30 minutes to get the old strings off, get the new strings on, and get the tuning stable. So nobody is going to be knocking on my door asking me to be their guitar tech. It's just not my calling. I get it done but it's not a pretty process.

You should shoot a film of you going all pit crew style on a set of strings. Zip zap, done. Tuned. I'd watch that!
Click to expand...

Most times I switch them one at a time and leave the slack while I do any adjustments and setup thats needs doing then bring them to pitch when it's all done. I leave the over length on right to the end and cut them all off in one go. Don't think you're the only one who cant find the right tool at the right time. My bench can look like a yard sale all the time and thats on a good day...:o
 
1) Post the "How To Change Your Strings" video! :)
2) Get a million hits on YouBoob
3) Become famous.
4) Share! :D
 
I never use string winders, although obviously I don't do as much winding as Mutt... I'm always afraid in my winding haste that I'll slip and damage the finish on the headstock (acoustics, anyway....) plus I tend to add extra tension with my right hand to the string being wound while I'm winding it, so you can sort of only do that with the opposable thumb method.
 
I always use a manual pegwinder, the standard plastic ones. never had an issue damaging a guitar's finish. Back in my old band days, I'd bust my 009 E strings all the time during shows, to the point where I would keep a spare string, a winder and a spare insert thingie that goes in the back of Tele's where the string goes through (in case the one in the guitar fell off on the stage and I couldn't see it in the dark). I could change a string between songs in the time it took the rhythm guitarist to retune and the bass player to introduce the next song.
 
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