New acoustic guitar I recently got. And have you heard of Power Pins?

FoulPhil

FoulPhil

Well-known member
Check this out. It's a Guild D125 (made in china) all solid mahogany acoustic guitar. Has a nice unique sound to it, it's no martin or other multi thousand dollar instrument, but it's pretty damn good. It almost feels like an electric guitar. Although with the string tension of an acoustic. I really like it... And I put on power pins too.

I'll record some stuff today and post some clips in the MP3 mixing section.

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Nice find. Mahogany topped guitars can be quite sweet sounding and unique. The tend to lack the projection and complexity of the sound you get from a solid spruce top but I've heard plenty of really sweet ones.

The power pins are a bit of a meh for me. They over complicate an already adequate and time tested solution and introduce lot of extra mass to the bridge area. They also do not couple the same way with the bridge plate as regular pins which is important on a well voiced instrument. I'd be interested on your thoughts if you ever do a comparison of with and without them. They work though so if they sound good for you they are just the job.. You may want to periodically check that they are fitted securely to the bridge plate as I have seen some work lose on a guitar I had through here a while back. It may have been that they weren't fitted tightly to begin with..
 
Yeah I've read some comments both positive and negative. I put mine on real tight and don't plan on taking them off. As far as improving or changing the sound it's not too noticeable. I like them and they don't seem to cause any problems. I might worry about keeping it more traditional if it was a really expensive guitar. This one although too pricy for some folks wasn't too expensive compared to high end guitars. I paid around $490 for it. Happy days :D
 
I've read both good and bad comments on powerpins too. WOnder how they affect the plugged-in sound of a UST-equipped A/E?
Oh, I think they're ugly, too!
 
mjbphotos said:
I've read both good and bad comments on powerpins too. WOnder how they affect the plugged-in sound of a UST-equipped A/E?
Oh, I think they're ugly, too!
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I don't know about that, but I don't really see them as being ugly or pretty. They just look different from regular pins. I've lost a pin or two in my time and have resorted to using hex wrenches as pins lol. All the bad comments I've read have been purely theoretical. People don't like change and it's all good. They said a man wearing a ring in his left ear was one of those ugly fads that would die out. I wonder how many people here had their ear pierced. I don't, but hey it's just not for me. lol
 
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FoulPhil said:
I don't know about that, but I don't really see them as being ugly or pretty. They just look different from regular pins. I've lost a pin or two in my time and have resorted to using hex wrenches as pins lol. All the bad comments I've read have been purely theoretical. People don't like change and it's all good. They said a man wearing an ring in his left ear was one of those ugly fads that would die out. I wonder how many people here had their ear pierced. I don't, but hey it's just not for me. lol
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There are some practical reason why they could possibly not be good on a guitar designed for traditional pns. I outlined one of them in that they are fitted to bridge plate and when they work lose they could damage the bridge plate. They also exert pressure on the top more than a normal setup which could possibly not be good for the bracing. That one would be over a period of time.

Frankly I have never heard a guitar with them that I would say has improved but I haven't heard too many of them. My main concern is that they add considerable mass and that isn't good on an instrument that relies heavily on mass and stiffness for it's tone. Like I said, to me it's a solution without a problem and perhaps the biggest problem is the claims that are made for them. They will not protect the bridge plate and they could well add to the bridge popping off the top. The bridge pin is used to couple the bridge and the bridge plate and transfer the vibration of the string to the belly. They will not aid that.
 
muttley600 said:
There are some practical reason why they could possibly not be good on a guitar designed for traditional pns. I outlined one of them in that they are fitted to bridge plate and when they work lose they could damage the bridge plate. They also exert pressure on the top more than a normal setup which could possibly not be good for the bracing. That one would be over a period of time.

Frankly I have never heard a guitar with them that I would say has improved but I haven't heard too many of them. My main concern is that they add considerable mass and that isn't good on an instrument that relies heavily on mass and stiffness for it's tone. Like I said, to me it's a solution without a problem and perhaps the biggest problem is the claims that are made for them. They will not protect the bridge plate and they could well add to the bridge popping off the top. The bridge pin is used to couple the bridge and the bridge plate and transfer the vibration of the string to the belly. They will not aid that.
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I don't understand how they could make the bridge pop off if they are bolted to the top. I'm assuming the bridge is glued to the guitars top. The pins are bolted though the pin holes which would make me think the bridge is even more secured to the top of the guitar. They are heavier than a traditional little plastic pin, but they really are pretty light weight. I'm not sure if it's enough weight to cause the top to warp, but I guess time will tell. If I end up having any problems I'll make sure to post about it. For now they seem to be just fine. :thumbs up:

EDIT:

One of the claims the manufacturer makes is that the power pins prevent and/or fix bridge problems. Not sure how true this is, but I guess we'll fine out over time.

Protect Bridge Plate
 
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Look closely at how the forces are now acting on the bridge. Instead of up through the lamination they are wanting to pull the lamination apart. Trus me I have seen it happen with bolt on bridges and with top anchored guitars even high end ones. I'm not suggestion that the bridge will fly off but it is a possibility that the glue line will be compromised. It may not, but the possibility is significantly higher. It also does not allow for expansion and contraction of the timbers which is also a possibility as you already have three different types of timber there and you are adding a further material property.

It is not the weight or mass that causes the top to move or warp but rather the forces that act continuously on it and the direction in which they act. Pretty much all acoustic tops move over time.

I have nothing against them but it is not true to say what they have.
 
muttley600 said:
Look closely at how the forces are now acting on the bridge. Instead of up through the lamination they are wanting to pull the lamination apart. Trus me I have seen it happen with bolt on bridges and with top anchored guitars even high end ones. I'm not suggestion that the bridge will fly off but it is a possibility that the glue line will be compromised. It may not, but the possibility is significantly higher. It also does not allow for expansion and contraction of the timbers which is also a possibility as you already have three different types of timber there and you are adding a further material property.

It is not the weight or mass that causes the top to move or warp but rather the forces that act continuously on it and the direction in which they act. Pretty much all acoustic tops move over time.

I have nothing against them but it is not true to say what they have.
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Do you build acoustic guitars or are you a service repair guitar tech or something? Just curious lol. If you build guitars can I see some pics of them?
 
Click on his moniker (the blue name by the picture and click view forum posts. You might wade to go through a ton of cave closure manure to get to some really good stuff, but I think there's an option to go to just posts he started somewhere...
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okay, you click on view profile and then you get the View Started Posts or whatever link over on the left...
 
Something attached to the washtub :p

I think I'm going to make one though. It will be an interesting thing to record :D
 
FoulPhil said:
Do you build acoustic guitars or are you a service repair guitar tech or something? Just curious lol. If you build guitars can I see some pics of them?
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Yeh, I build guitars. Currently anywhere between a dozen and 25 a year. I also do repairs and setups for quite a few outlets and am licensed to work on warranty on a number of brands.

Having said that it doesn't make my opinion any better than some one elses it just introduces a good deal of knowledge and experience. 35 years worth so far. After all that is said you will quite possibly be OK with those pins i't not like there are hundreds of damaged guitars stacking up against them but it's only fair to point out snake oil. I try to be as honest as I can when talk to people about how this shit all works.

There are lots of examples of my stuff in here over the years, if there is anything specific you'd like to see shout and I'll try and dig out some old pictures. My website is still under revamp. I started doing that about 6 months ago and like everything else in my life, other stuff jumped in front. Maybe start with the Les Paul build thread. Some where there is everything from Uke.s bridge repairs, smashed strat renovations, Tele's and my bread and butter and most common instrument builds, jazz archtops. There is also a lot of stuff on pickup building which I have branched into over the last few years thanks to JCH getting me hooked. Currently I'm building a CNC so when that is done you will also see me branching out further into the wonderful world of guitar building and repairing. It's not just a job, it's an obsession...:)

Once again, thats a sweet guitar. Enjoy it. Keep an eye on it for problems but you should do that with any guitar....;)
 
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