Have you ever noticed the experience you had in the starting days with your guitar is fading away? You must have cursed the guitar quality. But wait, do really guitar quality deserves the blame. It is the dirt and other impurities that accumulate on the surface of the strings of the guitar. That causes it to malfunction. The solution to this is changing the strings of the guitar. It seems an easy job if you have chosen a guitar with bridge pins, but what if your guitar does not contain bridge pins.
To String An Acoustic Guitar Without Bridge Pins, you can change them by losing the old string and removing them off the guitar gently. Now gently tie a knot to the ball end of the guitar string by following the bridge, and after that, you can fasten the other end of the guitar string to the machine head.
You can set the pitch according to your preference. I will discuss it in more detail in the article.
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Getting the Right String For Your Guitar
The first step when you move towards changing the string of your guitar is choosing the right string type. Technically speaking, every wire won’t support every type of guitar.
Strings play an integral role in defining the bass and sound of your guitar.
The step in choosing the suitable string is determining the genera of your guitar, whether it’s classical, acoustic, or electrical.
Classical guitars all the time use nylon strings, on the other hand, acoustic and electrical guitars go well with any metal string. They can use nylon strings too.
Another factor that plays a significant role in determining the string type for your guitar is the size of your guitar. If you are dealing with a large and heavy instrument, go for heavy strings that usually range from 0.14 to 0.59. If your guitar is small, a wire between 0.13 to 0.56 will work best for it.
You can also experiment with different string types on your guitar.
It is another excellent way to enhance your skills as a guitarist.
What are Bridge Pins on the Acoustic Guitar?
It is the question that must be popping into the minds of beginners. What are bridge pins? If I put it shortly, you can define bridge pins as an anchor, that hold the ball end of a guitar to the bridge for smooth and hassle-free use.
If you look at the infrastructure of the guitar strings, they perform the chief function and undergo a lot of strain and stress. For positioning them correctly so that they don’t slide away, bridging is necessary. Imagine a guitar string tied at the end without using the bridge. How difficult or rather impossible it would be to play the guitar.
It is the actual use of the bridge pins. It performs some side functions, such as taking the vibrations of the string to the center of the guitar. It results in the production of sound.
Why Some Guitars Have Bridge Pins and Others Do Not?
So after reading the significance of guitar pins, many of you probably would be wondering why your guitar is without the pins.
So why do manufacturers make some guitars with bridge pins and remove them from other acoustic guitars is still unknown.
Maybe they do so to add style and cut off the cost of the guitar.
Interestingly, your guitar would still work perfectly with or without the bridge pins.
Apart from this, another contributing reason could be the old version of your guitar and lack of care. If your
Different Types of Bridge Pins
The guitars have different sizes and manufacturing materials, so the bridge pins have. Each bridge pins have its characteristic tone. You cannot achieve with another bridge pin.
For example, plastic bridge pins give a stable and clarity in tone.
On the other hand, bridge pins made of bone add an effect of fullness and brightness to the tone and so on.
How to String an Acoustic Guitar Without Bridge Pins?
Clean and impurity-free strings are necessary for the decent tone of your guitar, so you should change them from time to time. The dust, sweat, and other pollutants accumulate on the surface resulting in disruption of the tone of your guitar. Old strings also cut off the hygiene.
Changing a guitar with bridge pins is not a difficult task, but changing the strings of an acoustic guitar without the bridge pins may be a bit sensitive for some of you, as you need to tie each string separately to the ball ends and the other end of the guitar. It also requires more time than the guitar with the bridge pins does.
So the first step when you start to restring your guitar is knowing its type. String using a different material undergoes a unique stringing method.
Here I will explain the nylon and metal stringing for the guitar without bridge pins.
Nylon Stringing for Pinless Guitar
To string a guitar that uses nylon strings, you will require the following:
- New nylon strings
- A pair of wire cutter
- Bent nose pliers
- Guitar tuner
Once the above checklist is complete, move to the compiling procedure.
The first step of the restringing process is the removal of previous strings off the guitar.
- Start to rotate the turning key in the anticlockwise direction. It will untighten the string and make it ready for removal.
- Once the string is saggy, it’s the only connection at the ends of the guitar. Pick the pliers and cleave the nylon string from the guitar.
- Now your guitar is ready for renovation.
- With the help of a measuring tape, measure the exact length between the ball and bridge end of the guitar, and cut the required measurement with the wire cutter with 2 inches of surplus length.
- Now slowly put a string into the bridge hole from which you recently removed the old wire and move the other end backward. It reaches the other end.
- Continue to fold the string until it forms a loop.
- Now keep folding the shorter end of the nylon string under the longer end two to three times and pull it towards the bridge hole of the guitar.
- Now harden the low end to secure its place on the bridge and lock it by knotting it.
- Once you have completed the work on the shorter end, insert the longer end of the nylon string into the tuning key and pull it to tighten and lock it.
- You can repeat the same procedure until all the wires get to their place.
Metal Stringing on The Pinless Guitar
Metal strings are a broader spectrum. It includes many materials such as bronze, copper, brass, steel, etc. So starting with the procedure, let me forewarn my readers to handle these strings with care as the ends are sharp and can cause an injury.
Moving on to the procedure, you need all the equipment, as mentioned in the above heading, except the metal strings. Replace the nylon strings with the metal strings of your choice.
The procedure also varies slightly as these strings come with ball ends.
- The first step remains to remove the old strings off the guitar and get it ready for the new replacement.
- Start by pulling the plain end of your string to the bridge holes and tighten this end of the wire to the tuning key’s peg. Use pliers to assist you in this step,
- Now continue to fold the string around the peg. Knot any leftover wire to secure your wire in its place.
- Now you can cut out the extra string that is dripping outside the tuning peg. Use a wire cutter for this purpose.
- The next step is tuning the guitar. Use a guitar tuner to get the right pitch for your guitar. Move the tuning key in the clockwise direction to tighten the string in its position.
- Keep on repeating the steps until you have completed all the strings.
Quick Tips and Tricks to Get More Out of Your Acoustic Guitar Strings
- Don’t mess up or rush to change the guitar strings. Focus on one wire at a time. It will help you avoid the mess.
- Be careful while cutting the extra wires. Don’t cut them while the string is tense, as it will not only cause damage to your wire but also could be hazardous to you.
- Always leave a margin of two to three inches while cutting the leftover pieces off the string. The short length of the wire can cause it to slip through your fingers, and the result will not be good.
What can I use instead of bridge pins?
Ans: You can use wooden pins instead of bridge pins of the guitar. Various diameters pins are available in the market. You can choose some according to the diameter of your bridge guitar.
Do all acoustic guitars have bridge pins?
The short answer is No. All the acoustic guitars don’t have bridge pins on them. They play an important role in anchoring your string to the guitar.
Manufacturers don’t add bridge pins to all the guitars for style and variety.
Do bridge pins affect the sound?
Yes, bridge pins play a fundamental role in the effect of your output. They not only anchor the strings to the bridge but take the vibrations to the center of the guitar for sound production.
Conclusion
Bridge pins play a vital role in any guitar. Bridge pins not only anchor the guitar but also play a role in sound production.
Manufacturers are bringing some guitars in the market without the bridge pins and the reason is unknown. You may also have lost the bridge pins if your guitar is of the older version. Changing the strings of such guitars can be tricky. But You can still avail yourself of maximum benefits from your guitar by utilizing the bridge and turning the end of the guitar to put in new strings.
If you follow the procedures correctly, it would be easy to get new strings on your guitar.