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Any one ever heard of this? I think it might be interesting.Glass has good acoustic qualities and Boro glass is quite hard.Just wondering.
big John

Are someone selling these, or are you just wondering what we think they would do for the sound of a guitar? If the latter, this is probably one of those 'try it and see what you think' things...

BTW, you say 'Glass has good acoustic qualities', how so?

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Rian Gitar og Mandolin

apologies...I should have been more specific...I have never seen these...just wondering if any one else had.
I will try it and get back to ya'll.Let me test this.I work with glass a bit.I just got excited at the thought of it.
Acoustic qualities......I humbly detract that statement( I will look further in to this).I am just thinking that it might be cool.
big John

I would like to delete this thread ..any way to do that.....I spoke before I thought...
. big John

Hey Arnt, rub the rim of your wine glass with a wet finger and it will sing to you.

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"After forty-nine years of violin building, I have decided that the search for a varnish is similar to the fox hunt. The fun is in the hunt."
Jack Batts Maker and Repairer of Fine Violins

Let it go Big John, we all speak off the tops of our heads now and then! You can delete or edit 20 min's after posting then you lose privilege!

I don't know if glass would be an advantage or not, Huhm! I've seen aluminum before! Glass... How much and where?

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Billy Dean Thomas
Covina, CA

"Multi famam, conscientiam, pauci verentur."
(Many fear their reputation, few their conscience)

If you drill the holes big enough in the bridge, you could turn u'r beer bottles upside down and use them. What a neat way to tote u'r six pack to a party and give yourself a real cool bluesman look.

Sorry John, could not help me self. Anyhow I think proper glass pins would look cool, such a variety of colours and you could do a nice tortoise knock off however I would be worried that the head of the pins would be prone to snapping off as that is already the area where even the less brittle than glass hard plastic pins fail.

Cheers

Kim

Maybe Pyrex would be tough enough? I think this is a good question, keeper goin!

beer bottle pins....man that would be a big geetar!

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Brad Tucker

Perhaps I could whip up some tiny little beer bottles...in the brand of your choice.
seriously...the color combos is what got me excited...Pyrex(borosilicate)glass is really strong stuff....however
with out testing there is a good chance they would simply snap off like larkem said...don't know until you try.
As far as glass and acoustics I don't want to get in a big time scientific discussion...I don't have the skills for that but I have seen this....http://www.javys.com/hario/newproduct/violin.htm
which got me thinking as well...just brain storming I guess....well in my case just a small brain shower that barely wets the ground. .
peace and beer bottles
big John

Interesting idea, but I think they would be heavy compared to wood or bone pins and that would be a problem.

Well this is a great place to brainshower. You got me beat...I get more of a brain WPC (white puffy cloud) and come here to seed it.

I wonder if anyone has ever thought about making ceramic pins...just another wpc...

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Brad Tucker

Steve...I agree whole heartedly about them being compared to bone or wood...one thing I learned building my untraditional guitar ...was respect for tradition.There is a REASON for six strings...a reason for the types of traditional tone woods used... a reason for a certain order to the build ...and so on.
The guitar has been refined by smarter brains than I for a long long time.I bet a lot of newbs try to jump on this forum and reinvent the wheel..I think it comes from being excited about the craft and wanting to contribute.....and perhaps from a bit of arrogance.The same self confidence that a person needs to even start building a guitar...can sometimes be a detriment.That is why I wanted to delete the post..That said..my nature is to experiment and question. Perhaps wood or bone with a bit of glass inlay....

Brad,ha ....WPC....I am liking that....ceramic sounds like a neat idea as well....I bet a could turn it down on my diamond wheel.....add some glass inlays......hmmm...woops there I go again...

I bet if it was a good idea ....we would have already seen it...glass and guitars have been around a long time.
Thanks for putting up with me...ya'll are all to cool.Now I am going to go use some of this energy to learn more about the tried and true tradition....it is probably better spent that way.
peace and respect

big John

I remember going to the glass factory and watching them drive a nail with a Coca Cola bottle just off the line, while it was still warm. Then they dropped a bb inside the bottle and it exploded. Still had not completely hardened on the inside. That kind of glass is pretty tough, though it is prone to chip.

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Waddy

Photobucket Build Album Library

Sound Clips of most of my guitars

Big John my friend I too think that this is an interesting question. After all one of the most common descriptions of BRW is that it sounds "glassy."

I don't know but I think that Steve's concern would be mine as well - the added mass. When we consider what makes a good bridge mass is an issue - you want enough to drive the top but not so much that it holds the top back. OTOH the difference in weight of glass pins over say BRW pins would require one of those scales that I had hidden in my bedroom back in high school......

I have been trying different pins as needed on some of my guitars. These include bone, BRW, and ebony. And regardless of what anyone is going to come along and say regarding psycho-acoustics I hear a difference. It's not a profound difference but it is a difference. On a guitar that sounds a bit bright to me bone pins will make the guitar even brighter..... So ebony of rosewood is a better choice. Anyway this is what I am noticing here.

Regarding newbs trying to reinvent the guitar - we all do it, not-to-worry. Occasionally someone comes up with a really good idea or invents a killer jig and they are new to guitar building - Brad

When I see people thinking out loud here on the OLF it is to me a measure that people feel safe here and that is a good thing.

Are you going to make some glass pins? If so there are some really good threads in the archives about the advantages of unslotted pins over slotted pins and I can see how an unslotted glass pin would hold up better too.

I had to drill out a bridge pin the other day that had been broken off in the hole, and there was not enough protruding through to the inside to push it out. I wonder how well it would have drilled if it had been glass or ceramic.

As for the acoustics of glass, has anyone ever heard or read about the glass violin I think was made by someone in Japan?

Sonically I think there would be possibilities here. the issue of course is the occasions of the breaking the head off during a string change. But is sure an interesting thought.

Well its not as if glass has never been used to produce tone from a guitar. They make these in Pyrex too which might eliminate any issues with breaking.

Use a Padauk bridge (or some other lightweight but suitable wood) to compensate for the weight of the pins.

The Padauk bridges I've made come in at 17-18 grams. A bit too light for what I like on a steel string but the heavier pins would probably put it in an area with which I feel more comfortable.


Bob

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Bob Connor
Geelong, Australia

Hey guys...i made some test pins....These are made out of soda glass(like coke bottles waddy)....or...soft glass.Red is known to be fragile so I put that in the guitar to test.....these are VERY ruff looks wise....but could easily be refined .

I didn't really hear any change for the better with one in the guitar.But I do know Boro has more of a ring to it compared to soft glass...when I get around to it I will make up one in Boro to see if I hear a difference.I did notice the weight...They seemed a bit heavier that plastic anyway.i will have to break out that scale Hesh mentioned .
I think the breakage issue Michael and DL Huskey mentioned will be the biggest problem with them.
Peace and respect...
big John

John, it is good to try new things, so don't be discouraged. My response was just regurgitating the conventional thinking - innovations happen when someone figures out a way to buck tradition. So give it a shot!

Very cool. You might not notice a difference until you replace all of them, as change is mass is pretty small for one pin, but adds up after six.

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Mike

"The Dude abides. I don't know about you but I take comfort in that. It's good knowin' he's out there. The Dude. Takin' 'er easy for all us sinners. Shoosh." The Stranger

Steve....I appreciate all replies...I guess it was more of a timing thing....I was thinking along the lines of tradition before I read your post....so it Looks like my rant on tradition is to you...writing is not my strongest thing so hang with me guys.I do totally agree about the mass thing.
SMIke...yea...a real test will require all the pins and a better quality guitar....the one I am testing on is a bit of a dog.I am really feeling that this isn't the greatest idea.
Bob...hmmm a lighter bridge and heaver pins....makes sense to me.It amazes me the balancing act that goes into an acoustic.....much respect to those that do it well.
All In all I think this idea is a dud ....when I went to remove a pin it broke of(just as we thought)
I really can't see putting repair people and musicians through that nightmare for no real advantage in the tone area.I think a clear glass pin with some color in it would look cool....but....I tend to be utilitarian....so.Perhaps wooden or bone pins with a glass top ...Or perhaps Boro glass would do a better job.Meh....you never know unless you try....so I will keep trying different things.Thanks for ya'lls time and patients.
peace and respect,
big JOhn