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I thought it best to ask in a separate thread rather than hijack the current Gurian question.

I was led to believe from past threads that unslotted 3 deg pins were the pin of choice among the OLF masters. Is there such a preference? If so why. Slotted unslotted 5 deg or 3 deg, does it really matter all that much as long as that sucker matches your reamer and stays in the hole when done?

Some clarity or muddy argument one way or the other would be appreciated.

Cheers All

Kimlarkim38813.032025463

HI Kim

I use 5 degree slotted pins, for no good reason other than my suplliers pins are 5 Degrees.

Kim, you're correct. The taper makes no difference at all. Some of us prefer the unslotted pins for a reason though. If you slot the bridge rather than the pin, the string will stay in place if the pin is removed. This usually isn't an issue (bridge pins falling out) but it also makes sure you seat the ball end properly before you insert the pin. Sometimes, with slotted pins, a person uses the pin to push the ball end into the hole which can make the ball rest on the end of the pin rather than the bridge plate.

I don't think taper matter either, nor am I particularly biased towards slotted or unslotted, as long as the ball end of the string is firmly held against the bridge plate. If I have a guitar with a slotted bridge but only have slotted pins I just turn them round so that the slot is opposite the string.

ColinColin S38814.3720601852

_________________
I don't believe in anything, I simply make use of a set of reasonable working hypotheses.

Thanks for taking the time to give clarification folks, much obliged.

Cheers

Kim

A blow to a 3? pin is more likely to split the bridge than an equivalent blow
to a 5? pin. But if they are seated correctly (all the way to the collar) it won't
happen with either one. Howard Klepper38814.0135185185

_________________
Howard Klepper
http://www.klepperguitars.com

When all else fails, clean the shop.

the issue of whether the pin taper is of consecquence should not be passed over too lightly.

in the extreme there is the bridge spliting problem pointed out by howard.

but also when replacing pins in the repair environment there is also the issue of having the pin match the manufacturers already established pin hole diameter/taper. pins are made in differing sizes to fit the various holes used by major manufacturers. using an inappropriately sized pin will result in a loose pin, unsightly high pin or undesirable hole reaming to avoid the high pin problem.

Thanks for pointing that out Michael, what taper do you use yourself as standard fettle for your builds?

Ok, I confess ignorance here, but wouldn't it make more sense that a 5? pin would be more apt to split a bridge than a 3? pin? A greater taper would equate to greater force/distance than with a 3? pin, would it not?
Please explain...!

_________________
"I want to know what kind of pickups Vince Gill uses in his Tele, because if I had those, as good of a player as I am, I'm sure I could make it sound like that.
Only badly."

In some ways, the 5 degree would cause a split more readily because it causes more sideways movement for the same vertical travel, but on the other hand, the 3 degree pin has more splitting torque for the same travel.

6 of one, half dozen of the other..

The advantage of a 3 degree pin is that the head of the pin is smaller, relative to a 5 degree pin. The bottom of the hole must be roughly the same size, given that string balls are all pretty well strandardized, so the bottom measurement of the pins will be about the same for a 3 or a 5 degree pin, but given the larger taper, the 5 degree pin has a bigger head.

Minute detail, but one of many that some of us notice....