"Power Pins"

bertie

I wouldnt buy em, I think they look ridiculous,  but anyone actually tried them  ??


https://www.thomann.de/gb/power_pins_bridge_pin_set_v2_gd.htm

ElectricXII

I agree, they look awful. I've never had trouble changing strings on my acoustic, as long as I have a pin puller.

drofluf

look like a solution to a non-existent problem

mo6020

Not for me in either function, or style. 

bertie

I think this thread is a good justification for a "WTF?"  button   

sev112

I out a set on an old fender laminated dreadnaught about 5 or 6 years back and they do a surprisingly good job.  The break angle is pretty much the same , and they are all anchored to the bridge plate underneath by a metal strip/bar, so the saddle vibrations are transferred to the top quite well.

I think they look ok.  

DavidR

I think the original question was are they any good/better. So far no-one seems to have tried them, which must in itself be some sort of answer! The claim from the manufacturer is that ,tonally, they increase sustain due to the greater contact with the bridge but they must increase the overall weight of the bridge. Heaven knows what effect that would have on the vibration and inertia of the bridge plate and, consequently, tone.

They are quite a good idea aren't they and would make acoustic string change just a little bit easier. But string changes on any guitar aren't a major challenge for someone dextrous enough to be playing.

I don't like them on the basis of appearance. They look too much like tears. The very opposite of the emotion that the word 'guitar' means to me. Not a wholly rational dislike, but can't think I would really want to try them.

Also......not cheap.....
Power Pins 2.0 - StewMac

DavidR

drofluf

Wouldn't the pins also need to match the taper of those that they were replacing? Otherwise there won't be much contact with the bridge.

Can't see why the "stem" needs to be that long; they'd be lighter and more discrete if it were shorter.

But like I said a solution to a non-existent problem

bertie

DavidR said:

I think the original question was are they any good/better. 

not really,  just interested if anyone actually  tried them

sev112

@DavidR  my post before yours says that I did try them and I thought the6 do a good job on a laminate dreadnaught.  They are still on that guitar
Also, they are connected to the bottom of the Bridgepkate with a metal bar/strip so there is quite a lot of distribution of vibration over the whole of the bridgepkate, which is not what one would imagine from your second photo of the individual pins which doesn’t show the plate

DavidR

Ah. Sorry @sev112 . Interesting stuff. Did they alter the tone much?

BillDL

I fitted a set of these for somebody that had paid quite a lot of money for them, but I removed them again and suggested that he return them for a refund as they were not fit for purpose.  You have to have an exceptionally high saddle for the strings to have a sufficient break angle.  The bolts would not be long enough to screw into the body of the "pins" with enough thread if you have a slightly thicker than normal bridge.

The guitar I fitted them into was a Walden, but I can't recall the model.  It had a pretty standard thickness bridge.  Although the saddle had been sanded down on the base to lower the action a little bit there was still a healthy amount of the saddle above the bridge and the break angle was pretty good as it was with normal pins.  The fact that the forward facing string exit point on the Power Pins sits above the top of the bridge (even when pushed in all the way) actually lessens the break angle, and the treble strings hardly had any break angle at all and sounded clanky.  There was no appreciable improvement in tone on the bass strings either, even though they were left with a reasonable break angle over the saddle albeit less than before with standard pins.

My view is that whatever is gained by the metal bridge plate spreading the vibration across the underside of the bridge was undone by the reduction of string angle over the saddle.  I would also be concerned that the pull from the rear of the power pins may have a long-term detrimental effect on the soundboard because of the way the tension is now acting on the bridge.  Something like the Ovation bridges but with the anchor point further behind the rear of the bridge.  I would expect to see a guitar bellying behind the bridge and sinking in front of it more quickly with Power Pins than when strung normally, but that's just an educated guess.

After I had removed the Power Pins from the guitar I had been asked to fit them to I created short string slots in front of the bridge pin holes to create a little bit more breakover angle and the owner was really pleased with what he perceived as a better tone.

While these Power Pins may work on some guitars to improve the tone, or at the very least to facilitate hassle-free string changes, I personally think they are a waste of money.

I don't know why more guitar manufacturers / builders don't use this bridge construction method to set the pins lower than the main part of the bridge bearing the saddle.

Cort use this method on some of their acoustics, I believe @WezV may also do this, and other custom builders of repute like Florida based Chris Alvarado incorporate the design.

Tannin

Very informative post, @BillDL. The Fretboard Brains Trust as its best. 

Musical_Mystery_Tour

Seems to me that if anything, they'd do a worse job of transferring vibrations owing to the forward rather than downward tension. Intonation aside, everyone knows three saddle Telecaster bridges do a better job because of the increased downward tension from having two strings pressing the saddle down.

Soupman

@Musical_Mystery_Tour I suggest you try a Lowden.
The bridge doesn't use bridge pins being straight-through stringing. There's plenty of tone and volume available!