Bridge pins upgrades....?

[Cadillac Kid]

I searched but could only find a few topics from 2004....I have a lovely 2002 Om-05 with ebony pins. Wondering if the bone replacements Larrivee sells on their site would be worth it. Also does anyone know what 'size' the Larrivee pins would be considered if I went through someone else stewmac?

[eded]

Lots of opinions on this...  my experience is that mass is what matters, tone wise.  Very little difference between bone and plastic, because they weigh about the same.  A bigger difference between plastic and brass.  And, added mass on some guitars means separation, sustain, and volume and on other guitars, it kills the tone and make things muddy.  In the end, a set of pins is what, $10-$30 or so...  the price of a couple string changes.  It's a worthwhile experiment, and if you don't like them, you can probably get 70% of your money back if you resell them.

YMMV...  (your mileage may vary)

Ed

[ducktrapper]

I searched but could only find a few topics from 2004....I have a lovely 2002 Om-05 with ebony pins. Wondering if the bone replacements Larrivee sells on their site would be worth it. Also does anyone know what 'size' the Larrivee pins would be considered if I went through someone else stewmac?

What do you mean by "worth it"? Go for it if you like the looks of them. You can start arguments this way but I have to say that any change in sound is bound to be subtle and to call it an improvement or not is bound to be subjective. I wouldn't expect much. An OM-05 is bound to sound pretty darn good as is, I'm guessing. Anyway, I think a standard bridge pin would fit.   

[Hooked]

Go to guy for good pins is Bob Colossi - Bob Colossi Bridges and pins He makes beautiful pins, and has specs for Larrivee bridges and pins.

[headsup]

I've had the bone bridge pins, a tad brittle for my tastes.

my absolute favourites are the "Cats eye" bridge pins.
ebony, with a brass ring and abalone dot inside that.

[B0WIE]

I'd do it for cosmetic reasons only, or if you have plastic pins. Don't change ebony expecting a tonal improvement. I've had bad experiences with a seller mentioned above and would recommend Guitar Parts and more for precision made pins and saddles.
If you're looking for tonal changes, strings and saddle are the go-to.

[Mikeymac]

If you're looking for tonal changes, strings and saddle are the go-to.

And picks... 

[B0WIE]

And picks... 

Or fingernails, or the way you shape your fingernails, etc. But, I don't really consider any of those mods, picks and fingers are just play techniques.

[Kohtzy]

I know everyone has an opinion on this topic one way or another..so here is my experience. On my D-40r bone bridge pins produce the best sound. Compared to the plastic pins that it came with, the sound is more vibrant, but still very mellow. I also tried tusq on this guitar, which made it a bit wild (the best word I could think of - something was not right). On my D-03, I tried bone and tusq, but both were brittle. I used the plastic until I had an urge to try ebony. The ebony pins really mellowed this guitar is a very good way. I got my bone bridge pins from Colosi (look at the sizing recommendation) and my ebony pins from Luthiers Mercantile (the 3 degree pins fit perfectly).


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[AZLiberty]

I searched but could only find a few topics from 2004....I have a lovely 2002 Om-05 with ebony pins. Wondering if the bone replacements Larrivee sells on their site would be worth it. Also does anyone know what 'size' the Larrivee pins would be considered if I went through someone else stewmac?

Larrivee uses industry standard 3-degree taper pins.  Same as almost every other company except Martin.

Stew-mac only seems to sell 5-degree pins.   Luthier's Mercantile, on the other hand, has an extensive selection:

https://www.lmii.com/144-bridge-pins-and-end-pins/s-19/taper-3_degree_slotted

[Mr_LV19E]

Larrivee uses industry standard 3-degree taper pins.  Same as almost every other company except Martin.

Stew-mac only seems to sell 5-degree pins.   Luthier's Mercantile, on the other hand, has an extensive selection:

https://www.lmii.com/144-bridge-pins-and-end-pins/s-19/taper-3_degree_slotted

Big variety and low prices at LMII.  You can buy a few different kinds and compare.

They were quite a bit less expensive when I bought mine but they are still reasonable. 

[lwirtz]

I put these on my Larrivee OM-09, i liked the change. I also play Martin MA535T. I am pleased with sound. Very clear.

[Mikeymac]

Since this topic came back up, I'll chime in again...

I've been playing my '92 OM-05 with the original ebony pins in it since it was new (that's prit' neer 28 years!). Has always sounded good, and just keeps getting better with age. I agree with the comment about strings - those are likely to produce much more noticeable tonal changes (as will picks, but I said that already...).

[Vid]

Hi all,
I thought I would chime in on the subject...First off, after a few months of play time, I changed strings on my OM-03 with composite bridge pins. 'While I'm not really a fan of plastic bridge pins, changing strings was a non-issue. With that in mind, I called Oxnard and spoke to Jr. on the subject and he sold me on the slotted bone pins they have available. I'm looking forward to trying them on the next change over. He was very helpful and gave me some good insight into bridge pin material pluses and minuses.

I also have an old set of rosewood bridge pins, I have no idea how to tell what degree they may be, any thoughts?

One more point, my OM-03 came with a new set of D'Addrio phos bronze 12's. I put on DR Veritas 80/20 12's just to mix it up and they sound fantastic...
they add a different tonality and color to the guitar, great for OM's!

[Mikeymac]

One more point, my OM-03 came with a new set of D'Addrio phos bronze 12's. I put on DR Veritas 80/20 12's just to mix it up and they sound fantastic...
they add a different tonality and color to the guitar, great for OM's!

I've not tried the Veritas 80/20's, but I've used the Veritas Phosphor Bronze (in both Medium and Light) and was very impressed with them! They add enough extra punch that I felt I could use the Lights instead of the Mediums without giving up any volume or tone.

[Vid]

Hi everyone, here is an update on receiving my bone slotted bridge pins and installing them on my OM-03... What a night and day difference especially for seating  the ball end of the strings into the slot of the pin;so smooth and a timesaver. Previous to installing them, I did some homework on bone pins and found out that they do add a little more bright tonality to the guitar so I installed them with phos bronze 12's (GHS). For me it's a perfect combination; I'm very pleased with the results...your thoughts?,
donut

[Dr. LJ]

I use either bone or ebony pins on my guitars, mainly because I like the looks. To be honest, I don't notice a lot of difference. Bone may be a tiny bit brighter but I can live with either.