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There are
many more examples
of my work in the
"gallery" pages.
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BONE SADDLES |
Bone is the most common and least expensive aftermarket
natural material used for saddles. It is denser than any of the
synthetic materials and in nearly all cases displays an immediate,
noticeable difference after installation. Most of the bone used
in today’s guitar saddles comes from Chinese cows or ox.
Is a Chinese cow or ox
better than American ones? Probably not, but their bones are cheaper.
Additionally, there is no difference between the final product
whether the bone came from one animal or the other. NO
animals are unnecessarily murdered
just for the purpose of anyone’s guitars. These are simply
the byproducts of the beef industry. Nearly every guitar
in the higher price range ($2000.00 and up) will come with a bone
saddle and nut as the standard material. As I mentioned in
the general information page, rarely if ever,
will you find ANY hand made guitars in the extreme price ranges
that do not come equipped with high quality bone components.
It is unquestionably the standard in that section of the
industry. Bone saddles are a bleached white color, and can occasionally
have some darker “speckling” in the grain. Most saddles can also be
ordered in what is known vintage bone. The only difference
between this and regular bone is the vintage bone is dyed to a
"baby poop" yellow-brown color to give it an aged or vintage
look.
Bone is usually the first step people choose in an aftermarket
saddle, as it is relatively inexpensive, and offers significant
improvement over factory-installed components. Bone increases
clarity and sustain, provides better overtones, and provides a better
high to low end balance. It provides a much more “focused”
high end and punchier low end, and is not at all shrill like
some plastic saddles render the guitar. Additionally, bone will long outlast
the factory installed plastic saddles.
All the saddles I carry are listed on the
pricing/ordering page. If
yours is not listed, I can copy it (in nearly every case) out of
any of these materials if you can send it in.
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(vintage
bone) |
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New bone long saddle made from hacked up
original. Definitely an improvement! |
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Alvarez bone saddle copied from original |
Click on select images to
see an
enlarged view. |
ELEPHANT IVORY SADDLES |
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Elephant Ivory set made for a 1957 Gibson J45 |
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Click on any of the thumbnail images to
see an
enlarged view. |
WEST AFRICAN HARD IVORY
SADDLES |
This is the
hardest material that falls into the usable spectrum of
densities for an acoustic guitar and is the ultimate material
for maximizing the harmonic and overtone content of the
instrument. For this reason, West African hard ivory is
by far the most popular material used by fingerstyle players
or those who simply want the best high frequency response and
clarity. Sonically,
it is the same as the fossilized walrus ivory, although being
slightly harder, it is somewhat better for wear and tear.
Personally, I feel this is one of the best natural materials I
have used for guitar parts and the material I use in nearly all
my personal instruments.

Reminder.... I cannot
legally ship Elephant Ivory outside of Georgia!
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FOSSILIZED IVORY and BONE
BRIDGE PINS |
There
are a lot of myths and arguments about the sonic effectiveness
of the pins. Here's the truth. On some
guitars, the pins have produced definable, measurable and
unquestionable acoustic advantages. On others the
results showed negligible difference. In any case, you're putting a better
quality, longer lasting, better looking component in your
guitar. The most commonly found attribute of the pins is
increased sustain.
I always try to keep the most
popular sizes in stock with as many inlay options as possible,
but it's impossible for me to carry every combination. The pins
are most commonly carried in 3mm or 4mm ebony, abalone, faux
tortoise or NO inlay I also stock some custom
double-inlays as well.
BONE BRIDGE PINS:
A lower cost
alternative to their ivory counterpart, although sonically
speaking, they are identical. They are fairly
unassuming in appearance, but still offer a nice
improvement over factory-installed plastic or wood pins.
I also make these in a "vintage
dyed" appearance. These pins spend about a week in a dye
that results in a pin that simply looks old. It's hard to
make thousands of dyed pins that come out looking exactly the
same, so there is variation between the sets.. from gently
dyed, to dark and speckled and looking VERY old. Everyone
likes something a little different so I'll be happy to let you
know what I have available at the time, and send any pictures of
specific sets if needed.
There are always sets
that don't make the final cut in appearance (both non-dyed and
dyed), and I keep them aside and discounted as "factory
seconds." I normally have seconds available in all
the sizes and keep them photographed and I'll be happy to let you know what's
available, as it changes constantly. This is a convenient
way to give some fully functional, ugly ducklings a home and
save some $$!
FOSSILIZED WALRUS
IVORY PINS: The fossilized walrus pins come
in a multitude of beautiful colors and patterns. I
keep photographs of every set in stock, but do not keep them listed
on this site as they come and go so frequently. Please let
me know, and I will send you any pictures you need.. tell
me what size too, so I send you the right pictures!
One thing to keep in mind with this material is each set is
unique and they come in MANY colors and variations.
BUFFALO HORN BRIDGE PINS:
Buffalo horn pins are more dense than ebony or plastic pins, but
not as dense as bone or ivory. Buffalo horn pins are great
for someone who really does not want to change the appearance of
a guitar normally equipped with ebony pins, in that the buffalo
horn is black. You probably won't find a big sonic
difference, but they will outlast factory installed components,
and look darn nice as well. Contrary to popular belief,
these pins are not "bowling ball" black. They are indeed
black, but have wisps of lighter grain through portions of the
material giving it a very natural look.
*A note about bridge pin fit and proper sizing!
My pins are sized for the maximum size found to fit your
guitar. I have to size the pins in this manner as all
instruments are slightly different. These may require some sanding of a few
thousandths along the stem
to fit them perfectly to your pin holes. Reaming the
pinholes to fit the pins is for some, a better option, and
results in the best fit.
Bridge
pins come in billions of sizes. Well, it's not that bad,
but there are quite a few and unfortunately I can't carry that
many sizes in stock. Luckily, many of the larger
manufacturers such as Taylor, and Martin use a "relatively" standard size
bridge pin. Some of the smaller makers do as well.
Some manufacturers use different size pins on the same guitars.
For this reason, I have developed as best I can, a sizing chart
for many manufacturers as shown below.
Click on any of the images
below
to see an
enlarged view
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Bone Bridge Pins |
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Double Inlay, Ebony/Abalone
Double inlay, Faux Tortoise/Abalone |
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3mm abalone
3mm faux tortoise
3mm ebony |
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4mm abalone
4mm faux tortoise
4mm ebony |
One often-requested option on
white bone pins !
(call for availability)
On the left is a traditional vintage
bone pin, the middle is a standard white bone pin. On the
right is what we call a "dishwater" colored pin. Commonly
requested for older guitars or when the player does not
want such a bright white pin. These are perfect for an
aged appearance and will match just about anything. With
every batch of pins, I always separate the not-so-whitened pins
for this very reason. I carry a small number of these in
all the sizes, so let me know what you need and I'll see if I
have something that will work for you!

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TRADITIONAL
DYED BONE PINS |
- These are
designed to replicate a naturally aged pin. Designed to
look OLD!
- Available in ebony, abalone faux tortoise or NO inlay,
Size 1, 1T, 1.3T & 2A
- We have matching saddle and nut material for the
traditional "vintage bone" color,
shown in the center picture.
- Call or email for pics... the inventory changes
constantly!
- Prices range from $37 - $49
Sorry...no custom sizes! |
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UNIQUELY
DYED BONE PINS |
- These
are all one-of sets. Designed to look unique and/or
match up to a top-color!
- Two "basic" color patterns: Amber and Brown + many
different variations!
- Call or email for pics... the inventory changes
constantly!
- Prices range from $37 - $49
Sorry...no custom sizes!
- More info and pics can be found here:
DYED
PIN PAGE
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Amber


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Brown


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Fossilized Walrus Ivory Bridge Pins |
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Premium
dark walrus pins used by Jim Olson for a number of his beautiful
instruments |
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Buffalo Horn Bridge Pins |

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Here are some helpful sizing &
application charts: |
BRIDGE PIN SIZES
& DIMENSIONS |
Size |
Taper angle |
Underskirt diameter |
Slotted? |
Notes |
1 * |
3 Degree |
.210" |
Yes |
Can use 1T for these guitars |
1T |
3 Degree |
.210" |
Yes |
Same as size 1 but with slot cut
through skirt |
1.3T |
3 Degree |
.203" |
Yes |
Slot cut through
skirt |
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2A |
5 Degree |
.220" |
Yes |
Unslotted available for Martin
modification |
2C |
5 Degree |
.215" |
Yes |
Sits lower on most Martins |
4.2C |
5 Degree |
.223" |
No |
.223" for Bourgeois and Collings |
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2A Authentic 5 Degree |
.230" |
No |
For newer Martin Authentic series or
oversize for other applications where a larger pin is required. |
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* I am discontinuing and slowly phasing out the size 1
pins. The only difference is the size 1T has the
slot cut through the skirt, which is there to avoid string
interference. If you don't need the slot and have it...it
is irrelevant and makes no difference in terms of fit, as it is
the same size pin, so the 1T will work on any guitar that
requires a size 1. Plus, it will allow me to keep a larger
inventory and better selection of size 1T pins.
BRIDGE PIN
APPLICATIONS |
Guitar |
Pin Size(s) Used |
Notes |
Alvarez |
various |
Need measurements as shown in
diagram below |
Avalon |
Size 1T |
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Blueridge |
Size 1T or 1.3T |
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Bourgeois |
Size 4.2C |
Normally cut to .223" underskirt to
match manufacturers pin |
Breedlove |
Size 1.3T |
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Collings after 2002 |
Size 4.2C |
Normally cut to .223" underskirt to
match manufacturers pin |
Collings before 2002 |
Size 1T |
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Eastman |
Size 1T |
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Epiphone |
various |
Need measurements as shown in
diagram below. |
Fender |
various |
Need measurements as shown in
diagram below |
Gibson |
Size 1T, 1.3T, or 2A |
Need measurements as shown in
diagram below. |
Goodall |
Size 1T or 1.3T |
Underskirt is normally about .205"
A size 1T can be fit, although sometimes a 1.3T will work fine
depending on guitar |
Guild |
various |
Need measurements as shown in
diagram below |
Huss & Dalton |
Size 1.3T |
Occasionally I'll find a size 1T on
these, but not all that often. |
Ibanez |
various |
Need measurements as shown in
diagram below |
Kronbauer |
Size 1T |
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Larrivee |
Size 1T |
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Martin after 1994 |
Size 2A |
Will require some degree of
fitting, particularly on newer models. Pins stick up from
factory... so do mine. |
Martin before 1994 |
Size 1T |
On ANY old Martin, it's best to
check first.. many of these guitars have been modified
over the years |
Martin Authentic series |
2A Authentic |
.230" Unslotted,
oversize pin |
Maton |
Size 1.3T |
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Morgan |
Size 1T |
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Olson |
Size 1T |
Underskirt is normally about .205"
A size 1T can be fit, although sometimes a 1.3 will work fine
depending on guitar |
Santa Cruz |
Size 1T or 1.3T |
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Seagull |
Size 1T or 1.3T |
Newer models work better with the
size 1T. Size 1.3T otherwise |
Tacoma |
Size 1T |
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Takamine |
various |
Need measurements as shown in
diagram below |
Taylor |
Size 1T |
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Washburn |
various |
Need measurements as shown in
diagram below |
Yamaha |
Size 1.3T |
Newer models only |
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What size pin do I need?
How do I measure them? |
Good Question!
Many guitars, as listed in the above chart use a standard size
pin. In that case, life is good. On the other hand,
many manufacturers use varying sizes of pin, and often
order pins in bulk, simply fitting what they get to the
instrument.
In this case we
need two points of information to get you the correct pin, or
make you a custom size if necessary. To take measurements
accurate enough for a correct fit, you'll really need a dial or
digital caliper for step 2 of this!
1. Is the
pin slotted and does the slot continue through the skirt or stop
below it?

2. Measure
the diameter of the pin in 2 locations. #1 directly
under the skirt, and #2 at a location 3/4" below the top
diameter measurement.
As mentioned above, it is IMPORTANT that these measurements be done
with a dial/digital caliper, or other device that will give you the dimension in decimal
form to the thousandth (.210" for example).
This will give us the size of the pin as well as the ability do
some math and figure out the taper angle.

Lastly, PLEASE
ensure your measurements are correct ! If in doubt, it's
always best to make them slightly oversized and fit them to the
guitar. |
NUTS |
I can manufacture nuts out of any of the abovementioned materials.
In nearly all cases, the effectiveness of the nut in changing the
sonic qualities of your instrument is negligible, although there are certainly a number
of circumstances in which you may want to install a new nut on your
guitar. As I have pointed out in other areas of this website,
it is my strong recommendation to have your nut installed by an experienced
technician or luthier! Installation of a nut requires a certain
degree of experience as well as specialized tools. Even if I construct
an EXACT duplicate of the factory-installed nut on your guitar,
there will still be a greater degree of “finish work” as compared
with the saddle. Nuts come with the final shaping done, but
oversized and with the string slots uncut. |
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