Will TUSQ bridge pins improve my tone?Updated 3 months ago
It depends on who you ask! Some of our customers feel that bridge pins do nothing for tone; they buy them just for their beautiful appearance to complement their instrument. Other people will tell you they make a huge difference. We will defer to one of the highest-profile quality guitar manufacturers in the United States, who wrote in an unsolicited assessment that TUSQ bridge pins "contribute to a discernible improvement in tone". TUSQ pins are very light, rigid, and resonant and therefore do not damp the string vibration. Most people will find that their guitar has a more lively sound especially in the bottom end where the most energy is needed to create movement in the guitar body. A little test is to pluck a string and listen. Then pluck it again while holding tightly to the bridge pin with your fingers...you'll hear the difference. Another thing to remember is that the vibration of the string doesn't stop at the saddle; it, in fact, vibrates in a teeter totter motion over top of the saddle terminating at the pin. If a pin is not made of a resonant material then a lot of energy is dampened before it gets to the body of the guitar.