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.  I also carry unbleached bone, which is quite similar in appearance to the whitened bone, but with a more “dishwater” appearance and often is unevenly colored.  Sonically all of the bones are going to be identical….it’s just a matter of desired appearance. 

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.

Elephant Ivory Saddles

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.

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!

– Email for pics… I keep all the sets photographed and the inventory changes constantly!

– Prices range from $37-$59. Sorry… no custom sizes!

– More info and pics can be found here: DYED PIN PAGE

AMBER

BROWN

Here are some helpful sizing & application charts:

* 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.

NUTS

I can manufacture nuts out of any of the abovementioned materials. In nearly all cases, the effectiveness of the nut in the changing the sonic qualities of your instrusment 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. 

ENDPINS AND STRAP BUTTONS

I carry the standard, 5 degree tapered endpins (.310″ underskirt diameter) and strap buttons in elephant and walrus ivory as well as limited selection in bone. I have a number of inlay selections for each material, and current photographs of the elephant ir walrus sets are always on hand for your review.

Walrus Strap Buttons and Endpins

Bone Endpins