Why should bridge pins be still used on ukes?

[kerneltime]

The pass through bridge with knot works well, needs smaller holes, is safer for the top.
Why should bridge pins be continued? More fidgety, everyone at least once has seen pins fly, the act of pulling out pins damages the pin and the bridge..
In other words bridge pins don’t belong on ukes.
This has been the reason why I never considered ukes by Pete or numerous other makers..
The tie bridge is my 2nd fav, ie I am ok with it, cause they are the simplest.

 

[Doc_J]

The pass through bridge with knot works well, needs smaller holes, is safer for the top.
Why should bridge pins be continued? More fidgety, everyone at least once has seen pins fly, the act of pulling out pins damages the pin and the bridge..
In other words bridge pins don’t belong on ukes.
This has been the reason why I never considered ukes by Pete or numerous other makers..
The tie knot bridge is my 2nd fav, ie I am ok with it, cause they are the simplest.

As it was explained to me, a pin bridge takes less space than a tie bridge.

Pin hole slots can help prevent strings/pins from popping out. I also use beads larger than pin holes when the pin bridge holes are not slotted. Personally I like the look of a pin bridge.

My least favorite bridge is the through-hole bridge. Makes it harder to try and re-use strings.

 

[kerneltime]

As it was explained to me, a pin bridge takes less space than a tie bridge.

Pin hole slots can help prevent strings/pins from popping out. I also use beads larger than pin holes when the pin bridge holes are not slotted. Personally I like the look of a pin bridge.

My least favorite bridge is the through-hole bridge. Makes it harder to try and re-use strings.

I have gotten quite used to the through hole bridge, the hole is smaller and grabbing the string is pretty easy when changing. I hate it when pins fly, scared it will poke someone in the eye. The look is cleaner as well.

During the Baritone retreat at Pistol River, this topic came up and it seems bridge pin bridges tend to need repair more often.. (I am paraphrasing). Stansell has a tie bridge and Kinnard, Mark Robert and Ono use through bridges.

 

[EDW]

I like the clean look of the through bridge. I think pins look too heavy on smaller sized ukes.

 

[70sSanO]

In all honesty, I've never had a bridge pin fly on me; either uke or guitar. But I have had strings come loose on a tie and multi-hole (8/12) bridge. That said, tie is still my favorite.

John

 

[Doc_J]

I have gotten quite used to the through hole bridge, the hole is smaller and grabbing the string is pretty easy when changing. I hate it when pins fly, scared it will poke someone in the eye. The look is cleaner as well.

During the Baritone retreat at Pistol River, this topic came up and it seems bridge pin bridges tend to need repair more often.. (I am paraphrasing). Stansell has a tie bridge and Kinnard, Mark Robert and Ono use through bridges.

I agree with you that a through-hole bridge is less likely pop off. But, then I’ve never had a bridge come off any uke I’ve owned. I’ve never thought too much about what bridge a uke has. They all work. I like diversity. Whatever type a luthier prefers to use is fine with me.

Pin bridge looks just right on my Hive. And the through-bridge on my Ono 6-string bari is also just right.

 

[Nickie]

I guess it's personal. I prefer through the bridge stringing myself, soooo easy.
Pin bridges look hideous to me, on a uke. They belong on guitars, I think.
A friend of mine builds all his ukes with pin bridges cause he's a guitar guy, he thinks through the bridge stringing is silly. I wouldn't buy any other type of bridge, but he won't build me a uke with one on it. ARGH.
Each to his/her own.

 

[DownUpDave]

Funny enough two of the very best, highest regarded custom ukuleles , Hive and the Ko'olau CS model come with bridge pins. So do Kanilea and they are seriously good instruments. I like the look of through hole bridges best, neat and clean. The tie bridge reminds me of a classical guutar and I like that. Pin bridge does seem out of place on a uke but I have a Koolau CS spruce and myrtle with them, it sounds fantastic and strings are so easy to change. To each there own.

 

[hollisdwyer]

Funny enough two of the very best, highest regarded custom ukuleles , Hive and the Ko'olau CS model come with bridge pins. So do Kanilea and they are seriously good instruments. I like the look of through hole bridges best, neat and clean. The tie bridge reminds me of a classical guutar and I like that. Pin bridge does seem out of place on a uke but I have a Koolau CS spruce and myrtle with them, it sounds fantastic and strings are so easy to change. To each there own.

I guess that it depends on who’s doing it. I seriously considered bridge pins for the blonde bombshell as Allen McFarlan does a very nice job on them.

 

[Kenn2018]

I have to confess that on one of my Kanile'a tenor ukes the A-string had chewed into the bridge further than the original hole's groove. I could not tie a big enough knot to hold the Fluorocarbon string in place. Fortunately, I read about using a bead in a through-hole. And it worked perfectly for the Kanile'a.

Kanile'a never answered my inquiry about the situation.

Since I play tenors, I don't really care overly much about which kind of bridge is on my ukuleles. They all work well. So, if the maker wants to use bridge pins to give his ukes a different look, more power to him/her.

 

[BlackBearUkes]

Here is the thing, you only get to decide about the use of bridge pins on your ukes. Bridge pins have been use for many years on ukes, even on vintage ukes. On some ukes they look and work great if they are made correctly and installed correctly. If a pin pops out, it is not made right or seated right in the bridge. Many cheap ukes that use bridge pins are complete crap for the reasons I have stated above. Any professional luthier who uses pins usually knows how to use them. If you don't like them, fine. Its a mater of personal taste, that is all.


correctly

The pass through bridge with knot works well, needs smaller holes, is safer for the top.
Why should bridge pins be continued? More fidgety, everyone at least once has seen pins fly, the act of pulling out pins damages the pin and the bridge..
In other words bridge pins don’t belong on ukes.
This has been the reason why I never considered ukes by Pete or numerous other makers..
The tie bridge is my 2nd fav, ie I am ok with it, cause they are the simplest.

 

[anthonyg]

Bridge pin bridges are designed to work with ball end strings. TOGETHER, it is an excellent design. Bridge pin bridges, without ball end strings, IS problematic.
The advantages of the design is that the string is secured under the top so its not going to pop the bridge off and with ball end strings is a fast and secure way to fit the string.

Bridge pins are not designed to resist vertical forces. The design works because the pin is designed to displace the ball end sideways under the top, securing the string which then places sideways force on the pin, which is what its designed to resist.

PLAIN strings with bridge pins are problematic. The problem is that a simple knot isn't big enough to be displace sideways and secure under the saddle. Fit a bead to the end of the string and tie a knot. Then it works great.
Kinelea's design actually has a slot in the front of the hole and therefore its really a slotted under bridge design. Not technically a bridge pin design.

 

[kerneltime]

Here is the thing, you only get to decide about the use of bridge pins on your ukes. Bridge pins have been use for many years on ukes, even on vintage ukes. On some ukes they look and work great if they are made correctly and installed correctly. If a pin pops out, it is not made right or seated right in the bridge. Many cheap ukes that use bridge pins are complete crap for the reasons I have stated above. Any professional luthier who uses pins usually knows how to use them. If you don't like them, fine. Its a mater of personal taste, that is all.


correctly

BlackBearUkes!! I have been waiting for new uke postings!!

The pin popping off occurs when tightening the strings and not once it is all set.

Great answer Anthonyg, I now understand the bridge pin design.

 

[kerneltime]

Bridge pin bridges are designed to work with ball end strings. TOGETHER, it is an excellent design. Bridge pin bridges, without ball end strings, IS problematic.
The advantages of the design is that the string is secured under the top so its not going to pop the bridge off and with ball end strings is a fast and secure way to fit the string.

Bridge pins are not designed to resist vertical forces. The design works because the pin is designed to displace the ball end sideways under the top, securing the string which then places sideways force on the pin, which is what its designed to resist.

PLAIN strings with bridge pins are problematic. The problem is that a simple knot isn't big enough to be displace sideways and secure under the saddle. Fit a bead to the end of the string and tie a knot. Then it works great.
Kinelea's design actually has a slot in the front of the hole and therefore its really a slotted under bridge design. Not technically a bridge pin design.

Thank you! I won’t shy away from Kanile’a
Give a new uke in a shop, it will not be an easy thing to check if there is a slot..

 

[Jerryc41]

But they look nice.

 

[MikeHollandGuitar]

I am not an expert but to my understanding I would concur with anthonyg's observations. A tie bridge transfers the string forces directly into the bridge which then transfers the forces through the glued bridge area to the top of the instrument. The pin bridge arrangement should allow the strings to be anchored directly under the instrument top, thus eliminating the string forces trying to pull the bridge away. Irrespective of whether it is a ball end or a tied end I would imagine this is a more secure arrangement. Indeed this is exactly why steel string guitar makers use this method. The string tension would be way too high and cause quite a lot of bridges just popping off!

 

[UkerDanno]

The pin bridges on my Kanile'a and Islander are my favorites! Easiest to change strings, I've changed strings on both many times and no damage to the bridge or flying pins. I got some Koa pins for my Kanile'a. I wish everything I owned had pin bridges! :shaka:

 

[Rllink]

The pass through bridge with knot works well, needs smaller holes, is safer for the top.
Why should bridge pins be continued? More fidgety, everyone at least once has seen pins fly, the act of pulling out pins damages the pin and the bridge..
In other words bridge pins don’t belong on ukes.

That seems like a bold statement. I don't like them, therefore they should not be made. I think that most manufacturers build what people want to buy. If there were not people who preferred them, they wouldn't build ukuleles with bridge pins. So I think that the answer to why should be used would be that people still like them. One thing that I find interesting is people's desire to rationalize everything.

 

[bsfloyd]

I think I remember some very early, original Nunes instruments being pictured with bridge pins being used. Perhaps this could be because the early Machete was strung with steel strings (?), but the historical value is still there. Though I have no ukuleles with bridge pins, I like the aesthetics of them and hope to inquire one with bridge pins soon. There are some very nice pins made by Bob Colosi from different natural materials that would look very nice on ukuleles.

(True, if used correctly they will not pop out - seat the string first under the bridge before tuning up)

 

[kerneltime]

I guess, to each his own... I personally like the aesthetics of through bridge. From an convenience stand point as well I like the through bridge, there is some fishing of the string involved but if you use a bead it is easier, also once you learn to tie a decent knot plus the bead means there is no risk of pins not being seated properly. No scratches from stuck pins being pulled out..
Thank you every one for chiming in, I was genuinely curious why people still use them..