Power Pins Archives - Bluegrass Today

Generally speaking, there are two different camps when it comes to instrument modification: those who wish to remain true to time honored traditions and the way things were done in years past, and those who seek new ways of improving upon what has become the industry standard. I tend to fall somewhere on the fence between innovation and tradition, while acknowledging that without innovation, the traditional stuff wouldn’t exist in the first place. Most of the time I’m highly skeptical about new products that promise to make your instrument sound or play better, but the new Power Pins 2.0 is pretty dang cool.

The industry standard for most dreadnought acoustic guitars dictates that bridge pins are made of bone or ivory, ebony, or plastic material in the shape of a tapered dowel that acts as a plug so that the string may be inserted into the bridge slot and held firmly in place. The folks at Bigrock Innovations, the creators of Power Pins, have a vastly different approach- but that’s not a bad thing!

Their new product replaces what musicians would consider traditional bridge pins altogether. Substituting the existing pins with metal pieces that strings simply slide into, Power Pins are made in such a way that they could largely be considered a part replacement instead of a modification. That’s a really good thing for the guy with the already nice guitar, because modifications usually make people nervous.

The pins cost an average of $50, which, while a bit high, isn’t bad considering the cost of bone and ivory products. It’s not necessarily an easy system to install because it’s not as simple as just jerking out the standard bridge pins with a peg puller and slamming Power Pins in place behind a new set of strings. A novice should still be able to complete the task, though. Directions and diagrams are included in the product packaging, and the company has created several YouTube videos that provide assistance, as well.

My advice is just take the time to do it properly, as it does take some time to install and literally affix the new “pins” to the guitar’s bridge. After that, changing strings can be considerably easier because of the following:

A. There’s no more hunting that pesky peg puller you left in your other guitar case.

B. You don’t actually have to take out the pins to put new strings on the instrument.

Simply slide the strings in the slots in the new “pins” and voila, all that’s left is winding them up.

In my first trial run of this new product, I installed the pins in an already nice guitar, a Martin. It seemed to brighten up the guitar a good bit, perhaps adding a little more sustain as well. I feel like the Power Pins’ best application would be in bringing new life to the more inexpensive guitars – the ones that really need the help. It could also be considerably easier for a child to change strings with this product.

For more information about Power Pins 2.0, visit Bigrock Innovations online at www.f1pick.com. Power Pins are available directly from the company, and can also be purchased from Amazon and music supply companies.

Anyone who’s owned an acoustic, steel-stringed guitar for years – or ever worked in a music store – understands the tedium involved in changing guitar strings. It may not be the worst possible way to spend 15-20 minutes of your life, but most of us will admit to waiting days and weeks longer than we should to change strings, simply to avoid the hassle.

Well the folks at Big Rock Engineering in southern California have devised a product which promises to simplify string changing forever, after installing their Power Pins to your bridge. Mounted through the bridge plate, Power Pins allow for subsequent string changes to be accomplished by merely running a string through the exterior portion on the Pin, without having to remove or replace a bridge pin, or fish a string in or out of the hole.

Here’s a brief video that explains how to install and use the Power Pins.

The question for bluegrass guitarists will be, “How will these metal pins affect the tone and response of my guitar?” Big Rock has also prepared a video to address those concerns.

The Power Pins are available in black, chrome or gold and sell for roughly $50 through dealers, or directly from Big Rock Engineering, who also created the cross-section diagram below to help explain how the pins are installed, and how they function. They say that, properly installed (meaning not over-tigthened), there is no permanent modification to your instrument.

You can get more details about Power Pins, and the other guitar accessories they offer, at f1pick.com.

Tag: Power Pins

Power Pins 2.0

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