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Mossman bridge pins

What taper pins did Mossman use?
Thanks,Dave.

Sorry,

I don't know.I have always considered bridge pins as random sized, requiring individual fitting. Some plastic pins are quite consistent. Knowing the taper could tell you which reamer to grab.

Ironically, the premium pins are much less consistent. The problem is, of course compounded by the fact that very few 40 year old guitars still have their original pins. Any fitting of new pins obliterates the original fit.

If you are asking what reamer to buy, buy the one with the least taper. You can rock it in the hole until the pin fits perfectly. Once the pin has a good snug fit, with the collar just touching the top of the bridge, put on a set of strings. Use a hole saw and a sharp knife to fit the ramps. I have four pin reamers with various tapers. I just hold the pin against the reamer to choose which one to use.

At Mossman the hole was drilled straight and then hand fit with a reamer and round file. As I remember, the reamer was a standard Sears tool with way too radical a taper. Most of the fit was done with a rat tail file. Now there are reamers with a few different tapers available. The one I use most often is actually a 1/2 size violin peg reamer. The finest guitars ever made are being made right now. We think in terms of precision tooling. In the early 70's, machining was much less precise. Parts were generally rough cut and then hand fit.

Steve Mason