High density bridge pin

A bridge pin for guitar or the like is formed of a heavy metal, such as brass to materially increase the presence and the sustain of the instrument.

BACKGROUOND OF INVENTION 
The strings of numerous musical instruments are held at the ball end of the 
strings by pins driven into holes in the bridge of the instrument. These 
pins were made of wood in the past and are now normally made of plastic. 
While this manner of securing the string ends is quite satisfactory from 
an engineering standpoint, it has now been found that a material 
improvement in the accoustics of stringed instruments can be accomplished 
with a relatively simple variation in bridge pins. 
SUMMARY OF INVENTION 
The present invention comprises a bridge pin for stringed instruments, such 
as guitars for example, wherein the pin is formed of a high density metal, 
such as brass or the like. While it has generally been thought that a 
heavy bridge pin would damp the string vibration, it has now been found in 
accordance with the present invention that quite the contrary is true. The 
improved bridge pin hereof materially improves the presence, i.e. the 
volume of frequencies between 2,000 and 10,000 cycles/second. 
Additionally, and also unexpectedly, the improved bridge pin of the 
present invention materially improves the sustain, i.e. the time duration 
of string resonance. 
The bridge pin of the present invention is formed of brass or other 
material having a substantial density as of the order of brass.

DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
The improved bridge pin of the present invention is adapted to engage and 
retain one end of a string of a musical instrument, such as a guitar. In 
FIG. 1 of the drawings there is generally illustrated a guitar 11 having 
strings 12 extending from a bridge 13 across the top of the body 14 and 
along the neck 16 into engagement with separate tuning pins 17. The guitar 
bridge 13 comprises a raised portion extending laterally across the top of 
the guitar body 14 adjacent the lower end thereof and is commonly formed 
of ebony, rose wood, or plastic. This bridge 13 is provided with a saddle 
18 or raised ridge across the top thereof across which the strings 12 
extend, and a plurality of holes vertically therethrough within which 
bridge pins 21 are disposed to anchor the lower or ball ends of the 
strings 12. 
In FIGS. 2, 3, and 4, there is illustrated a bridge pin in accordance with 
the present invention, and which may have a physical configuration similar 
to conventional bridge pins. As illustrated, the bridge pin 21 includes an 
enlarged head 22 with a depending tapered shank 23. A vertical slot 24 is 
disposed along one side of the shank 23 and this slot extends into the 
underside of the head 22 for receiving a guitar string with the like, as 
further described below. In accordance with the present invention, the pin 
21 is formed of brass or a metal having a similar or greater density, such 
as nickel chromium, bronze, etc. Heavier metals and alloys thereof, such 
as gold may be employed, however, the cost is generally too great for 
practical or widespread applications. 
The bridge pin 21 is adapted to physically engage a string of a musical 
instrument, such as a guitar string, and the present invention provides a 
material improvement in musical sound obtainable from a stringed 
instrument by the use of brass or equivalent material for the bridge pin. 
Although it is generally considered that a bridge pin formed of a dense 
material would damp the vibrations of a guitar string or the like, it has 
been found in accordance with the present invention that the presence is 
materially improved and also that the strings will then sustain much 
better. The foregoing terms as employed in connection with stringed 
instruments relate first to the loudness of frequencies between 2,000 and 
10,000 cycles/second, and it has been determined that the bridge pins of 
the present invention increase the presence as much as 3 db. Sustain is a 
measure of the time or period of resonance of a string and the present 
invention has been found to materially increase this resonance. These 
improvements achieved by the present invention are, in fact, quite marked 
to the ear and materially enhance the effects that are and can be produced 
from a stringed instrument, such as a guitar. 
Anchoring of a guitar string 12, for example, by a bridge pin 21 is 
illustrated in FIG. 5 where it will be seen that the string 12 extends 
over the saddle 18 atop the bridge 13 and thence downwardly through a hole 
31 in the bridge and a mating hole 32 in the top of the guitar body 14. 
The end of the string 12 is secured to a ball 33 in conventional manner 
and with the ball end of the string disposed internally of the body 14, a 
bridge pin 21 is forced downwardly through the holes or openings 31 and 
32. The bridge pin 21 is oriented to align the vertical slot 24 therein 
with the string 12, so that the string lies in this slot with the bridge 
pin driven into the openings in the bridge and box. It will, of course, be 
appreciated that the other end of the string 12 is secured to tuning 
means, and thus forcing the bridge pin through the opening in the bridge 
will lock the ball end of the string at this location. The ball 33 may be 
conventionally formed and secured to the end of the string 12. Stringed 
instrument construction normally calls for bridge pins to be formed of 
wood or more recently of a plastic having a density somewhat the same as 
wood. The present invention, quite to the contrary to prior art teachings, 
comprise brass or some other metal of similar density for the bridge pins 
of stringed instruments and surprisingly, this does not damp vibrations of 
the string, but instead enhances these vibrations to improve the presence 
and sustain time of the instrument. Reference is made to FIG. 6 
illustrating the presence of a guitar string secured with a plastic pin by 
a dashed line and with a brass pin in accordance with the present 
invention by a solid line. It will be seen that a remarkable improvement 
is achieved between about 1,000 and 10,000 cycles (H.sub.2). Reference is 
also made to FIG. 7 showing a comparison of sustain of a guitar string 
mounted with a plastic pin by dashed line and with a brass pin by a solid 
line. Sustain in improved by 100% at -20 db.sup.1. The foregoing 
improvement is quite evident to the human ear and materially enhances the 
sound obtainable with stringed instruments. 
The present invention has been described above with regard to the physical 
structure, composition and use of the present invention. It will be 
appreciated to those skilled in the art that certain modifications and 
variations of the physical configuration and physical composition of the 
bridge pin or the present invention are possible within the spirit and 
scope of the present invention.