Guitar bridge pins produced for specialized market: for this Seldonia resident, fossil ivory makes sound science.

• Author: Bernard, Chris
• Position: Business Spotlight

In his own shop across Kachemak Bay, Seldovia resident John Mickelson repairs and builds guitars on a limited basis.

But it is not guitars that Mickelson is known for. It's bridge pins.

Bridge pins are pegs that anchor the strings in small holes drilled in the body. Not all guitars have them, though most steel string acoustics do, and for many guitar makers and players the pins are nothing more than an afterthought.

Mickelson carves his bridge pins out of the fossilized ivory from mammoth and walrus. He steadfastly believes that each material offers a distinct sound, and a different look and feel. Many of his customers agree, and will mix and match based on the specific sound they want from their guitar at any given moment. And like all serious luthiers, Mickelson can't say enough about his preference for natural materials over plastic, which is what most stock guitar bridge pins are made of.

Why put all that work and effort into building a guitar of the highest quality woods, only to skimp on other parts?

THE DEBATE IS ON

There is some debate over what part bridge pins play in determining the tone of a guitar, or whether they affect sound quality at all. But pins also offer an opportunity to spice up a guitar's appearance, which, for many guitar owners, is a draw.

Mickelson says his do both.

He's firm in his stance that quality bridge pins add up to quality sound. All the same, Mickelson offers a lifetime, no-hassle, no-argument return policy on his pins.

"Whether you buy into the tone aspect or simply are captivated by the idea of 5,000-year-old guitar-specific jewelry ... just call and we can work something out," he said.

Mickelson said he's conferred with more than 100 luthiers to determine whether pins affect tone. In a wood instrument, nearly everything does, including the material and shape of the nut--the piece between the head and the neck of a guitar with grooves for the strings--and the saddle, its counterpart on the guitar body anchored in the bridge.

"When all is right in guitar heaven, the guitar's pins need to contact four things all at once to achieve their highest coupling effect," he said. "The string, the top, the bridge and the reinforcing plate."

By being fitted to each string hole individually, Mickelson's pins "allow you to modify the tone (volume, sustain, fullness) of your guitar's voice."

A more scientific explanation, postulated by Mickelson and tested and backed by engineers, can be found on his Web site. Links...