HEAR A PIN DROP
The Evolution of Bridge Pins on Martin Guitars
C.F. Martin used many bridge designs on his guitars, and even those designed for gut strings in the earliest years incorporated bridge pins.
While the pin style bridge is generally associated with steel string guitars, you can see that Martin used pin style bridges with gut strings close to 100 years before introducing steet string guitars.
Here we trace the evolution of bridge pins used by Martin and his descendants through the years.
The "moustache" bridge, with a fretwire saddle, appears on early Stauffer and Martin "Stauffer Style" guitars.
These early pins were made of ebony with abalone dots.
A number of early Martin and Martin & Coupa guitars, such as this one, have the "badge" or "shield" style bridge, in either ebony or ivory, here seen with an added ivory pendant. Some ivory versions have a fretwire saddle similar to those on the Stauffer "moustache" bridges.
The earliest pin style pyramid bridge is only a slight step away from the "tie style" pyramid, with a similar "lipped" or scooped back.
These pins have the flat heads typical of the period.
This scooped back ivory pin bridge on this very early Hudson Street Martin is likely a replacement, but the decorative ivory and pearl pendants are most likely original from c. 1837. It's entirely possible, however, that this guitar did originally have a pyramid bridge.
These are later round back pyramid bridges in ivory, which appear until about 1919:
This 2 1/2 - 17 is from 1889:
Some beautiful bridge pins have "eyes".
1905 00-42S
During the boom years of the Hawaiian craze, as Martin was struggling to keep up with demand, the company purchased "Chicago Style" bridges supplied by Lyon & Healy, with flat, raised wings, and a long, through-cut saddle.
Here we see the first use of plastic bridge pins.
The ebony pyramid bridge was used until 1930, though it has been revived for models such as the new version of the Ditson 111.
This pyramid bridge is on an early 1930 OM-28.
These 1930 pins were solid white with round heads and small black dots.
Here is an excellent reproduction pyramid bridge on the revived Martin Ditson Style111:
Less expensive Martins had a rectangular bridge in the 1920's with plain wings rather than the more expensive pyramids.
1926 00-18
Among the first of the Martins to have the belly bridge were the 18 style tenor guitars.
1931 0-18T Tenor guitar.
The belly bridges served Martin well as players moved toward the larger Dreadnaught guitars with heavier strings.
1944 Martin D-18
The OM-45 DeLuxe was the only catalogued Martin ever offered withan inlaid bridge, though these were common on many Chicago guitars.
Style 45 guitars of the period had white pins with abalone dots.
While the Style 21 had moved to the belly bridge in 1930, Martin revived the old style plain wing rectangular bridge for the "New York" Style 21 models of the 1960's.
The style 21 typically had black plastic pins with white dots.
vintagemartin.com
To See Robert Corwin's Classic Photography of Folk and Roots Musicians, visit:
For Information on Photography for
Exhibition, Publication, CD's, Promotion, Web Pages, Tour Books,
to Purchase Photographic Prints, or
If You Have Questions or Suggestions About This Web Site or Vintage Martin Guitars:
e-mail: Robert Corwinentire site copyright ©1998 through 2009 Robert Corwin/Photo-Arts. All rights reserved.
