Upgrading components on your acoustic guitar can often lead to surprising improvements in sound and playability. In our “Guitar on a Budget” series, readers shared their best value gear purchases, and one recommendation stood out: Bigrock Innovations’ Power Pins 2.0. These replacement bridge pins promise easier string changes, enhanced protection for the Acoustic Guitar Bridge plate, and a noticeable boost in tonal clarity. Intrigued by these claims, we decided to put the Power Pins 2.0 to the test and see if they live up to the hype surrounding this often-overlooked piece of acoustic guitar hardware.
To evaluate their performance, we installed the Power Pins 2.0 on a Seagull S6, a familiar acoustic guitar known for its consistent tone. The installation process, while slightly different from traditional bridge pins, was straightforward. Each Power Pin 2.0, with its distinctive tear-shaped metal top, secures to the acoustic guitar bridge using a bolt that ascends from inside the guitar body. This bolt passes through a small metal Power Plate and screws into the pin itself, tightened with an Allen wrench. This unique fastening system is designed not only for secure string anchoring but also to potentially improve the coupling between the strings and the guitar’s soundboard via the bridge. Setting up the strings was simple; they feed easily into the Power Pins and remain firmly in place while tuning.
To objectively assess the impact of the Power Pins 2.0 on the acoustic guitar bridge and overall sound, we recorded the Seagull S6 both before and after the upgrade. We used the same set of fresh D’Addario EJ16 phosphor-bronze strings and maintained identical microphone positioning for both recordings. Analyzing the recordings revealed a clear difference. The frequency analyzer visually confirmed what our ears perceived: the guitar exhibited a few decibels increase in volume. Furthermore, the entire frequency spectrum appeared enhanced, with the most significant gain in the low-end frequencies and a smoother overall response. As a player, the subjective experience was that the guitar simply sounded bigger and more resonant. There was a noticeable increase in volume, a richer tone, and a more pronounced body vibration, translating the string energy into a more palpable and satisfying sonic experience. This suggests that the Power Pins, through their secure connection to the acoustic guitar bridge, might be facilitating a more efficient transfer of string vibrations to the guitar body.
While the non-traditional look of Power Pins 2.0 might not appeal to everyone, and they are unlikely to transform a poor-sounding guitar into a great one, our experience indicates a tangible improvement. On a quality acoustic guitar, upgrading to Power Pins 2.0 can unlock additional sustain, tonal richness, and volume. Bigrock Innovations Power Pins 2.0 are available in gold, chrome, and black chrome finishes, and in versions for 6-string and 12-string guitars, as well as 4-string acoustic bass guitars. They can be explored further at powerpins.net.
This article is based on a review originally published in the October 2018 issue of Acoustic Guitar magazine.
