TECHNOFRET 3° Guitar Bridgepin Tapered Reamer

Condition: New: A brand-new, unused, unopened, undamaged item in its original packaging (where packaging is applicable). Packaging should be the same as what is found in a retail store, unless the item is handmade or was packaged by the manufacturer in non-retail packaging, such as an unprinted box or plastic bag. See the seller's listing for full details.See all condition definitions- opens in a new window or tab... Read moreabout the condition
;Brand: Technofret
;MPN: Does Not Apply
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TECHNOFRET 3° Guitar Bridgepin Tapered Reamer

TECHNOFRET 3°  Guitar Bridgepin Tapered  Reamer

At last, there is now an affordable and effective solution to the problem of seating bridge pins precisely in the bridge of an acoustic guitar.

Let's consider what exactly it is that a bridgepin does.

Its main function is to hold the ball-end of the guitar string securely against the bridge plate (the thin plate which is glued under the soundboard and the bridge).

Ideally, the set-up should look like this : 

In the scenario above, the bridgepin fits closely against the accurately reamed hole, and keeps the string ball-end firmly under the bridgeplate. The string of course either fits in a slot in the bridgepin or in a slot in the bridge itself, depending on the guitar construction. Slotted bridgepins are much more common.

Unfortunately, the scenario underneath is all too common. Many manufacturers, (including, regrettably some of the best-known), simply drill a parallel hole through the bridge, and do not bother to ream a tapered hole. The end result looks something like this :

In this situation the combination of the parallel hole and the tapered pin means that the ball-end of the string is liable to work its way between the bridgepin and the edge of the bridge plate, leading eventually to a really messy, chewed up bridgeplate which will eventually require replacement, and which in the meantime will cause increasing problems with tuning stability.

The answer to  this, as all luthiers know, is to fit a set of replacement pins which have been turned to an exact, known,  taper, and to ream the hole with a reamer which corresponds exactly to that known taper.

The tapers which are universally used in bridgepin manufacture are 5 degrees and 3 degrees. 

Prior to the advent of the TECHNOFRET  Tapered  Reamer , the only solution to seating  bridgepins accurately was either to purchase a tapered reamer from Stewart MacDonald at a hefty £35.00 for a single reamer ,  or else to attempt a DIY bodge with a rat-tailed file.  There is no doubt that the StewMac tool does the job well, but now there is an alternative  which does the job totally, and indisputably, equally as well,  at  under half the price, and which is, in one important respect, actually superior.

The TECHNOFRET 3°  Guitar Bridgepin Tapered  Reamer is a high precision tool manufactured from cryogenically tempered stainless steel,  3mm thick, which has been  cut with a state-of-the-art CNC waterjet specifically to produce a sharp cutting edge on two sides of the cutter, and a microscopically rounded edge on the other two sides. 

The geometry of the blade means that the bridgepin hole will remain perfectly  round while the reaming process is being carried out (if you are adept in mathematics you will realize that it is actually impossible for the hole NOT to remain round ).

The one respect in which the TECHNOFRET reamer is superior (apart of course from the  price) is in the ability of the tool to cut both clockwise and anti-clockwise, due to the unique geometry of the blade. This will prove of great convenience if you are left-handed, and if you are right handed, well, it won't matter anyway.

The ease of use of this tool means that it can be used  by guitar owners who are reasonably handy, as well as by guitar techs, and guitar builders,  who will find it absolutely invaluable.

The recommended method of use is  first of all to drill a few 3/16" holes in a scrap piece of hardwood which is the same thickness as the combined thicknesses of your bridge, top, and bridgeplate and,  by trial and error, testing the bridgepin in the hole, establish the depth to which the reamer has to go to enable the pin to seat correctly. Once you have established this depth, wrap a piece of masking tape around the reamer blade at the  point where the desired  depth has been reached. and you can then replicate this in your actual bridge.

It has to be stressed, however,  that as with all precision operations such as this, it is essential to proceed cautiously, ream a little at a time, and  constantly test your progress, (in this instance by continual trial of the bridgepin fit) .

Think of it in the same way as when you file a slot in a guitar nut:  you constantly check your progress to see that you haven't gone too far. Just the same with reaming bridgepin holes.

If you take your time, and monitor your progress as you go, you will end up with six bridgepins which seat absolutely identically, and which are a secure tight fit against the walls of the bridgepin holes, ensuring that the ball-ends of the strings are  held tightly against the bridegplate, just as they  should be. All this precision is hugely beneficial to  tone and volume in your  guitar.

The good news is that even if you do ream a fraction too far, and get a sloppy fit with the pin, the situation can be remedied by smearing some CA glue ( AKA "superglue") round the inside of the hole with a toothpick, and re-reaming the hole. It will then be good as new, and nobody will ever know ...   

This auction is for a bridgepin reamer with a 3 degree taper.

To facilitate postage, especially international postage, all reamers are sent disassembled. Assembling them is simple, just slip the threaded bar through the hole in the body,  slip on the shockproof washers and the locking nuts, and tighten them up. The pictures show the handle equidistantly  placed, but you may well wish  to have an assymetrical setting, to give added leverage. You have that option, so just experiment until you find the setting which best suits you. Once you have decided,  then tighten the lock nuts, and cut the heat shrink tubing to whatever the two lengths are, leaving a 10mm (3/8" ) space at either end for the dome nut.  Use a hair dryer or a hot air gun to shrink the tubing onto the bar, and then fit the dome nuts, making sure they are good and tight. These dome nuts are stainless steel locking NYLOC nuts, and after  they have been tightened  with a wrench, they will never come loose under normal usage. 

This auction is for one 3 degree tapered bridgepin reamer.

TECHNOFRET 3° Guitar Bridgepin Tapered Reamer

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