How To Get Guitar Pegs Out

How To Get Guitar Pegs Out? Remove Guitar Bridge Pins

So, how to get guitar pegs out? How to remove guitar string pegs? How to pull out guitar bridge pins? How do you get a guitar peg without the tools? When it comes to the guitar bridge pins and how to remove them, these questions always come up in the queue. This is the reason why we decided to give light and answer these questions, as we believe it can help, especially those new to owning a guitar, as they are still trying to get acquainted with the guitar parts.

So, what is a guitar peg? Many acoustic guitar owners also know a guitar peg as a bridge pin, and it is a part of an acoustic guitar that anchors the guitar strings to the bridge. When the guitar string is passed into a hole in the bridge, the bridge pin will be used to secure it by pushing it into the hole.

Aside from its primary purpose of holding the guitar strings securely against the guitar’s bridge and bridge plate, bridge pins also carry the vibration into the acoustic guitar’s body, which is produced from the strumming of the strings. This is why although many underestimate its purpose, they are one of the essential parts for your acoustic guitar for it to sound good.

What Are Bridge Pins Made Of?

Since you already know how vital bridge pins are in your acoustic guitar’s performance, it would also be better if you learned what materials are used in the making and what options you can use if you need to buy one.

Bone

Bridge pins made of bone are one of the most expensive for these options, but they are also more durable compared to other materials on the market.  Bone pins are preferred by many guitar owners, as they are known to give a fuller and brighter tone to the guitar. They also help in increasing the sustain of the sound.

Plastic

Plastic bridge pins are the most common bridge pins you can ever see in the market as they are known to be inexpensive and won’t also crack the guitar’s bridge even though the temperatures are frequently changing while shipping. However, one of its downsides is that they are known to bend and wear out easily.

Brass

In all materials used in making bridge pins, those that are brass are considered to be the most durable. Its problem is that they can make your acoustic guitar sound too brittle and bright. They are also more expensive compared to other materials, and you will need to make some adjustments to fit them properly in an acoustic guitar.

Wood

Another material used for making bridge pins is wood. Although they enhance your guitar’s aesthetics and also improve your acoustic guitar’s tone, one of its downsides is that they are prone to swell in moist conditions. They can also crack your guitar’s bridge, especially if they are not perfectly fit with it.

Ivory

The last material that is commonly used in making guitar bridge pins is ivory. They are very expensive and are harder to acquire because of some legal and ethical issues, as they are either from the tusks of elephants or the teeth of some animals. Ivory pins are known to produce a very warm tone and increase your guitar’s sustain. They also improve your guitar’s looks.

When Should You Replace Your Bridge Pins?

All things must come to an end. This saying also works for your bridge pins. With them, your guitar pegs or also known as bridge pins, will deteriorate as it is a normal thing to happen. Bridge pins can also break apart, which is why you need to check out these things before they can do more damage to your guitar.

So, what are the signs as to where you need to change your bridge pins already? The first thing you should check is if a bridge pin already has a crack or dent, then it is a good sign that you should already replace it. If it starts to wear, then you do not have to wait for too long and change it, as it can lead to some future damage if you let it be.

Another sign is that when you try to replace your strings and tune them, it just pops out on its own. This means that it cannot already hold its place from the wear and tear due to time. When this moment happens, you will really need to replace the bridge pin, as it will surely be a hassle for you if it comes out on its own while you are playing with it.

The last sign you should notice is when your guitar starts to sound dull and loses its sustain. If you notice that these symptoms start to show up, you should replace the bridge pins to restore your acoustic guitar to its original condition.

How To Pull Out Guitar Bridge Pins?

Replacing your guitar’s bridge pins is an easy task to do and can be done by yourself. However, you will still have to be careful in executing it to avoid damaging the other parts of your acoustic guitar.

The first thing you should do is to loosen the strings on your guitar’s machine heads. After doing it, you can try to pull up the pin using your hands, but if it is stuck, then snip the strings, preferably closer to the guitar’s bridge.

The next thing is to locate the underside of the pin by putting your hand inside the guitar’s body through its sound hole. After you locate it, grab a pair of pliers and start to tap the underside of the pin gently using its body.

If the pin starts to slide out, you can already try to pull the pin using your hands. If it is still stuck, hold your hands and support the force of the pliers by trying to pull the pin out of the bridge.

How Do You Get A Guitar Peg Out Without Tools?

In instances where you need to replace your guitar peg, but don’t have any tools with you, you can still try to do these methods:

You can first try to use a spoon to pull the guitar peg out of the guitar. To execute, position the tip of the spoon’s handle below the head of the guitar peg on the string side. Start to press the spoon down gently and use the guitar’s saddle as its leverage. This will release the guitar peg in its place. Do not forget to rest your fingers on the sides of the guitar peg to prevent it from flying off.

Another thing you can do is tie a string around the guitar peg and start to pull the string out to pop the guitar peg out of its place. If you do not have any tools, try to find a string and loop it around the top of the guitar peg before you start to pull it tightly.

So, how do you get the guitar pegs out? To remove the guitar pegs from the guitar, you can use some special tools made for removing them, but you can also use other tools like a pair of pliers to either tap the underside of the guitar peg or pull it out immediately using its top side. If you do not have any tools with you, use either a spoon or a piece of string to remove the guitar peg.

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