I installed a set of Big Rock Innovation's Power Pins on my 522e 12 fret about 8 weeks ago. I have the Power Pins paired with a set of LaBella Silk and Steel 11-50's. I have to say that Silk and Steels from several makers including Martin and D'Addario always sound good to me on this guitar and I don't think I lose a lot of volume. The Power Pins intrigued me and for $50 I figured they were worth a try. As far as the looks, I like it, some probably won't compared to regular bridge pins. They really do make changing strings easy and you will never worry about whether the end of the string is seated correctly with the bridge pin. On the website for the Power Pins (
www.f1pick.com) there is good video of an installation on an 814ce and it took me about 45 minutes to install them, a bit longer than a string change.
Now the most important aspect, do Power Pins improve or degrade the tone of this guitar? Initially I heard more sustain from the guitar but as I play it more, I think there is also an improvement in clarity. The guitar still seems to have the warm, balanced tone profile it has always had but the combination of additional sustain and a more articulate response seems to bring out the "character' of it's tonal signature (i.e. you just get more of it). I have five very nice guitars to choose from at home and the 522e is now getting more playing time. I'm considering trying the Power Pins on another, just have to choose which one now.
Anyone else given Power Pins a try?
