Slotted bridges

[asguitar1]

I am about ready to buy my first Taylor.  I keep hearing that slotting the bridge helps preserve the bridge plate and also allows you to use un-slotted bridge pins.  I live in South America and can not check this out in advance so my question is; does Taylor slot their bridges?

[S MS Picker]

I guess you'd call them semi-slotted. The area where the stringexits the bridge is slotted, however the slot doesn't extend past the top. Un-slotted pins would work only if the slots were extended all the way. This is an operation that is not for the faint of heart. All Taylors I've seen or worked are better suited for slotted pins. The fit is often tight on the bass strings, in which I open the holes w/a tapered reamer designed to do just that.
Steve

[asguitar1]

I think you are defining 'ramping' to improve the string break angle over the saddle.  Slotting is a channel for the string to set in so the string ball can not slide up the bridge pin and damage the bridge plate.  My Santa Cruz OM is slotted and I can actually change bridge pins without releasing the string tension.

[S MS Picker]

I think you are defining 'ramping' to improve the string break angle over the saddle.  Slotting is a channel for the string to set in so the string ball can not slide up the bridge pin and damage the bridge plate.  My Santa Cruz OM is slotted and I can actually change bridge pins without releasing the string tension.

Yup . That's it. I have hole slotting saws that are designed for that purpose.
Steve