What to do about bridge pin and saddle staining?

[Jon Jerome]

Starting out by saying I am not a luthier, but I could use some luthier advice.

My bone bridge pins and saddle are picking up color from the bridge:

This is a one-year-old Guild D-55, and apparently was a manufacturing error, in that it was supposed to have an ebony bridge, not the rosewood you see pictured here.  Guild acknowledges the mistake, and has offered to replace the bridge with the correct ebony, but I am hesitant to do something that would surely affect the tone.

I've been told that this can happen, and often does happen with Guilds and rosewood.  My question is, will it eventually stop on its own?  Or is there something I can do to stop it from happening, like a sealer or something on the bridge or on the bone parts?

[Mike Kolb]

You could clean them up with light steel wool and maybe wax them lightly if they really bother you, but I'd be tempted to just leave them be.  Character, etc.

[Mark McLean]

1.  Yes, rosewood often releases dark coloured oils.  Is it really a problem?  It will only stain the bits that are invisible - because they are in contact with the wood.  It is very unlikely to leech further.  It wouldn’t bother me, but it is your guitar so your opinion is the important one.

2.  If it really bothers you a light coat of shellac applied only inside the saddle slot and the pin holes with a Q-tip might seal the rosewood and stop it getting worse.  It would not do any serious harm.  The pins and saddle might clean up with bleach.  

3.  Given that the pin holes have string slots/ramps cut in them (which is good IMO) you don’t need slotted pins.  I suggest that you swap out the slotted pins for solid ones, or if you keep the slotted ones turn the slots to the back and don’t run the strings through them.

4. If you are otherwise happy, don’t change the bridge.  BTW, what timber is the fingerboard?