Tapered Endpins vs. Strap Buttons

[Brent Hutto]

Is there any advantage to a tapered wooden endpin as opposed to just screwing a metal strap button into a solid endblock? My "good" guitar came with no endpin hole so I just put identical screw-on shiny metal buttons on the neck-heel and at the end. Very secure, easily reversed by simply unscrewing and took almost no time to install.

I recently acquired a cheap Chinese dreadnought that uses the traditional Martin-like tapered hole with a wooden endpin. Problem is the endpin is barely big enough and will pop out at a moment's notice. Why on earth do these things still get installed on guitars? What am I missing?

Second question, rather than buying and fitting a larger pin or doing Frank's trick with the superglue in the hole (requiring a reamer I don't own) is there any straightforward way to put a screw-on button down there instead? It's a guitar with little or no resale value (bad neck angle) so I'm not concerned about whether it would annoy someone down the road. Even if I get one that fits snugly it's still not as easy or secure to attach a strap to as a metal button...

[Rick Gentry]

Having a hole in the end is an excellent opportunity to add a pick up and make a cheap guitar sound a little better with some tasty signal processing.

[William F.Eden]

I would just put a plug in it and put a screw on one in there with a piece of lether or some other matieral to cover any of the plug that may be showing. Bill""""""

[mike carne]

An easy way to get the tapered endpin to stay in place is to simply wrap some paper round it!

[Rick Homan]

I know of a shop full of vintage Martins where the tapered end-pins are kept in the cases. The owner does not keep an end-pin in any of the guitars because if the guitar is dropped even 6 inches onto a hard surface the pin becomes a wedge driven into the end block and likely to split it. So, I am with you, Brent; I must be missing something when it comes to the tapered end-pin.