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Why do you guys like 3 degree pins?

This reminds me of a dread I built with a wedge body.
People would play it a comment on how comfortable it is.
Then I'd show them that the bass side was thinner than the treble side, then they'd turn up their noses and ask why I would do something like that.

Hesh, I invited criticism on the idea. I take your point and agree. I suspect, if this showed up in your shop, you would know why it was done (remember the pins would only fit in backwards). If it showed up in a lesser shop and they undid it, I suppose there would be no harm. Obviously, the same rules would apply about instructing the original recipient of the proper way to install the pins. Hopefully, the next owner would be told about it as it changed hands. That said: I bought my first car a 1974 Cutlass Supreme from my brother when I was 15. One day I was working on it and whatever I needed to do required removing the battery altogether. When I was putting it all back together, the battery cables would not reach. No mater what I did, how I turned the battery or what I did with the cables, they just would not reach. I don't know how long I sat out there puzzlinig over the fact that I had just taken it out that afternoon and it all fit before I started. Finally, my brother came home and asked what I was doing. I explained the problem; he laughed. He told me the red cable was the negative cable. I told him he was nuts, everybody knows the black is the negative terminal. We went back and forth a few times before I understood what he was saying. From the factory, both battery cables were black and the length and orientation of them would only allow the cables to reach the proper terminal. At some point he needed to replace the negative terminal; unfortunately, the auto parts store only had a red one in the length he needed. What did he care if the colors were reversed, it only fit in one way right. . . Now you would have thought he would have mentioned this to the next owner (or fixed it when he had the chance) especially since the next owner slept right down the hall from him! I'm glad I never needed to jump start someone.

I figured this would be a way to keep some knucklehead from putting them in slot forward when they buy new (slotted) pins to replace the unslotted ones that came with it. They would have seen that the slots on the last set keyed into the splines when they removed them and new pins would not fit with the slot forward. Just a thought. . .

Good question and other than being gluttons for punishment because 3 degree pins are far less available than 5 degree pins here's the reason but the reason is also a bit of a nit and purest point if you will.

We drill our pin holes with a 3/16th brad point bit (well at least I do with mine... ). If you were to draw this out on paper showing the 3/16" hole going though the bridge, the top, and the bridge plate. When a 5 degree pin is properly reamed with a 5 degree reamer at the very bottom of the hole in the area of the top and bridge plate the reamed hole or the reamer is narrower than the original 3/16" hole. This creates a bit of slop where the string balls are and can lead to some damage over time with tendency of strings over time to want to work themselves up the pin holes....

Conversely drill the very same 3/16th" hole with your brad point bit and then ream to 3 degrees with a proper 3 degree reamer and the space at the bottom of the hole where the reamer departs the 3/16" hole is either nonexistant or lesser than with a 5 degree pin and ream. Less to no slop, less wear over time, and likely something that so few people will ever understand that it's also questionable what's the point... Variables are bridge, top, and pate thickness as well as pin diameter.

In any event even 5 degree unslotted pins are so very superior to slotted pins that this is really where most of the benefit is as far as prolonging the life of the bridge plate. Factor in 3 degree pins and it's a bit more so but again most of the benefit is with unslotted pins be they 5 or 3's.

Make sense? Wish I could draw and post but I just never figured out how to do this...

Pat that's called "string ramps" in the trade and a useful club to have in the bag.

The end of 5 degree pins comes out to be around 5/32

Not to pick nits but why not drill your bridge holes with a smaller, say 11/64ths, bit?