bridge pins
This probably ought to be its own thread (though godknows it's been beaten to death in every guitar forum in the known universe), and it is unlikely to change anybody's opinion--but bridge pin material makes just about no detectable difference in a guitar's sound.
The principle coupling between the string and the top is accomplished by the saddle/bridge/bridge-plate system, with the pins serving simply to keep the string barrel from popping out of its place against the bridge plate. I suppose it's possible to damp some small proportion of the signal by using, say, rubber stoppers instead of wood, plastic, bone, ivory, or brass, but I'd make a non-trivial wager that no double-blind listening test could tell one traditional material from another. There are just too many other large variables in the signal chain--including how well-seated the saddle is in its slot, the size and material of the bridge plate, even what kind of glue is used to fasten the bridge and plate. The only professional recommendations for [insert favorite alternative material here] pins that I've seen come from people selling them. The builders I know don't see any acoustic reason to favor bone over plastic or whatever.
About ebony as a poor transmitter, by the way--why do you suppose so many builders use ebony for bridges and nuts? When's the last time you saw an ivory, bone, or brass bridge on an acoustic guitar? (Yeah, I know, ivory on 19th-century Martins.)
Let the flame-games begin.
Mr P, I'm in B'ham. Who do you use for your acoustic work? We should try & meet sometime & pick a bit.