They come in sets with particular diameters so we need the right set for the right instrument, which means either carrying a lot of stock or waiting each time for the pegs to be delivered.’ But if the measurement of a peghole does not correspond with that of any available geared peg, the hole will need to be ‘bushed’ – a short piece of dowel glued inside it and a new hole drilled through at the desired diameter. ‘Since the shanks of geared pegs are made of plastic or aluminium,’ says luthier Philip Ihle, ‘we aren’t able to trim them during fitting. Although luthiers tend to buy pegs, rather than making them in the workshop, they customise each one according to the instrument’s measurements, starting with a peg slightly wider than the respective hole and shaving wood from the shank as required. ‘People stick with the same rosin they used when they first started out, and the same brand of strings they’ve been playing on for decades, without taking into account the revolutions that have taken place in materials science.’įor some luthiers, the ultimate goal is to build a ‘perfect’ copy of a celebrated Old Italian instrument, a goal that may explain their reluctance to embrace fittings made from materials other than the traditional kinds of wood, or which include mechanical parts.Īlso, in the same way that every instrument is unique, so too is every pegbox and every peghole. ‘The string world can be a reactionary one,’ says cellist Lynn Harrell, an enthusiastic advocate of geared pegs since he first tried them more than five years ago. The modified physical action makes geared pegs suited to players with limited strength or mobility, including older people and young students This might have something to do with the fact that their increasingly discreet appearance makes them difficult to spot, but also with a tendency among some luthiers (and performers) to reject modern solutions to historical problems. And with shanks made from plastic or aluminium, geared pegs are immune to the changes in temperature and humidity that can cause pegs to seize with the changing seasons and, for some people, require a twice-yearly trip to the luthier.ĭespite the advantages they appear to offer, geared pegs are, however, far from ubiquitous. But these pegs required bearings to be fitted permanently inside the pegbox and, with time, their mechanical components wore out, leaving the pegs susceptible to slipping and their owner facing a hefty bill for having ordinary pegs reinstalled.Īlthough they were popular for a time, especially among students, the Caspari pegs were quickly passed over and standard low-tech friction pegs once again became the only option, much as they had been for hundreds of years.Īs well as improving accuracy, the modified physical action of geared pegs makes them suited to players with limited strength or mobility, including older people and young students. In the 1970s, pegs made by the Italian manufacturer Caspari allowed the amount of friction to be controlled with a screw – the player could reduce the friction when tuning and then increase it again afterwards to prevent the pegs from slipping. ‘I was jealous! Violinists, violists and cellists all rely on the friction of wooden pegs against the pegbox to keep their strings in tune, but that friction can make it very difficult to tune quickly and precisely.’ ‘The machine heads fitted to the pegbox of a double bass operate using worm gears, which allow the strings to be tuned more accurately and with less physical effort,’ he says. Watching the ease with which the double bassists in his orchestra tuned their instruments, cellist and Pegheds geared pegs inventor Chuck Herin first began to think about the possibility of an alternative to traditional wooden friction pegs. (The 4:1 isn't - if you go with Perfection Pegs, you'll definitely want a fine tuner on the E.This article is from The Strad’s Accessories 2018 supplement, available with the June 2018 issue - download on desktop computer, via the The Strad App, or buy the print edition The 8:1 ratio is enough to let you tune even the E. ![]() You can, and I use mine every once in a while, but if you've got a light touch, you don't really need it. ![]() Most people still put a fine tuner on the E string, even with the Wittners. And the smaller gear ratio means they can get pulled out of tune over time, although not by much. It was my misunderstanding, but it still left me not caring for them so much. I misunderstood at first, and thought I had to pull them out and push them in like regular pegs, which seemed to defeat the whole purpose. ![]() Also, the Perfection pegs have this thing where you pull the peg out or push it in to make it easier or harder (respectively) to turn. I have the Perfection pegs in one of my violins, and the Wittners in two violins and a viola.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |