Violin Forum/Message Board

John Cadd

One youtube site thinkihg to help players struggling to keep their violins in tune has advocated slackening the strings and re - winding the string tight up against the peg box to keep the peg from slipping . Most of the Many Comments were completely in agreement with such a bad practice . It seems the time has come to fit small individual guitar tuners to get around the problem . Frustration with slipping pegs is driving budding new players away from violins .
I fitted a set on my skeleton violin and found the tiny conversion very easy .

fionasimpson1475 · Junior Member Joined: 11 Sep 2024 Posts: 1

Slacking the strings and re-winding against the peg box is a risky fix that can cause more issues in the long run. Peg slipping is frustrating, but fitting small guitar tuners is a great solution! I’ve had success with this on my own violin, and it makes tuning much easier for beginners and seasoned players alike.
hills of steel

John Cadd · Posted: Fri Sep 13, 2024 2:29 pm Post subject: guitar tuners

I found the smallest single string tuners needed very tiny bits of filing to allow the ends of the metal pegs to come through the box . I imagine there might be lighter ones to do the job . The cosmetic gears that look like traditional pegs are pretty expensive and they impinge more on the peg hole surfaces . It`s possible to get them the wrong way round too . Two left and two right . The guitar ones just need pairs of small screws.Any climate changes are not a problem .Players in the middle of nowhere can still get their regular practice .
One cure for slipping pegs I saw recently was Plasticene . The usual peg compound I used may go a bit too hard over time. I don`t find it easy to use . I`ve just rebushed a set of pegs that were out of line . The A string was pressing on the E peg .This was on an old German violin where other short cuts had been made.

John Cadd · Posted: Sat Sep 14, 2024 9:00 am Post subject: guitar pegs

To focus on the people advocating the string jamming methods I might as well state who they are : Kennedy Violins . I doubt if Nigel would recommend the peg slipping solution .I don`t know if Nigel Kennedy has any connection with the firm .
The string jamming was also recommended on Violinist .com at one time .Shame on you .
Peg jamming ,especially with metal wound strings would damage the strings ,also the pegs and also the pegbox .
But guitar pegs will add some weight and need tiny screws to fix them . It`s a fair balance .