Violin Forum/Message Board

[Ken Pollard]

I have a cello in the shop right now, a student-level instrument, probably Chinese, though not bottom of the barrel. The customer had complained of tuning issues. Examining the cello, I found that it had mechanical pegs -- look like Wittners, but may be knock-offs. The customer has had it for 4 years, and bought it slightly used.

I've had experience with Wittners in violins, and they are ok, but do need to be set right. I make them firmly fit into both sides of the pegbox, and the string-holding section can freely rotate.

On this cello, though, the pegs are tight on the thumb-piece side of peg box (treble side for the A and D strings, bass side for the G and C), but are actually floating on the small side. I can see light between the peg and the pegbox at this end. This free end also rotates with the central string area.

My original intention was to pull these pegs and replace them with conventional ebony pegs. However, these are glued tightly into the pegbox on the thumb-piece side.

Thumb-piece is probably the wrong term. By it, I mean the part you grab and turn to tune the fiddle.

I've had the instrument overnight, and it does indeed lose its tuning. I checked the tailpiece loop to see if it was slipping, but the ends are melted with the adjusters right out to those ends, so no where to slip.

I have touched the glue with alcohol and acetone, but neither seems to loosen it up. The pegs themselves are a composite plastic material so I cannot use heat.

Anyone have any experience with this problem? And did you come up with a solution?

[L P Reedy]

Those are Perfections (or PegHeds) and are probably just out of adjustment. Try pushing in as you turn to tighten the action, just like a wooden peg, but not as hard. Pulling out as you turn makes them turn easier. The ideal is where they turn easily but still hold.

These pegs are threaded into the peg box. Treble side pegs have left-hand threads and bass side right-hand. You may just be using the wrong tactics to remove them. IF you cannot make them work right, you can heat the barrel (aluminum) with a soldering iron to soften the glue. I find glue to be ineffective and superfluous anyway.

I am rather astonished that you have never encountered these pegs before. I haven't installed any in cellos (the original design) but have put a lot of them in fiddles. The only problem so far was a violinist who let one peg get too loose. Fixed that one through the miracle of email.

And by the way, PegHeds/Perfections have been around a good while longer than the Wittners, so these are definitely not Wittner knock-offs.

Lyle

[Ken Pollard]

Thank you, Lyle. I have never seen Pegheads before (we are rather out in the sticks), and would have not considered pulling on the peg, but sure enough, they come loose that way. And pushing in does seem to tighten them up. I'll be happy to see if they hold the tuning overnight.

They still appear and feel plastic, rather than aluminum, to me, but perhaps it just a coating. Anyway, I don't need to remove the pegs if an adjustment is all they need.

Thank you again. I was stumped.

[L P Reedy]

Hi, Ken, they are plastic except for the part between the head and the peg box. That part (that doesn't turn) is anodized aluminum. But it is hard to tell the difference. Go to PegHeds.com (no A in pegheds) and you can learn a lot. Perfections, which you have, are made by Knilling under license from Chuck Herin, the inventor.

[Ken Pollard]

Well, it's morning, and the cello is still basically in tune. Much better than previously. The owner will be happy to be spared my estimate for replacement pegs -- and I can get back to work on some of my own instruments.

I did have to apply serious inward pressure to some of the pegs. Pulling out, on the other hand, is quite easy and instantly effective -- that is, I can reduce the holding pressure to almost zero.

Thanks again, Lyle.