Yes, you can use fine tuners for all strings on a wooden tailpiece. It really depends on the strings though...fine tuners are useless with gut strings and get mixed results with synthetic, but are almost mandatory with steel strings.
You can try some peg compound to lubricate the pegs and help them turn smoothly. If that doesn't work, you probably need to take the fiddle to a luthier to get new pegs fitted.
You can put fine tuners on a wood tailpiece, but you might think about replacing that tailpiece with one of those cheap alloy ones with fine tuners built in. The single tuners can be a source of buzzing, and I think I remember having to take the balls off of a bunch of strings in order to use them with the tuners I had. Someone who worked at a violin shop told me she actually preferred the alloy tailpieces because they were lighter than the wood ones (also a LOT less expensive!)
I have an alloy tailpiece on my modern fiddle, but, because I'm using synthetic A, D and G and find it easier and more realistic to tune those from the pegs, I've unscrewed the finger screws from the tuners for those strings. This makes the assembly slighter lighter (the screws are steel), and there are now three fewer sources for buzzing. Should I need to put steel strings back on it takes only a few seconds to re-insert the tuning screws.
I have an ebony tailpiece on my old fiddle and use synthetics which tune well from the pegs. Sometimes I use gut strings on this fiddle, and, as Marklar pointed out, fine tuners are useless with gut and wouldn't be a good idea with knotted gut string ends anyway.
I wouldn't mess with the pegs. If your tailpiece has only one tuner, I'm guessing it's not built in. Take a look at it, find out what kind it is and get another three like it. If you can't find out, it's probably easiest to just get a new tailpiece like others said.
I like the Pusch tailpiece with built in fine tuners. It's an ebony tailpiece, so your tone stays woody, not metallic. Last time I bought one, it was around $35 USD--top notch quality (better than the $95 USD Boise D' Harmonie ebony tailpiece with built-ins I once tried).
The advantage of built in fine tuners over add-ons is that the strings ride on the tailpiece saddle, not off the fine tuners themselves. This ensures your string length is normal (not longer, as with add-ons), and string vibration is more directly transferred to the tailpiece and so to the fiddle. (I know the bridge is more important in this respect, but the tailpiece also affects tone and volume.)
It was Kevin Burke who first pointed me to the Pusch tailpiece 10 years ago, and I've used them ever since.
Thanks for all your help. I think i'll look into the Pusch tailpiece, Will. cheers.
Is changing the tailpiece something which can be done easily? or should it be done by a luthier? (I'm thinking that the sound post falling over could give rise to a whole load of fun...)
Yes, you risk tipping the soundpost if it isn't fit properly (or if you bang the fiddle while tension is off).
The biggest challenge to putting on a new tailpiece is getting the loop that attaches around the end pin adjusted to the right length so that your overall string length (scale) matches the measurements of your fiddle. If you've never done this before, might as well have a luthier do it for you--shouldn't cost much or take long.
Fine tuners
Fine tuners
Hi,
At the moment i only have a fine tuner on the E of my fiddle, but tuning the other strings with the horrible sticky pegs is a complete pain.
Is it ok to put more fine tuners on a wooden tailpiece?
Or can i sort the pegs out so they no longer rotate in increments of about 1mm, but move smoothly?
Thanks
Jake
# Posted on October 11th 2008 by sloth
Re: Fine tuners
Yes, you can use fine tuners for all strings on a wooden tailpiece. It really depends on the strings though...fine tuners are useless with gut strings and get mixed results with synthetic, but are almost mandatory with steel strings.
You can try some peg compound to lubricate the pegs and help them turn smoothly. If that doesn't work, you probably need to take the fiddle to a luthier to get new pegs fitted.
# Posted on October 11th 2008 by Marklar
Re: Fine tuners
You can put fine tuners on a wood tailpiece, but you might think about replacing that tailpiece with one of those cheap alloy ones with fine tuners built in. The single tuners can be a source of buzzing, and I think I remember having to take the balls off of a bunch of strings in order to use them with the tuners I had. Someone who worked at a violin shop told me she actually preferred the alloy tailpieces because they were lighter than the wood ones (also a LOT less expensive!)
# Posted on October 11th 2008 by airport
Re: Fine tuners
simulcast!
# Posted on October 11th 2008 by airport
Re: Fine tuners
I have an alloy tailpiece on my modern fiddle, but, because I'm using synthetic A, D and G and find it easier and more realistic to tune those from the pegs, I've unscrewed the finger screws from the tuners for those strings. This makes the assembly slighter lighter (the screws are steel), and there are now three fewer sources for buzzing. Should I need to put steel strings back on it takes only a few seconds to re-insert the tuning screws.
I have an ebony tailpiece on my old fiddle and use synthetics which tune well from the pegs. Sometimes I use gut strings on this fiddle, and, as Marklar pointed out, fine tuners are useless with gut and wouldn't be a good idea with knotted gut string ends anyway.
# Posted on October 11th 2008 by Trevor Jennings
Re: Fine tuners
I wouldn't mess with the pegs. If your tailpiece has only one tuner, I'm guessing it's not built in. Take a look at it, find out what kind it is and get another three like it. If you can't find out, it's probably easiest to just get a new tailpiece like others said.
# Posted on October 11th 2008 by Whiddler
Re: Fine tuners
I like the Pusch tailpiece with built in fine tuners. It's an ebony tailpiece, so your tone stays woody, not metallic. Last time I bought one, it was around $35 USD--top notch quality (better than the $95 USD Boise D' Harmonie ebony tailpiece with built-ins I once tried).
The advantage of built in fine tuners over add-ons is that the strings ride on the tailpiece saddle, not off the fine tuners themselves. This ensures your string length is normal (not longer, as with add-ons), and string vibration is more directly transferred to the tailpiece and so to the fiddle. (I know the bridge is more important in this respect, but the tailpiece also affects tone and volume.)
It was Kevin Burke who first pointed me to the Pusch tailpiece 10 years ago, and I've used them ever since.
# Posted on October 11th 2008 by Will Harmon
Re: Fine tuners
You can use graphite (a soft pencil is OK) to help the pegs go smoother.
# Posted on October 11th 2008 by Henk Bos
Re: Fine tuners
Thanks for all your help. I think i'll look into the Pusch tailpiece, Will. cheers.
Is changing the tailpiece something which can be done easily? or should it be done by a luthier? (I'm thinking that the sound post falling over could give rise to a whole load of fun...)
# Posted on October 13th 2008 by sloth
Re: Fine tuners
Yes, you risk tipping the soundpost if it isn't fit properly (or if you bang the fiddle while tension is off).
The biggest challenge to putting on a new tailpiece is getting the loop that attaches around the end pin adjusted to the right length so that your overall string length (scale) matches the measurements of your fiddle. If you've never done this before, might as well have a luthier do it for you--shouldn't cost much or take long.
# Posted on October 13th 2008 by Will Harmon
Re: Fine tuners
Here's an online source for the Pusch, at a reasonable price:
http://marketplace.amazia.com/violinstore/prodinfo.asp?cn=568431&affid=&sku=TPvnP&page=19&pagenumber=&inverrmsg=
# Posted on October 13th 2008 by Will Harmon
Re: Fine tuners
Oops, sorry jake. Here's an online source for the Pusch in the UK:
http://www.thestringzone.co.uk/categories/multi-adjuster-tailpieces/products/pusch-hill-pattern-violin-tailpiece
# Posted on October 13th 2008 by Will Harmon