Welcome to one of the most active flamenco sites on the Internet. Guests can read most posts but if you want to participate click here to register.
This site is dedicated to the memory of Paco de Lucía, Ron Mitchell, Guy Williams, Linda Elvira, Philip John Lee, Craig Eros, Ben Woods, David Serva and Tom Blackshear who went ahead of us.
We receive 12,200 visitors a month from 200 countries and 1.7 million page impressions a year. To advertise on this site please contact us.
|
|
Are peg heads for dead heads?
|
You are logged in as Guest
|
Users viewing this topic: none
|
|
Login | |
|
Richard Jernigan
Posts: 3435
Joined: Jan. 20 2004
From: Austin, Texas USA
|
RE: Are peg heads for dead heads? (in reply to Jon Boyes)
|
|
|
Bowed instrument players have been getting along with pegs for centuries, so you would think guitars could do as well. It ain't necessarily so. I have a '67 1a Ramirez flamenca (cedar/cypress) that I bought new. The pegs were some kind of wood with a fairly coarse grain structure. They rested on the Cuban cedar material of the tuning head. I used them for decades until about ten years ago when I started playing classical about half the time. Getting used to the machines on my Contreras double-top made me dissatisfied with the pegs on the Ramirez. I had Kenny Hill replace them with machines. The problem with the pegs was that they could not be adjusted in as fine increments as the machines on my Contreras. The flamenca pegs would hold firmly at one spot, but as you tuned they would skip slightly to the next spot where they would hold. When I bought the instrument, Jose Ramirez III recommended powdered rosin to be put on the pegs. I used this for quite a while. The pegs developed smooth spots, where they clearly made firmer contact with the tuning head. I had the holes and pegs reamed by an expert repairman. Things got better for a while, then they went back to the way they were. I tried a variety of other remedies which I will not bore you with. Ebony or grenadilla pegs running in maple heads work great for bowed instruments. People have sworn that they have guitars with peg heads that work beautifully. Maybe so. But if you watched players like Sabicas and Escudero, who tuned very well, they almost always used a capo. They tuned approximately with the pegs, then made the final adjustment by pushing on the string between the nut and the peg to sharpen it, or by pulling on the string between the capo and the bridge to flatten it. They did this very quickly and accurately. Clearly the capo was on tight enough to keep the string from slipping over the fret. RNJ
|
|
|
REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE |
Date Mar. 8 2004 18:44:53
|
|
Guest
|
RE: Are peg heads for dead heads? (in reply to Jon Boyes)
|
|
|
If most people agree that pegs look better but are harder to tune, has anyone considered using banjo pegs? Perhaps they would be too heavy, but would preserve the head and tune like machines. Sean
|
|
|
REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE |
Date Mar. 9 2004 16:17:15
|
|
Guest
|
RE: Are peg heads for dead heads? (in reply to Jon Boyes)
|
|
|
Ok I'll give my comments. I'm an ex classical violinist and so acostumed to pegs and I think they are very beautifull and adds a touch of class to a flamenco guitar, especially on Blancas. You cannot compare pegs on a bowed instrument to a guitar. You only use the pegs for tuning when you play gut strings, which are far mor flexible than nylons. One of the main problems with respect of flamenco pegheads is that the peg runs in Cedar, which is way to soft, and wear out very fast. I use mapple bushings, for the pegs which helps a lot, and my pegs are quite easy to tune, but you cannot expect the same precission as on a high quality tuning machine, and especially when you are a bit stressed, like when playing with others or in public, you'll notice a difference. The Pegs by Carlos Juan are NOT made in wood, but in a synthetic material. I think that it's very rewarding to use pegs, I find that when the strings are set, and the guitar is tuned, it stays in tune better than one with machine heads. I notice a small difference in sound. A peghead is more 'puro y duro' the less weight in the head gives less sustain. I would never perform in group with a peghead though. Nice tuning Anders
_____________________________
|
|
|
REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE |
Date Mar. 12 2005 7:26:46
|
|
Guest
|
RE: Are peg heads for dead heads? (in reply to Jon Boyes)
|
|
|
Hola Ramón I've been lurking around this website for a while. Looks very interesting, and it's very nice to have some direct info from a player. Could you please explain to me what you mean by "button" ? Thanks Anders
_____________________________
|
|
|
REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE |
Date Oct. 17 2005 7:58:40
|
|
Guest
|
RE: Are peg heads for dead heads? (in reply to Guest)
|
|
|
Anders The button is simply the head of the peg, which allow you to grip. I cannot understand why people want easy solution pegs when real pegs work OK. I have a 1978 Mario Melero with original rosewood pegs and with a little cariño, they work very well. Sean
|
|
|
REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE |
Date Oct. 17 2005 14:01:12
|
|
Guest
|
RE: Are peg heads for dead heads? (in reply to Jon Boyes)
|
|
|
Hi Sean I agree that well made pegs work very well and I play a pegsy myself. But... I'm a builder and clients want things like tuning machines and pegs to be in a certain way, so I need to be informed. Besides... Maybe these pegs work like maravilla, so I would not mind trying them. At least the button is of wood and not some carbon/nylon thing.
_____________________________
|
|
|
REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE |
Date Oct. 17 2005 14:49:08
|
|
Guest
|
RE: Are peg heads for dead heads? (in reply to Guest)
|
|
|
quote:
At least the button is of wood and not some carbon/nylon thing. Anders When I read that I had to laugh: all guitarreros are the same, enamoured of wood. Many years ago I asked George Lowden what he thought of the Veleto electric guitars which used an aluminium T piece with wooden wings for a neck: his face was a picture: he didn't even have to reply Sean
|
|
|
REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE |
Date Oct. 17 2005 20:22:08
|
|
New Messages |
No New Messages |
Hot Topic w/ New Messages |
Hot Topic w/o New Messages |
Locked w/ New Messages |
Locked w/o New Messages |
|
Post New Thread
Reply to Message
Post New Poll
Submit Vote
Delete My Own Post
Delete My Own Thread
Rate Posts
|
|
|
Forum Software powered by ASP Playground Advanced Edition 2.0.5
Copyright © 2000 - 2003 ASPPlayground.NET |
9.765625E-02 secs.
|