everglades -> String wrapping direction on wooden pegs (Jul. 22 2011 0:39:10)
Like many,I have struggled a bit with the pegs on my new - old guitar (new to me). I tried messing around with peg dope and found that things got better if i put on a tiny amount, yet most pegs were still slipping unless I pushed them in a bit after tuning.
I read somewhere that you should avoid wrapping the string in the direction of the peg tip in order to minimize the pressure on the peg hole. It makes sense that as you go further out toward the tip, the leverage is increased.
Well today I changed the direction of the 6th string away from the tip and much to my surprise the peg is no longer slipping. I suspect that the pressure of the wrapped string between the peg hole and the headstock is pushing in the peg, thus holding it in place.
So, is this part of the trick to getting these to stay or am I hurting the guitar from the friction between the string and headstock?
Was my incorrect peg wrapping direction causing my problems all along?
Harry -> RE: String wrapping direction on wooden pegs (Jul. 22 2011 2:27:15)
Hmmm,
I am not an expert on these matters but here are some things to remember:
If you wind the string up towards the top of the peg and away from the headstock, your break angle over the nut will be bad. This could cause the strings to jump out it seems to me.
Also, there is definitely more pressure on the peg when you wind upwards because of increased leverage as you point out. Wouldn't this increase the chances of the pegs deforming the holes in the headstock and/or the pegs changing shape?
One thing is for certain, your strings should not be touching the top of the headstock. It is not the pressure of the strings being pushed down on the headstock that cause the pegs to stay in place, it is merely friction. (*as you say though, the pressure of the string's break angle over the nut will keep the peg pushed in) You should definitely have to push in the peg a little to tune it, but if you have to push in a lot, and pegs still slip, chances are the pegs are not well fitted.
Watch Anders' explanation about this:
Finally, I have never ever seen a peghead headstock with strings wound going towards the top of the peg (away from the headstock), and trust me I have looked at tons of images of pegheads. Perhaps others may disagree, but I think most people wind the strings down towards the headstock, but not so many loops that the strings are actually touching the headstock. Remember that peg dope and other material like this can make pegs slippery. Use a little bit. Some people recommend chalk for slipping pegs, but I have never tried this.
I hope this helps, and I am sure others will improve upon my explanations.
everglades -> RE: String wrapping direction on wooden pegs (Jul. 26 2011 2:02:54)
Thank you Harry for your valuable input and the great video link. Things have definately improved since i started rolling the strings towards the headstock.
