Recently my Wittner E String peg slips and won’t tune up to E. I also have difficulty winding it properly as the string gets pulled toward the peg end. What to do?
I have similar problems with my Perfection Pegs...I have been calling them Imperfection Pegs... I am going back to plain old wood pegs...
Play Happy
Swing
Just wondering, how long have you had the pegs? I have a set for maybe six months with no problem. Not much of a track record to go by. Is the peg slipping in the peg box, or is the internal gearing malfunctioning?
My first thought is that the Wittner peg needs to be either more properly tighten in the hole OR, the hole is too large by a fraction and needs to be re-bushed...I could be wrong.
i have had the perfections do that and sometimes I just screw it in the peg hole tighter, or sometimes just wind and unwind it while pushing in some,
I installed my Wittner pegs about three years ago. No issues at all with them loosening or slipping. Three fit perfectly and only required trimming of the end so it didn’t stick out too far - note the some excess sticking out is necessary since removal requires pushing them out and not pulling them it by the knob end. If you pull them out they will break.
The fourth Wittner peg was a bit loose and the wood holes were not perfectly round. I marked the position where they would be in the peg hole on the outside and inside with a pencil. Between the pencil marks I wound some black upholstery thread, one side just need one wrap and the other needed a few layers. I carefully pushed in the peg so that the thread wrapping was between the plastic and the wood. It snugged right up and hasn’t budged since. Reaming and rebushing should be your last restart if necessary at all.
My two cents…
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Originally posted by scryderRecently my Wittner E String peg slips and won’t tune up to E. I also have difficulty winding it properly as the string gets pulled toward the peg end. What to do?
It sounds likely that your E peg wasn't fitted well enough and is slipping in the hole. Another possibility is that the string is binding at the pegbox wall and preventing proper function.
In the first case, the hole needs a bushing to fit the peg. In the second case, the string needs to be wound onto the peg differently. It should not be against the pegbox wall, as that can ruin a string, impact tuning, or even cause a pegbox crack.
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Originally posted by scryderRecently my Wittner E String peg slips and won’t tune up to E. I also have difficulty winding it properly as the string gets pulled toward the peg end. What to do?
Assuming that the peg is slipping in the hole, put chalk on the outside of the peg where it contacts the hole.
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Originally posted by fiddler135quote:
Originally posted by scryderRecently my Wittner E String peg slips and won’t tune up to E. I also have difficulty winding it properly as the string gets pulled toward the peg end. What to do?
Assuming that the peg is slipping in the hole, put chalk on the peg.
Edited by - fiddler135 on 04/12/2023 04:58:00
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Originally posted by fiddler135quote:
Originally posted by fiddler135quote:
Originally posted by scryderRecently my Wittner E String peg slips and won’t tune up to E. I also have difficulty winding it properly as the string gets pulled toward the peg end. What to do?
Assuming that the peg is slipping in the hole, put chalk on the peg.
Chalk is useful for wood pegs to make them function better. For Wittners, however, the pegs need to be immobilized so that gear mechanism can turn while the shaft stays put. Chalk won't be enough to make a poorly fitting peg or a poorly shaped peg hole work. In addition to being plastic, which is more slippery by nature, the shafts have little spines on them to help the peg stay put. If the peg can turn in the hole, that means the hole is not the right size. A spiral bushing is generally the best solution for practicality and strength.
Titebond..fixes everything..
Its not clear to me from the OP whether the peg is slipping in the hole, or the internal gearing is malfunctioning. Crunchie812 asked the question, but no response so far.
I really doubt that the internal gearing would be malfunctioning. Haven't seen it yet, but have seen Wittners come loose eventually with seasonal humidity changes. It's hard to get the peg holes sized just right, and leaving them too small risks cracking the peg box. I was just wrassling with an E peg last week that had been in for years. Ended up using a paper shim and a couple of tiny drops of Titebond. Manufacturer recommends a drop of glue on initial installation; maybe they know what they're doing? It takes a little skill to get the shim just right if you're doing that. You need to secure both ends of the peg.
Edited by - KCFiddles on 04/12/2023 12:02:57
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Originally posted by KCFiddlesI really doubt that the internal gearing would be malfunctioning. Haven't seen it yet, but have seen Wittners come loose eventually with seasonal humidity changes. It's hard to get the peg holes sized just right, and leaving them too small risks cracking the peg box. I was just wrassling with an E peg last week that had been in for years. Ended up using a paper shim and a couple of tiny drops of Titebond. Manufacturer recommends a drop of glue on initial installation; maybe they know what they're doing? It takes a little skill to get the shim just right if you're doing that. You need to secure both ends of the peg.
Yes, both ends of the peg.. Last year I had a Wittner that kept slipping.. I asked my luthier to rebush the hole and he said he'd have to do both.. If the small end isnt tight the large end may work loose..
The title of the thread is "Wittner e string peg slips and grinds," which suggests at least the possibilty of a problem with the gearing. Have to wait for more information I guess.
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Originally posted by DougDThe title of the thread is "Wittner e string peg slips and grinds," which suggests at least the possibilty of a problem with the gearing. Have to wait for more information I guess.
The OP referred to a slipping peg, not a faulty gear mechanism, something I haven't experienced yet after installing dozens of sets.
To be clear, Wittner does NOT recommend using glue--that's what sets Wittner apart from PegHeds and Perfection pegs that have threads on one side and call for glue there. Wittners fit like traditional pegs and can easily be taken out. They are just as easy to install as traditional pegs if you know what you're doing. You do have to fit them properly to get the best results, but once they're in, they work beautifully. I haven't seen any of the sets I've installed change fit with the seasons, and the humidity and temperature change dramatically here. At a shop where I used to work, the owner often referred to Wittners as "weatherproof" pegs.
If the pitch of the string isn't changing, it's likely that the peg is slipping or the string is getting caught agains the pegbox. I've come across poorly fitted Wittners that had this issue. The solution was to refit the pegs.
