page_title: Tuning mechanisms for stringed instruments
section_title: Screw-and-lever tuners
hierarchical_section_title: Tuning mechanisms for stringed instruments / Screw-and-lever tuners
caption_attribution_description: English: Fine tuners on a violin Deutsch: Feinstimmer an einer Violine
context_page_description: A variety of methods are used to tune different stringed instruments. Most change the pitch produced when the string is played by adjusting the tension of the strings.
  A tuning peg in a pegbox is perhaps the most common system. A peg has a grip or knob on it to allow it to be turned. A tuning pin is a tuning peg with a detachable grip, called a tuning lever. The socket on the tuning lever fits over the pin and allows it to be turned. Tuning pins are used on instruments where there is not space for a knob on each string, such as pianos and harps.
  Turning the peg or pin tightens or loosens the string. Some tuning pegs and pins are tapered, some threaded. Some tuning pegs are ornamented with shell, metal, or plastic inlays, beads or rings.
  Other tuning systems include screw-and-lever tuners, geared tuners, and the konso friction tuning system.
context_section_description: Fine tuners are used on the tailpiece of some stringed instruments, as a supplement to the tapered pegs at the other end. Tapered pegs are harder to use to make small adjustments to pitch. 
  Fine tuners are not geared. They have a screw with a knurled head, whose lower end advances against one end of a lever with a right-angle bend in it. The string is fastened to the other end of the lever, and tightening the screw tightens the string. With the screw at the lower limit of its travel, the lever can come close enough to the instrument's top to pose a risk of scarring it. To avoid damage to the top, the screw may be turned out as far as it goes while still engaging the lever, and the string re-tuned using the peg.
  Fine tuners can buzz, and may cut strings if not filed smooth before use. They add weight and, when not built into the tailpiece, reduce string afterlength. Fine tuners are common on cellos, but some violinists regard them as an aid for beginners who have not yet learned to tune precisely using pegs alone.
caption: A violin tailpiece. Here, the two strings on the far side pass through the keyhole slots directly, but the nearer two strings use fine tuners.
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