What's your choice of Pegs : Ebony , Boxwood or Stained Boxwood?

August 7, 2016 at 02:01 PM · Generally speaking, I like to match all the fittings together. The only thing I really don't care is the end button, which I avoid replacing myself.

All three peg sets that you show us, are great. So I would personally begin with the tailpiece (which in my humble opinion usually affects the sound the most of the other fittings but you know it's just my opinion) and then match the pegs to it.

If you don't want to follow this chain of thought, then I would go with the lighter of the boxwood sets...

Another idea would be to have the normal boxwood, and watch it get a patina and stain of it's own as time goes by....:)

PS Are these Larsen strings?

August 7, 2016 at 02:15 PM · What are your current pegs and what problems are you having with them?

August 7, 2016 at 04:58 PM · The first one looks good, the black stained ones look cheap IMHO, the last set look unfinished.

Cheers Carlo

August 7, 2016 at 06:42 PM · Assuming the pegs are properly fitted, it is really a matter of personal taste.

I have ebony on one, boxwood on another, pernambuco on the other, and Knilling Perfection Planetary pegs on the other (they are made to look like ebony). I have considered changing them all to pernambuco because pernambuco is pretty and magical and fancy and gives me a +5 skill enhancement on my playing, but it's one of those "if it ain't broke don't fix it" situations. ;)

August 7, 2016 at 07:59 PM · Personally, my preference is for a peg-head shape that is most comfortable to my fingers in every orientation so I don't really like carved designs or pointy ends tht can dig into my flesh.

For peg material, in the long run I think it is a matter of wood wear. Over the years the maple pegbox holes will wear and the pegs will wear and eventually the pegs will sink in and seat up to their shoulders and need to be replaced. If the pegs have suffered most of the wear, the existing peg holes can be reused. However, if the peg holes have worn as well, a much more expensive rebushing of the of the peg box will also be required. These are important considerations if you expect to use your instrument a lot and keep it for a long time.

If the harder of the peg woods wear less they may induce more wear of the softer maple holes. Ebony and pernambuco are probably the harder woods.

August 7, 2016 at 10:49 PM · This thread is just advertising. The poster makes the pegs he or she is asking about. Not cool to FAKE a thread like this.

Cheers Carlo

August 7, 2016 at 11:03 PM · I tend to favor ebony pegs. Mostly just because that's my strange preference. I was gifted a violin by a friend that had box wood pegs. My first reaction was to change them to ebony

August 7, 2016 at 11:42 PM · Hate to say it, but the first two pictures remind me of the cheap carved wooden or marble trinkets one buys on the street in India.

Another wood that is useful for this purpose is jujube. My viola came with all jujube fittings. I had to replace the chin rest because I don't use a Guarneri CR, and of course I immediately replaced the pegs with Wittner FineTune pegs even though the friction pegs worked quite well.