The Josef Teller Fine Tuner
Cello fine tuners are small metal screws attached to the top of the tailpiece to help tune the instrument in smaller increments. Fine tuners allow the cello player to change the pitch of the strings quickly and with little effort. Turning them clockwise increases the pitch while turning them counter-clockwise lowers it.
Fine Tuners
Fine tuners are much easier to use than pegs. They do not slip or require any force to turn them. Often one or two full turns will alter the string intonation enough to notice a difference. Turning them to your right makes the strings tighter and thus increases the pitch. Turning them to your left decreases the pitch.
There will come a point where you cannot turn them anymore. If a fine tuner is out of turns, you will notice it will either be at the base of your tailpiece unable to turn any more clockwise or super loose, unable to turn any more counter-clockwise. When this happens, just turn it enough to get back to a neutral position and then adjust the pitch using the pegs.
6 Tips for Using Violin Fine Tuners
1. Turn the screw clockwise to get a higher pitch
If you are tuning your violin and the pitch of the open string is too low (it’s too flat), turn the screw clockwise.
2. Turn the screw counterclockwise to lower the pitch
When you are tuning your instrument and the open string is too sharp (the pitch is too high), turn the screw counterclockwise.
3. For a bigger adjustment combine using pegs and fine tuners
If you cannot turn the fine tuners anymore or you need a bigger adjustment, use also the pegs. Start by pulling the pegs towards you to loosen them. Next, turn the fine tuner in a way that it’s in the middle – you can turn it in both directions more or less the same. Then, try to tune the string using a peg and when you’re close to the target pitch, adjust it with the fine tuner.
4. Make sure your fine tuners are not causing a buzz
If you notice a buzz when playing your instrument, check to see if you have a loose fine tuner first. You might be able to just tighten the screw or the adjusting nut a little to get rid of the buzz. You might want to take the instrument to a luthier if you can’t find the source of the buzz.
6. Do not mix ball and loop ended strings on fine tuners
If you have fine tuners made for strings with a ball end, do not take the ball off and hook the loop onto the other kind of fine tuner, or vice versa. The increased tension and lack of plastic protector will likely make the string break.
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