crmdgn - 6-26-2019 at 03:57 PM
My oud came with plastic tuning pegs, which I never even noticed until recently. I'm thinking about changing them, because they're not great: this one
sticks, that one slips, the other one turns badly because it's palpably out of round. So I have two questions:
1. Can I substitute violin pegs? I have access to a peg shaver, so I can shave them to fit the holes, assuming the taper is the same as for violin
pegs.
2. If the taper is not the same, how bad would it be for me to re-ream the peg holes so they'll accept violin pegs?
Dr. Oud - 10-19-2019 at 10:41 PM
You'll need to ream the noles to insure fit of the pegs. Violin pegs come alreqady tapered but they're often out of round from shrinkage while in
storage, so do both. Both ends of the peg must be shiney after turning to indicate proper fit. Use a peg conditioner like Hill peg dope to get the
optimum friction.
Brian Prunka - 10-20-2019 at 02:30 PM
To add to Richard's advice: violin pegs are almost always too small to be used as a replacement on an oud that already had pegs, as the existing holes
are probably too large already.
Lute or oud pegs are usually a safer size, though if you want to really be safe you can use viola pegs (though they will likely require a lot of
shaving down).
You can measure the diameter of the existing holes to get an idea, but assume you will lose a bit more in reaming them.