Wood Pegs

Standard Series Bear Meadows dulcimers are available with wooden pegs at no additional charge.

In the world of folk music, wooden pegs have gotten a bad reputation, with some justification. Many instruments sold with wooden pegs are badly fitted or crudely made (sometimes both!).

But a well-fitted peg is elegant, simple, and reliable. Violinists, cellists, and other stringed instrument players have relied on wooden pegs in the most demanding music and performance settings. We use custom made rosewood viola pegs. Here is an article on how to fashion hand-made pegs.

Getting into tune is made very easy with the fine tuners shown at left. These are little trapezoidal buttons made of ebony which are installed on each string between the saddle and tailpiece. They are on a ramp, so as you slide them away from the saddle, the string tension increases. This gives you about half a step adjustment and very fine control. They are standard equipment with wooden and Caspari adjustable friction pegs.

Bear Meadow instruments are fitted with high quality wooden pegs, handmade in our own lutherie and expertly adjusted for trouble-free performance. If you feel you need mechanical tuners, by all means specify them. But please be aware that these superior wooden pegs will give you wonderful service at a fraction of the cost.