So I just bought a fiddle from ebay. It was about 170USD. All in all it seems like a decent fiddle, and the intonation is quite good. However I am having some problems with the tuning pegs. They are quite hard to turn, and its very hard to fine tune the strings. When I turn the pegs I can only shift their pitch in intervals of like a half a semi tone. This makes it very hard to tune the fiddle properly. Also if im not careful and push the pegs down hard enough as I turn them, they sometimes slip and drop the strings pitch by alot. Anything I can do to make it easier?
Also I’ve been applying roisin to the bow, but it seems to give off alot of dust that stick to the strings like a little layer. I get an ok tone when using the bow, but Im not sure if the roisin is supposed to be like that?
Adding fine tuners will give you much more control, but the pegs still need to work smoothly in any case. Apply very sparingly and only when signs of sticking or slipping occur. Too much is worse than not enough. Seal up the tube of dope with a bit of tape and it will last the rest of your life.
It’s normal for a brand new bow to take a bit more rosin to get it working. This is known as ‘loading’ a bow. In a short time all the hairs will have accepted enough and you’ll need only a small amount when the bow starts to slip. Too much makes things messy, but just have a bit of patience and it will settle itself in time.
Buy a 3b pencil and apply pencil lead liberally to the pegs where they touch the inside of the holes in the peg box. Makes 'em smoother and also makes 'em stick. Magic it is.