# Fine tuners

Source: https://arcosounds.com/glossary/fine-tuners
Also known as: adjusters

**Fine tuners are small screws on the tailpiece that alter a string’s tension by a tiny amount, allowing precise tuning without turning the pegs.**

A peg turns through a large angle for a small change of pitch and can slip or jam; a fine tuner moves the pitch by a few cents per turn and is easy to control. The working method is to use the peg for anything more than a small correction and the fine tuner for the last part of the journey.

Steel E strings on violins almost always need one, because the string is so tense that a peg cannot be controlled finely enough. Beginner instruments often have four; advanced players frequently keep one, since gut and synthetic strings tolerate peg tuning better.

Turning a fine tuner all the way down until it touches the instrument’s top is a real hazard, it will dent the varnish. When one runs out of travel, back it off fully and retune with the peg.

Canonical source: https://arcosounds.com/glossary/fine-tuners