Information AboutMachine Head |
| CATEGORIES ABOUT MACHINE HEAD | |
| string instruments | |
| guitar parts and accessories | |
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A machine head is part of a Guitar or similar instrument, an apparatus for tensioning and thereby tuning a string, usually located at the Headstock . A headstock has several machine heads, one per string. CONSTRUCTION AND ACTION Traditionally, a single machine head consists of a pin, mounted at the centre of a Pinion gear, a knob or "button" and a Worm Gear that links them. The pin has a hole through the far end from the gear, and the string is made to go through that hole, and is wrapped around the pin. To complete the string installation, the string is tightened by turning the pin using the tuning knob. The worm gear ensures that the pin cannot turn without a movement on the knob; it also allows precise tuning. The guitar player adjusts the tension of the various strings using the knobs so that they are correctly (23.3 Lbf , 103 N ) to 13.8 kgf (30.2 lbf, 135 N). VARIETIES Normally, worm gears provide a Gear Ratio of 14:1, though versions with 18:1 gear ratio also exist. They provide better accuracy in fine tuning, though are somewhat slower for initial string winding. Several kinds of machine head apparatus exist:
Since , locking ones are about 50% more expensive than original. Many break strings when tension is increased while the mechanism is locked and later unlooked, which frequently happens in music stores. Note that on some guitars, such as those with Floyd Rose bridge, string tuning may be also conducted using ''microtuning'' tuners located at guitar bridge. In this case, main machine heads at headstock may be missing entirely, as well as the headstock itself. NOTABLE DESIGNS Several manufacturers established well-known designs of knobs and whole machine heads. These designs are subject to copy and reference:
REFERENCES There are several US patents on machine heads, mostly covering various aspects of locking:
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