Goodbye, Squeaky Tuning Pegs

Not everyone has experienced it, but those who have wish they hadn’t: the “squeal of doom” from acrylic itomaki. I own two instruments with acrylic tuning pegs — one is completely calm and silent, while the other lets out bone-chilling noises with every turn.

The Problem

Wooden pegs may creak a little, but this kind of squeaking happens almost exclusively with acrylic ones. The sound is as unbearable as fingernails on a chalkboard or cycling with an unoiled chain.

Recently, I came across a simple solution from a reliable source in Japan. I was curious, tried it, and the result was pure peace of mind.
The cause of the horrible sound is residue buildup on the peg. Once removed, the problem is gone — it’s that simple.

Materialis

To banish the squeak once and for all, you’ll only need a few household items:

water
dish soap
sponge
kitchen towel
cotton swabs
paper towel

The Procedure

The tuning peg just needs a thorough cleaning. Regular dish soap is more than enough — stronger cleaning agents are usually bad for the environment, expensive, hard to find, and above all, unnecessary.

Step 1: Remove the Itomaki

First, unwind the string completely and pull the itomaki out of the tenjin. The easiest way is to loosen the peg and gently pull the string downward. You’ll likely see dark residue at the narrow end of the peg — that’s the culprit.

Step 2: Clean the Itomaki

Wash the peg at the sink. Since acrylic is waterproof, that’s no problem. Add a little dish soap to a damp sponge and scrub the residue off thoroughly. I use the rough side of a standard kitchen sponge. Rinse well with clean water, dry it completely, and set it aside.

Step 3: Clean the Zagane

Residue also builds up inside the zagane (the metal sleeve the peg sits in), so that needs cleaning too. Use a cotton swab dipped in a bit of soapy water to wipe the inner surface. The peg doesn’t usually go very deep inside, so clean from the inside edge as well.

We can’t soak the tenjin or rinse it under the faucet as the water would damage the wood. We’re going to use a cotton swab instad. If any drops spill, dry them immediately. To rinse, wrap a small piece of paper towel around a cotton swab, dampen it with clean water, and wipe again. Repeat if needed, then dry carefully the same way.

Final Step: Testing

Once everything is clean and dry, reinsert the itomaki and turn it. If all went well, silence! Peace for your ears.
After you’ve restrung the shamisen, your instrument is ready to play again — squeak-free.

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