Those links go to my photobucket home page, but not the specific illustration. If I try linking any other way, Mudcat simply refuses to accept my posting.

On most all of the several other forums I hang out on posting photos directly to the thread is a snap. Guess that's one advantage of modern technology that we're going to have to learn to live without here though.
Guess I was spoiled on those other communities where I've been playing for the past year or so while I haven't been heard from much at all here.

I love the wealth of knowledge and information on the cat, but the inability to share technical details, scannings of music from my collections, and that sort of thing has been a persistent frustration.

Might as well give up and strip the photo links right out of my article and post text only, FWIW, now that we all know what the Cejilla / Choker looks like.

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The picture shows a block with concave sloping shoulders, but I decided to come up with a couple of alternative shapes which seem to look about as good. I figured that they had best be at least 5/8" thick to resist splitting from the outward pressure of the peg, and considered running a couple of screws in on each side beside the peg to further reinforce it - but since there is no indication of this provided for on the originals, I'll leave them out for now.

One modification that I will probably make is to glue a leather "shoe" to the foot in order to protect the strings, fingerboard and frets from the hard wood.   I also might run the string through a 3/8" leather strap to run between it and the neck to prevent the string from scoring or marring the neck under tension.   Perhaps not authentic, but they aren't making a lot of these old parlor guitars any more, and since mine is an antique (old cracker-box rattletrap though it is) I'd just as soon not ding it up any more than my native awkwardness already does.

I looked all over the place for the little box of spare parts that I had before we moved a couple of years ago containing several fiddle pegs, but to no avail.   Not long ago I picked up the neck of a busted up fiddle from the dump that still had a halfways decent peg left in it... where that went is anybody's guess as well as all my searching was in vain. Finally I just gave up and made one. No big deal; I made all the friction pegs for my minstrel banjo.   I just didn't spend a lot of time making a fancy one as sooner or later I'll find my stash or pick up another "real" fiddle peg.

Not a lot of time or effort was expended on finishing this device just yet, as it is a prototype to see how well - or even IF - it works.

Instead of using a piece of busted gut string (which I have plenty of, as any gut player probably does) I pulled out a length of artificial sinew that I use for sewing heavy duty leather. It looks like the real thing and is as strong as steel cable. The anchor hole was drilled through one end of the block at a suitable angle with a 1/16" hand drill, and a little guide notch filed up the other side. I ran the nearest size taper reamer as I could find into the hole (had to finish it up with a screw driver) and plugged it in. The peg holds pretty well, despite my being unable to find my rosin stick either.


For the sake of science, I tottered upstairs from my basement laboratory and dug the old "Victoria" out of it's case.   I had de-tuned the treble guts since last playing it - which if you play gut strings you know if you neglect that detail the next time you uncase your instrument you will probably be looking at at least one - probably the treble "E" - all curled up on both ends and busted somewhere in the middle.

I didn't re-tune and play it to make sure that it actually pitched the guitar up, but it clamped right on good and tight without having to be wound up much at all, so I have no doubt that it will work just fine.

Now when I go to play "Rock Me To Sleep, Mother" by Elizabeth Akers Allen(which I would be glad to share a scanning of, if I only COULD...)on my Parlor Guitar, I can use chords that I'm familiar with (and plenty of 'em, too!) and sing it within my range (this is one of those old tunes that uses up most if not all of it) at the same time, without committing any technical "Farbyisims".

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If anyone wants to see my photographs, drop me a PM (can we do that here?) with an e-dress and I can send as *.JPG ATTs.