JSB88 - Posted - 04/25/2026:  06:20:25

Hello. I wonder if anyone can assist please. Some months ago I had to change out a tuner, and got a 'Leader banjo company' tuner that was about medium priced. I thought I would see how I got on fitting it with a view to changing at least the other three, if maybe not the fifth. With the help of you all here and Banjo Ben Clark's video I made an adequate job of it but now, after a few months, I am not that impressed with it (the tuner itself not my workmanship). I have slowly tightened the mechanism but it still seems to want to tune a little flat or sharp, almost deliberately to annoy me, whereas the (I assume) cheaper originals seem to perform better. I was thinking about investing in 4 decent tuners, gohto or even Rickards, but then started wondering about the idea in general. When I think about a guitar style tuner, it just seems more logically fit for the purpose. Using a 'crossbeam' just feels more durable than using a projected pole (sorry, don't know the proper terms).
My technical ability is far too low to consider changing from 'planetary style' tuners to guitar style, but in general, is there any advantage other than looks that the 'planetary' style gives? Think if I was having a banjo made, I would go for guitar style tuners?
And I suppose my real question is, will further tightening of the screw on the head of the button provided better function of the tuner? Many thanks.

SatCotM - Posted - 04/25/2026:  11:36:36

It should be easy enough to slot them out for guitar tuners if you want. The modern ones of either variety all tend to use a similar shaft size & design. It looks like the one you have on there has a 9.5mm shaft. Standard Grovers have a ~9.9mm shaft. Tightening the screw may make it more stable, but this probably isn't the issue unless it's regularly going flat over time.

Planetary style are preferred for the sake of aesthetics and tradition rather than function. The main problem is that the gear ratio (typically 4:1) is much lower than guitar tuners (usually around 15:1-20:1), so turning the button produces larger changes in the string tension. This is an issue with steel strings, which require fine and sensitive adjustments. This is probably where the difficulty is coming from. Rickards have a 10:1 ratio, and good stability, but cost major $$$. Those have a 9.5mm shaft.

Planetary gearing is also more prone to slippage through the gear train than the worm gears in guitar tuners. So they can gradually drag flat - mostly an issue with cheap ones or with a loose screw. That being said, planetaries are great for nylon strings. Takes ages to wind them up and tune them with guitar tuners.