Hi .
I had a decent banjo given to me but it has friction tuners. I've had it with them.
I ordered Golden Gate planetary tuners but they will require a larger hole.
Drill, ream, or what? Advice?
I just did this on an inexpensive banjo for travel that had guitar tuners.
On advice of Hangout members in the discussion I started, I reamed the holes larger. Since the reamer is tapered, I had to come in from both sides. I had a reamer I had never used before. Took my time. Did a good job.
Only issue was that I did not notice beforehand that the peghead was over 0.6-inch thick, so the string holes in the tuner posts barely cleared the face of the peghead. But they cleared enough to work. I took the banjo on the intended trip and the inexpensive tuners worked fine.
Good luck to you.
Edited by - Old Hickory on 10/24/2022 18:23:47
I've never replaced a tuning peg, and I'm not even sure what the parts of the tuner are called, but could a hole matching the diameter of the tuner body (?) be drilled [Forstner bit? or?] ... 1/16" or 1/8" into the back of the peghead to recess the body and let the post stick up that amount on top? If it's even feasible, would it be worth the effort? [Not criticizing, just thinking out loud.]
Edited by - Owen on 10/24/2022 19:08:53
The way I do it is to measure the existing hole. Then using my bench drill press and using metric drill bits of 1/2 mm increments, start with a drill that is slightly larger than the existing hole. Enlarge each hole in turn until you can fit the tuner. The hole can be slightly larger than the barrel that goes through the peghead but not too larger. Ken makes a good point about the peghead thickness. Using a reamer also works.
Use a rat-tail file, sand paper, and patience. Cheap-skate back-yard banjo mutilator. – banjered
I've done it all the ways described thus far (Reamer, drill, and rat-tail file). Personally I prefer the reamer but they all work. The drill and rat-tail file can lead to a little tear out of the wood, this is why I like the reamer.
quote:
Originally posted by darryl k.Hi .
I had a decent banjo given to me but it has friction tuners. I've had it with them.
I ordered Golden Gate planetary tuners but they will require a larger hole.
Drill, ream, or what? Advice?
Some Golden Gate tuners might fit. I've put on some Golden Gate P-146 Vintage Planetary tuners on my vintage banjo. These have a thinner shaft and a simple retaining nut rather than a sleeve. It makes things easier for tuning but it feels all wrong for the banjo! I plan to work on my original friction tuners - there's a couple which aren't great - and put them back on.
This banjo has decent friction tuners, but I change tunings a lot so too inaccurate without having them tight as heck and then spending a lot of time getting the note close...and some luck too.
Thanks all. Think I'll pick up a reamer.
quote:
Originally posted by OwenI've never replaced a tuning peg, and I'm not even sure what the parts of the tuner are called, but could a hole matching the diameter of the tuner body (?) be drilled [Forstner bit? or?] ... 1/16" or 1/8" into the back of the peghead to recess the body and let the post stick up that amount on top? If it's even feasible, would it be worth the effort? [Not criticizing, just thinking out loud.]
If you're addressing my tuners and thick peghead, yes, what you describe could be done. And some people in similar situations have done that. It would require a Forstner bit the exact size as the tuner body or housing. I don't have one and, as I said, the tuners work as-is, so I'm considering this project done.
Hello,
Use blue tape to set the maximum cutting depth. This will prevent egging. I used a digital calipers to establish the depth required by the tuners.
Edited by - Aradobanjo on 10/27/2022 16:08:50
