Hello all.
I purchased these tuners a few years back. From where, I can’t remember. I installed them on an old 1890ish banjo to replace the original celluloid tuners.
While they work fine, I plan on replacing them with some old Grover ‘88. I prefer the way those look and feel and they are a bit more period appropriate.
I’ve tried to find info on these tuners and can’t. They look different from the later spring loaded ones I’ve seen. I’m assuming these are from the 20s-30s but I haven’t found a pic of the same kind.
Are these rare? And for a reason? Meaning, did they have a design flaw or did the springs not hold up and many of these were trashed?
I was just wondering what dates these were from and on what banjos they came on.
If these are sought after and others may appreciate them more than me, I’d rather find a home for them. Maybe eventually I’ll get into collecting banjos from this area, but I’m fairly new so I’m still exploring and having fun with earlier ones from the turn of the century.
Thanks for any info!!
Edited by - cliffc on 04/24/2025 06:06:56
Not rare, per se, but came out at a time when friction pegs were on the way out.
Due to plectrum playing and wire string use gear were the better upgrade. So having upgrade (more pricey) friction pegs did not make a lot of sense.
You seem to be missing the set screws that lock the strings. Sadly, that will remove the value for anyone who might know about these enough to want them. Not that there is really much monetary value in friction pegs.
quote:
Originally posted by Joel HooksNot rare, per se, but came out at a time when friction pegs were on the way out.
Due to plectrum playing and wire string use gear were the better upgrade. So having upgrade (more pricey) friction pegs did not make a lot of sense.
You seem to be missing the set screws that lock the strings. Sadly, that will remove the value for anyone who might know about these enough to want them. Not that there is really much monetary value in friction pegs.
Thanks Joel! Makes sense why they look odd from the front. I didn't realize the screws were missing, just thought it was a design choice I didn't care for. They do hold tune with nylon strings just fine.
See below
Grover and Waverly made spring loaded tuners back in the day—StewMac still offers one for uke only. Those that fit vintage ukuleles can be worth a bit of coin but there's little market for the banjo versions with the longer shafts.
Day before yesterday, I bought a single Waverly from Gryphon Strings to match the other three on a Clarophone banjo uke that I just picked up. These are the ones that StewMac has reissued. They work nicely but I'm pretty sure I would not pay $90 for a new set.
Edited by - mikehalloran on 04/24/2025 10:20:05
quote:
Originally posted by Joel HooksSee below
This is great! Thank you!
I'm pretty positive, well, kinda positive, well, I think that those washers on the backside of your banjo prevent that tapered end of the tuner from nestling into the original friction tuner holes (which were tapered). My thought, well, idea is that they would perform better without the added washers.
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