This afternoon, a chap will be bringing to me the above banjo with tuner issues. I don't know exactly what the issues are but need to be advised regarding the correct period tuners. The below photos show what is on it. Are these correct for this instrument and period??
I have a 1920's Vega that came with the tuners shown in the photo. I always imagined that they were originals. In 1903, I'm pretty sure their tuners were simpler, i.e., without the spring business. After years of struggling with them with steel strings, I recently swapped them for Gotohs -- which look exactly like what you show. I had to ream out the holes to take the new tuners.
The simple friction tuners work fine for gut, nylon, etc. strings, which would be period correct.
The OP neck looks like a modern gibson style with a scavenged overlay, so whatever tuners are "period correct" as the "period" is likely the last 40 years or so.
Were that an original Vega neck, no those are not original.
The common pegs are the Richard Kuenstler patent pegs below. I have also seen celluloid violin style pegs used.
DEFINITELY friction tuners on WLs all the way up into the early 1920s. My 1912 WL No 7 has gold plated tuners with MOP knobs, but they're still friction. But that neck is NOWHERE near original nor correct. A Whyte Laydie is white because it's made with maple wood with clear stain, instead of brown mahogany.
The tuners on the neck in your photos are probably better than friction pegs, as far as utility. Don't worry about them.
Edited by - The Old Timer on 12/12/2025 14:36:15
Now irrelevant, but somehow I dropped the photo of old tuners that I had selected. So, here it is for posterity:
Elderly Instruments today has a 1922 Whyte Laydie tenor for sale and you can see what it had for standard tuners. Elderly describes them as "spring-loaded Grovers". (Note this banjo is gold plated and Elderly says they don't know if it was re-plated or came from the factory that way.)
Edited by - The Old Timer on 12/12/2025 16:48:06
As you may have surmised from the preceding posts, the neck is not remotely a Vega— from any era—let alone 1903. That brings the date of the shell into question too—without seeing it, who knows? That said, any set of modern planetary tuners will be fine. Since the neck is in no way a Vega, it makes no sense not to have modern, well-functioning geared tuners. Same goes for the 5th peg.
quote:
Originally posted by Bill RogersAs you may have surmised from the preceding posts, the neck is not remotely a Vega— from any era—let alone 1903. That brings the date of the shell into question too—without seeing it, who knows? That said, any set of modern planetary tuners will be fine. Since the neck is in no way a Vega, it makes no sense not to have modern, well-functioning geared tuners. Same goes for the 5th peg.
Here are the rest of the photos sent me. My first thought, looking at the peghead shape was, it wasn't a WL at all. I have never seen a WL like that.
That neck is an import neck, these use to be prevalent on eBay. I think it is from Taiwan, the carving is the giveaway.
The "spring loaded" Grover pegs pictured were introduced to the market in May of 1920.
quote:
Originally posted by banjonzquote:
Originally posted by Bill RogersAs you may have surmised from the preceding posts, the neck is not remotely a Vega— from any era—let alone 1903. That brings the date of the shell into question too—without seeing it, who knows? That said, any set of modern planetary tuners will be fine. Since the neck is in no way a Vega, it makes no sense not to have modern, well-functioning geared tuners. Same goes for the 5th peg.
Here are the rest of the photos sent me. My first thought, looking at the peghead shape was, it wasn't a WL at all. I have never seen a WL like that.
One photo shows that the stick is stamped "Style R", which was a Whyte Laydie tenor.
The serial # of the pot, and "The Vega Company" on the dowel stick, places the pot in the mid to late 1920s. Certainly NOT 1903 when it would have said Fairbanks only on the stick. After 1910 or so the stick said "The Fairbanks Banjo by Vega" (Vega bought the Fairbanks company and name). The dowel sticks said Fairbanks Banjo by Vega into the early 1920s for sure, I owned a Style R. Yours "might" even be from the 1930s? One can look up that serial # for a surer year of origin.
quote:
Originally posted by The Old TimerThe serial # of the pot, and "The Vega Company" on the dowel stick, places the pot in the mid to late 1920s. Certainly NOT 1903 when it would have said Fairbanks only on the stick. After 1910 or so the stick said "The Fairbanks Banjo by Vega" (Vega bought the Fairbanks company and name). The dowel sticks said Fairbanks Banjo by Vega into the early 1920s for sure, I owned a Style R. Yours "might" even be from the 1930s? One can look up that serial # for a surer year of origin.
The Deering site on Vega banjo serial #'s shows 1922. I have spoken with the owner and explained what has been posted here and showed him physically the differences between the pot and the neck. He accepts that the neck is a more modern addition. Thanks for all the info.
