Im replacing tuners on an Orpheum 1 short scale tenor. I would like schaller but thhey are costly, any suggestions
Hi
I had Schaller tuners on my primary banjo for 20+ years, and they were always reliable and smooth in operation, however they would look very 'new' on a period banjo. Also, the current tuners may be of the 'thinner shaft' type and you may find that the holes in the peghead would need to be enlarged to take the Schallers. John Alvey Turner in London have a changing stock of banjo hardware. They may have something from the same period as your banjo and of the correct shaft diameter which may be more in keeping than shiny new Schallers. Here's a link johnalveyturner.co.uk/accessor...jo-parts/
Edited by - HSmith on 01/26/2026 05:29:54
With all the inlay on the peghead of an Orpheum banjo, installing tuners with the standard 3/8" (10 MM) shaft will definitely ding that decoration. For all of my career I have used ABM planetary tuners on banjos with heavily inlaid pegheads, until now. ABM decided about 5 years ago to not make those tuners any more. I was the only customer in the world that recognized the importance of having them available. They made the last batch for me in 2023 and I only have 1 set of gold plated ABM tuners left in stock.
Though my website says I am sold out, by assistant assured me this morning I have one set available.
If taking out some of the inlay in order to make the banjo playable is acceptable, I recommend Gotoh planet tuners
They are $65 for the set of 4.
I hope this gives you an idea of other options to make your steel string banjo easier to tune.
Bob Smakula
smakulafrettedinstruments.com
Edited by - Bob Smakula on 01/26/2026 08:13:43
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