This works much better and faster than a reamer! You will want the 3/8" (10mm) size.

amazon.com/dp/B0CFJBVGYM?ref_=...le_2&th=1

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Originally posted by slou92

Good morning!

I have a Gold Tone AC-1 that I use for camping and also for tuning down to Eb to play along with John Hartford songs. I’m tired of fighting the cheap guitar style tuners on strings 1-4 and thinking of installing a set of Gotohs or equivalent.

I know I need to ream the holes to fit them and this is a good excuse to order stuff from Stew Mac. I had other things on my list so it’ll save shipping.

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Stew-Mac does not sell Gotoh banjo tuners. Their brands are 5-Star and Waverly, which have become incredibly expensive lately. 

If you want Gotoh planet banjo tuners, I recommend purchasing from my shop. At $65 per set for Gotoh planets, plus a postage fee of $7 to $9, that is $100 less than Stew-Mac's lower cost 5-Star option.

My assistant and I will be out of the shop for a week starting Wednesday 9-9-2026, but we will ship until then and resume normal hours on 9-16-2026

Thank you for your consideration.

Bob Smakula

smakulafrettedinstruments.com

Thanks guys!

Bob I’ll order the tuners today.

I've done this 2-3X using just a rat tail file, sand paper, and patience/care. Came out just fine. banjered

I tried to order some of that "Patience" stuff, but the shipping time was too long.

I have used a standard 3/8" drill bit (use a VERY good one if using this method) and be VERY VERY careful.... so as not to booger up the peghead. On a relatively inexpensive banjo I wouldn't get TERRIBLY upset if there were a few very small scratches.... If the original tuner shaft holes are quite a bit smaller than 3/8", then start with something that is just barely larger than the original shaft holes - and work up to 3/8" in small increments.

Put a standard 3/8 in your drill. Set it to “reverse” first and pretend you’re drilling the hole. This chamfers the hole. Then, set it to “forward” and drill your hole slow and steady. This prevents those annoying chip outs.

I've replaced the tuners on all my Gold Tones (because the stock tuner buttons fall apart). It's always been a straight replacement, no reaming necessary. This is with sets of Gotoh, Schaller, and Grover tuners

Of course the AC-1 may be different. But the Gotohs seem to be sized the same as Asian guitar tuners.

I also replaced the tuners on my Goodtime with Gotohs. Again, no fit issues.

Thanks guys! Once my tuners get here I’ll try before I enlarge the hole. Maybe I’ll get lucky.

There are cheaper options in terms of planetary tuners but I would not recommend them. These are found on Temu. Aliexpress, Ebay etc. It is a lottery in terms of quality and operation. I would stay away from them. Gotohs are excellent. There is another brand called 'Guyker' Firebird JBJ1000 tuners which look identical to Gotohs (there are small differences) and these are not only cheaper but are incredibly smooth to use.

I’ve done this several times. 3/8” is a teensy bit smaller that 10mm, so you may have to wobble the drill bit a teensy bit, to get the Gotah tuner to fit. I use a standard drill bit. The newer and sharper the better. I build up a makeshift handle on the drill bit, by wrapping the end with masking tape a bunch of times. I do the job by hand. I’d rather it take a couple minutes per hole, with no chipping or accidents, than chuck the drill bit in a drill, and make a chipped up mess of things.

Buy a 10 mm bit, conical point, not bradpoint, it’s worth it then drill some 10mm holes in two plates of pine or such and clamp the plates tightly over the old holes in the peghead .
Drill the peghead from top to bottom which eliminates chipping.
Pull the trigger to fast and feed slowly unless you have a drill press, in which case press lightly, a new drill bit can catch you in a novice game , just be careful not to press too hard in any case.
Holding the towel-wrapped neck in a vise with wooden jaws is my choice because a drill press can cheat ya.


Bob is my choice, he works hard all day.

Note: the Gotohs don’t use the pins that go into the back of the peghead to stabilize the tuners from turning.
They use these conical little points that dig into the peghead from behind.

I usually mark and pre-drill a little dimple before tightening down the tuner. I use a 1/8” bit to do that and not too deep neither. A little drop of white glue can save you some frustration.
Go slow, you’ll be real good at it after you do all four

The top nut threads are delicate, use a 10mm 1/4” drive socket and torque them gently - you’ll feel it.

Remember Bob offers different color Gotoh knobs. Amber like the new Omes are my personal favorites.

filling the old screw holes is optional, but save the old tuners and screws since they are new.

He has black, too. Also people use RIT dye and a warm saucepan to take days to get red green blue and purple of the darkness of your choice.

Enjoy the look of a real 4:1 tuner. The hand method is very easy, too. And reversing the bit is really trick.

If I drill the holes out, I clamp the sides of the peghead with a C clamp or similar, after reading of people splitting the ears off the peghead when a bit catches. Better safe than sorry!

Appreciate the advice.

Thanks Helix for the advice on pre-drilling the divots and using white glue!

That’s a great idea to clamp the side of the peghead, probably with felt or blocks, too.

I forgot Peter Tork of the Monkees had the broken peghead throughout his career.
Hope this all helps, please publish photos because you are one of the first to ask from a novice point of view, best regards, there.

No problem I’ll post pics when I’m done.

I'm going to repeat myself: the tuner holes on Gold Tone banjos are drilled standard size, which means the Gotoh set fits without modification. I've gone through five Gold Tones over the years (still have three), they've all been the same. In fact, nearly all have the exact same neck.

The nub on the Gotoh is so small, it barely makes a dent in the thick layer of polyester Gold Tone uses, let alone the wood.

You all are getting the OP excited over nothing. Putting new tuners on a modern Asian-built instrument requires no special tools.

The only issue I can foresee would be fitting the 5th string tuner, since Gold Tone tends to be a bit sloppy there (I've had to shim a couple with toothpicks to get the tuner to hold)

The tuners used on the AC1 are definitely small shaft guitar tuners. Nowhere near the diameter of the Gotoh.

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Originally posted by Jon Borcherding

I tried to order some of that "Patience" stuff, but the shipping time was too long.

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I tells ya, it's enough to make a guy take up procrasting! 

.... oooops ... ^^ procrastinating. [Taking up proof-reading might also be an okay idea.  ]

Im prepared for a smaller hole if needed. Just looking at it, I think these guitar tuners are less than 3/8. My tuners shipped so this will be a weekend project. I’ll post photos.

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Originally posted by slou92

Im prepared for a smaller hole if needed. Just looking at it, I think these guitar tuners are less than 3/8. My tuners shipped so this will be a weekend project. I’ll post photos.

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Do yourself a favor and buy the bit I shared in the first comment here. Do not use a regular 3/8" drill bit with whatever convoluted method has been mentioned here. This bill is way faster, easier, and less like to cause damage than any other method I know.  I have done way too many with a tapered bit and file before finding this drill bit.

The bit is a great tool.

I started with hand work on purpose

> Do not use a regular 3/8" drill bit with whatever convoluted method has been mentioned here <

I still have the convoluted 3/8” bit, with the convoluted masking tape handle, that I used on an old Gumby Goodtime, over 20 years ago. I’ve used it on several more banjos since, and it’s worked perfectly every time. I own a power drill, and a very nice drill press, but knew, from a career as a mechanic, and drilling thousands of holes, that powered was only asking for trouble. Besides, I already had the dit, so the job was free. Doing it by hand might be slower, but I can have it done, the tuners installed, banjo strung and playing… quicker than I could run to Home Depot, and buy something else.

Another vote for using the drill bit in reverse to minimize chip-out.