I’d just buy some Gotoh tuners from Bob Smakula for the banjo you’re working on and leave the Sierra alone. But I’m of the “if it ain’t broke don’t fix it” camp. You may take a different approach to things.

As long as the shafts work in the existing holes it’s an easy swap. But Bob can also help you with figuring that out.

>>I’d just buy some Gotoh tuners from Bob Smakula for the banjo you’re working on and leave the Sierra alone.<<

Me too. Making changes to two banjos when only one has a problem. I have had a Sierra for a year now and don't have any problem with the tuners that came on it. They work as well as any banjo tuners I have ever had on more banjos than I care to admit to.

Bobby

One reason to replace the cheap tuners that come with a lot of lower-end banjos is that the plastic buttons they use are really fragile and start to split after a while.

I wish there were locking tuners for banjos - that was the first mod I'd do to any guitar (I liked the Grover minis for that). If only because they make restringing so much easier. Eventually I switched to headless guitars - even easier!

I can see where, with all the retuning required for banjos, locking tuners aren't a great option.

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Originally posted by kayakeradam

My main banjo is a Deering Sierra, pretty much all stock. I had the idea that it might be nice to upgrade the tuners in the Sierra and use the perfectly-fine Deering tuners in the project banjo.

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Depending on the age of your Sierra, the tuners might be Gotoh, which Deering has been using for a while. So perhaps you might write to Deering, give them your serial number (which includes the manufacture date), and ask what the tuners are.

Under the 5th string tuner may tell what brand ?

I recently ordered a set of Gotoh planitaries from Smakula, for my old Goodtime, for whenever I feel like drilling out the holes. I’ve done several tuner replacements on fix up banjos, and it’s pretty easy. I had ordered the nicer perloid knobs with the new tuners… and like them much better (kind of an antique vibe) than the stock tuner knobs on my 2013 Sierra, so I swapped out just the knobs. Perfect fit. Even though the Deering tuners say Deering on them, other than that they are identical to the Gotahs. It also appears that my 2006 Sierra uses the identical Deering/Gotah tuners. I could be wrong, but I believe that Deering uses the same tuners from the Sierra all the way to their top of the line models, so they aren't cheapos. I've never had a lick of trouble with one in over 23 years. 

I've had 2 Deerings over the last 25 years and never had a problem with their tuners.

Rick

"Not holding a tune for very long" is (in my experience) very seldom due to tuners being worn out.

Some of the more likely causes: Strings binding in the nut slots, bridge sliding laterally on the head, head too loose, too many turns of string around the tuner shaft, tuner tension screw too loose, worn or missing friction washer, tuner not mounted securely, neck loose on rim.

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Originally posted by Dan Gellert

"Not holding a tune for very long" is (in my experience) very seldom due to tuners being worn out.

Some of the more likely causes: Strings binding in the nut slots, bridge sliding laterally on the head, head too loose, too many turns of string around the tuner shaft, tuner tension screw too loose, worn or missing friction washer, tuner not mounted securely, neck loose on rim.

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