This is my first banjo purchase - I have played mandolin for many years as well as mandola - but I heard Eamonn Coyne play Irish Tenor Banjo in Edinburgh recently and was smitten.

I bought this 1922 Windsor Popular M1 model on Ebay and it is superb; the neck is straight and the action is only 4mm above the frets at the 15th fret.

However, it seems impossible to keep this in tune with the ungeared friction tuners which it has had since new in 1922. is there any way to modify or improve playability - by installing more modern 'planetary' tuners for example.

I bought a cheap 'countryman' tenor banjo as well, and even though it was a fraction of the price of the Windsor, it stays in tune and plays beautifully. Any advice deeply appreciated.