LUBRICATION

Robin

If there is ONE major tip i can give to beginners, and "maybe" even to the pro's...it's LUBRICATION!
I've noticed over the years that a lot of people can't get their Electric Guitar's "tuned" in properly. I even bought those special "slippery" (can't remember the name) saddles as well as nuts, but still had the occasional "out-of-tune" experience. There were times i thought i had a f-ed up guitar, then i found my solution...Lubricate your saddles AND nut, and don't be surprised if ALL failures seems to have "disappeared". I use a special type of lube called WinFlon...it's made of PTFE (Polytetraflouroethylene) and brother, after using THIS stuff, the guitar stays in tune no matter HOW hard you "Whammy" it.
Always "lube" just before a session, or at least twice a week (depends on preference)...you just need to clean it after lubrication with a bit of tissue or toilet paper or the like. I usely dont take off ALL the lube...i just "dwab" it a little with toilet paper ?

NorioDS

BWOHAHHAHAHAHAHAH! Taking some of your post out of context, it sounds downright dirty ?

NorioDS

Robin wrote:If there is ONE major tip i can give to beginners, and "maybe" even to the pro's...it's LUBRICATION!

Robin wrote:There were times i thought i had a f-ed up *censored*, then i found my solution...Lubricate your *censored* AND nut, and don't be surprised if ALL failures seems to have "disappeared". I use a special type of lube called WinFlon...it's made of PTFE (Polytetraflouroethylene) and brother, after using THIS stuff, the *censored* stays in no matter HOW hard you "Whammy" it.
Always "lube" just before a session, or at least twice a week (depends on preference)...you just need to clean it after lubrication with a bit of tissue or toilet paper or the like. I usely dont take off ALL the lube...i just "dwab" it a little with toilet paper ?

Robin

Hey Norio...you dirty mother ?
Lol...After your comment, i must admit, i DID hose myself after reading this...Well, should i re-phrase and say it has DUAL benefits??..lol

Renesongs

Lubricate your saddles AND nuts,

I take it you are talking about horse riding here?

THIS stuff, the *censored* stays in no matter HOW hard you "Whammy" it.

Or maybe not?
Norio great minds think alike but perverts seldom differ

I even bought those special "slippery" (can't remember the name) saddles as well as nuts

Graphteck ? I use them they work for me they are self lubricating provided they are properly warmed up. (Norio say nothing) ?

NorioDS

Renesongs wrote:Graphteck ? I use them they work for me they are self lubricating provided they are properly warmed up. (Norio say nothing) ?

Teeheehee

[me=Norio]contains himself. Barely.[/me]

AlanRatcliffe

Just a few tech points:

- Graph Tech nuts and saddles contain Teflon.
- PTFE is Teflon. Teflon is just DuPont's trade name for PTFE.
- If you had a Graph Tech nut that was binding, it simply wasn't cut properly by the tech.

I'm not 100% sure, but liquid PTFE could be as problematic as silicon oil as far as refinishing, gluing, lifting finishes and all the other wood specific problems that substance is known and hated for. I do know from DuPont's tech sheet for Teflon, silicon oil is one of the most popular substrates used to suspend PTFE, so many lubricants will definitely cause problems.

In short - don't get the stuff anywhere close to a guitar.

Robin

Yep...The saddles and nuts have ptfe in them. I have a Fender Strat and can tell you 1 thing...This baby is a b!tch to tune. I have been using the Liquid now for about 2 years...works everytime, but note...I apply it ONLY to the saddles/nut...doesnt come close to the wood

FenderBender

Yeah lubes can help and hinder one! (Take note Norrie!)

I have an Arcam CD player (6k in 1995) with a failed pinion gear on the tray loading system because the manufacturer used silicone based instead of mineral based lube. The problem was epidemic and the gear itself is hard to find now. Might end up having to have a custom one turned out.

Robin

Where other lube's attract dust and stuff, WynFlon is the opposite. This is the main reason for using WynFlon --->
1) micron size PTFE particles that acts like small bearings to reduce friction;
2) forms a protective layer that REPELS dirt and abrasives;
3) displace moisture.

AlanRatcliffe

Robin wrote: I have a Fender Strat and can tell you 1 thing...This baby is a b!tch to tune.

If there's nothing wrong with crucial bits like tuning machines, it's all down to setup. If my guitars go out of tune, I know it's time to change strings. The Graph Tech stuff is as slippery as it gets and the PTFE is bonded to the boron polytrinate polymer, so adding another form of PTFE is overkill or compensating for another problem (like a badly cut nut).

String trees are a big problem area - get Graph Tech string trees (you only need one, but they're sold in sets of two and are pretty cheap). Otherwise use staggered locking tuners and get rid of the trees altogether.

I apply it ONLY to the saddles/nut...doesnt come close to the wood

I'd be willing to bet it does. Your fingers pick it up and distribute it everywhere.

Robin

Yeah i'm sure it will get in contact with the wood, but to damage it? I'm not a Luthier or anything but i'm sure it'll take years to damage IF it does though, as my guitar also has a fine lining of "coating" over it (as most guitars have).

Btw Allan, while we're on the subject...What will you charge to make me a decent nut(those slippery nuts), for my Fender? It's a Standard Strat...Here are the full specs ---> http://www.samedaymusic.com/product--FEN146002

AlanRatcliffe

It gets everywhere, and penetrates like crazy - through screw holes, finish checking or cracks, nut slot. If it does get under a finish, the finish starts lifting and you can't refinish contaminated wood. If it gets into a nut slot, gluing a new nut in is a problem. If you have a rosewood fingerboard, it penetrates and tends too pool in fret slots - making frets pop up and refrets impossible. It's also resistant to solvents, so you can't clean it off. I think by now I'm beginning to give away that I don't like the stuff much...

I don't do repairs anymore, but in CT Foster vd Merwe does good work.

Robin

Mmm...Ok...I catch your drift. I think the f-up came when I had to "groove" the nut ( i got brand new nuts from a luthier in PTA ), but with MY "Craftment skills", you can just immagine...At the end (as a last resort) i used the lube that at least worked, but like you say, on the long-run it coud f-up the guitar...pitty 2 hear THAT though ☹

I still have one 100% "slippery"-nut left without grooves...thing is, i dont want to stuff that up as well...and the chances of me getting to CT is like NEVER as i stay in Natal.

AlanRatcliffe

Cutting a nut is a bit of an art - best done by a pro. Isn't there anyone around in Natal?

Wessel

Alan Ratcliffe wrote: It gets everywhere, and penetrates like crazy

Are you talking About Jacob Zuma ?

FenderBender

Bwahahaha!

NorioDS

Graeme Parfett wrote: Bwahahaha!

Yeah! Brilliant one Wess!

Malkav

Okay seeing as we're on the topic, I have two Edge Pro equipped guitars (floyd rose basically) and I was wondering if there was any form of lubricant you could use to help the knife edges last longer that won't damage the guitar as one of them has an original LO-pro and will be impossible to replace.

Also I know Joe Satriani swears by a product called Nut-sauce but i don't know who makes it or where you could get some from but I figure it would be okay for the connection between saddle/nut to string

Vintage-Vibe

Speak to Alan - he gave me the site 4 NS the other day but I lost it somewhere around here ...