what to use to lube trem

[joe1962]

I've always been a floating trem guy in the past. If the guitar went out of tune durring heavy trem use I'd just give the bar an upward tug and the guitar would usually come back into tune.

When I got my Drop Top recently it was set up flat and I'm really liking the trem set that way, but my G & B strings come back sharp if I use the bar and I have to actually bend each string to get it back in tune afterward. I know the problem is at the nut but my usual pencil lead fix doesn't seem to do the trick with this setup, so I'm wondering what you guys are using to lube up your trem systems.

Before you ask, the strings are not binding in the nut because of it being too tight, since I don't get any pinging when tuning and you can lift the strings out of the slots without any bind.

[Casper]

Joe, I have been using "Triflow" lube on my nuts (theres a joke here somewhere), since I got my first Andy back in 1992. The website used to recommend it. Its kinda like sewing machine oil with graphite in it. I bought a small 3-4oz bottle at a local bicycle shop and its lasted me for years now. Just run a bead across your nuts (ha) and wipe off the top gently leaving the residue to seek its own level. You may be able to use it on your bridge as well..hope that helps.
Shaun

[tom]

i agree with casper, triflow is the stuff.

[joe1962]

Originally posted by tom
i agree with casper, triflow is the stuff.

Well that will be easy to try. I have a bottle of Tri-Flow in the garage that I use on the chain of my mountain bike. I'm guessing that's the same stuff you're talking about, right?

I'll give it a try when I get home from work tonight. Any advice on the best way to apply it without making a mess?

[tom]

that's the stuff. a small drop on the top of a toothpick er xacto knife works for me.

[Stan Malinowski]

I have had great success with "Big Bends Nut Sauce". It is graphite mixed into a vasoline type base. Comes in an easy to apply dispenser and doesn't run like the Triflow.

[Casper]

Stan, I've heard great things about the nut sauce, especially the disapenser that makes it easy to get to saddle adjustment screws.
While we are on the subject, I use dental floss on the nut slots every so often before the triflow application...just feels like I should do that..crazy I guess.
After seeing Tom's post, I wonder if I'm using too much Triflow??
Like I said, I just squeeze the bottle enough to "run a bead" across the top of the nut and wipe the excess off the top. I use it every time I change strings. Is that too much?

[tom]

casper.. floss... i don't even want to floss my teeth, but my guitar. man you are devoted. seriously... no really...the floss is waxed, so you may be on to something. even the gore super teflon floss is waxed. i don'y think you can over do the triflo if you are wiping it off. it will kill conventional wound strings if you don't wipe it off good. another benefit with elixers, it woun't soak through the coating. i feel like the coating also helps trems stay i tune better, more sliding in the nut slots.

[Casper]

Why thank you Tom. I'm also a car cleaning freak. I started doing the floss thing because I noticed some blackening around my coffee dipped nut on my Classic (finger cheese or dirty triflow)
I don't know if it helps, but it can't be bad. I can practically dive bomb my vintage trem and she pops right back.

While we're on the subject of flossing...I bought the Dunlop 65 kit with the string conditioner, fret board oil and polish ect. I have found that if I use the string cleaner after a gig on the treble side, it makes the elixrs last EVEN longer! I am on a solid month (10 gigs) on my elixrs and am very pleased!
I have to stop myself from using the alcohol-based fretboard cleaner too much. I follow it up with the conditioner....Indian rosewood looks dirty in general. Your thoughts on fretboard cleaning?? Lastly, the GHS guitar polish followed up with the Quick detailer is wicked awesome.
Shaun

[dannopelli]

I was wondering if a graphite nut is available, like on PRS guitars. I realize that bone nuts have more balls, (sorry I just had to do it!) I have quite a bit less trouble with MY PRS staying in tune. I too like to have a floater, (Sorry again but I just could not resist!)

I know Elixers will help, but I really do not care for them. Have been a Dadarrio guy for years. I can change strings in less than 10 minutes and I have six different style tuners on my various guitars.

Anyone know where to get the Nut Sauce? I have someTriflow in the garage, but the Nut Sauce will fit better in my gig bag.

THANKS IN ADVANCE

[Casper]

Hey Buddy-
My bottle of triflow is 3" tall, you must have the can? There used to be a bike shop up in bonair that carried the little plastic bottles, otherwise check the steward macdonald website for nutsauce..
L8R

[joe1962]

You can get the nut sauce direct from:

http://www.guitaristonly.com/

It's pricey but I've been told by a couple of friends who use it that it works better than anything they've tried. I imagine a tube will last quite a while. I ordered a tube to try that should be here any day, so I'll post my findings after I give it a try. My Drop Top stays in tune pretty well but if I do any dive bombing of the trem the G and B strings still come back a little sharp. Bending those strings puts them back in tune. I can deal with that if I have to but if the nut sauce helps then all the better.

[dannopelli]

Originally posted by Casper
Hey Buddy-
My bottle of triflow is 3" tall, you must have the can? There used to be a bike shop up in bonair that carried the little plastic bottles, otherwise check the steward macdonald website for nutsauce..
L8R

Back in my skinny days, when I lived five minutes from the beach in Ft Lauderdale I used to ride my bike on Saturday and Sunday mornings about 50 miles each day. About 25-35 on weekdays. When you do 100-200 miles a week on a bike you go through a lot of lube, cleaners, etc, especially in a humid, salty area like FL.

Of course now I am the round mound of fun! Have not been on the bike in 18 months!

I guess i could just go to a beauty supply store or something like that and get a small appicator bottle?

[Scott Peterson]

Just another vote -strongly- in favor of Big Bends Nut Sauce; the stuff works and lasts a very long time per application. Only need a touch of it to work; and it does work. Highly recommended.

[joe1962]

My Nut Sauce came in the mail today (where else but here would that make sense <g>). I've got a gig tonight and I'll be using my Drop Top so I'll get to see how well the Nut Sauce works.

[joe1962]

I put the Nut Sauce on my Drop Top before my gig Friday night. I intentionally did a few radical trem moves durring the first set to see what would happen. I never noticed the guitar being out of tune afterward, and between sets I checked the tuner and all was well. With the graphite or oil I used before the trem would stay in pretty well, but the G and B would come back a little sharp, so I figure the Nut Sauce is what made the difference. I'll see what happens after I use it for a while but my initial reaction is that the stuff works as promised. I especially like the applicator as it makes it easy to apply a small amount of the lube without making a mess.

[Gary F.]

Just jumped over to the nutsauce site and ordred some (kinda expensive for such a small container, no?). I'm glad you brought the binding nut issue up, Joe. i use my trem a lot and it can get exasperating sometimes. Pencil lead sometimes helps, sometimes it doesn't. Hope this stuff is some kind of 'permanent' solution.

[Scott Peterson]

Originally posted by Gary F.
Just jumped over to the nutsauce site and ordred some (kinda expensive for such a small container, no?). I'm glad you brought the binding nut issue up, Joe. i use my trem a lot and it can get exasperating sometimes. Pencil lead sometimes helps, sometimes it doesn't. Hope this stuff is some kind of 'permanent' solution.

It does seem expensive I agree; but it lasts forever because you use so little of it every time. Way over one year and I have a few guitars I keep setup correctly. :D

[Stan Malinowski]

I have to agree 100% with Scott, in fact Scott was the one who brought Nut Sauce to my attention back on the old PRS Forum. It may seem expensive but a tube will last a LONG time. The viscosity of the sauce makes application much neater than using liquid lubs like Triflow.

[andersonguy]

I'll check out the sauce some time, I have had great luck with the tri-flow though. Dives, bends, what ever I through at my andys they always come back in tune. Only problem is if I break one string and forget to use it, I get the telltale ping. I am a heavy trem user, for rythem and lead, not crazy but frequent.
I should mention that I do not have my bridge floating.;)

AG

[Gary F.]

I received my nut sauce in the mail last week (hope my girlfriend's not reading, she wouldn't understand:) , and it does work really well. Notes and chords come up back in tune after whammying. I'm also using it at the contact point of the saddles on my e & b strings. We'll see if it eliminates some string breakage issues i'm having there on my DTC.

I will also check out the tri-flow, it seems to be a lot less expensive and certainly has it's advocates on the forum.

Gary

[joe1962]

Update: I've been using the nut sauce on a couple of my guitars now for 2 weeks. So far it seems to stay put and last longer than straight graphite or Tri-Flow, especially on string trees. It's not as messy to apply as oil or graphite either. I even changed strings on both guitars once now, and didn't even have to reapply to the new strings. I've started putting it on all my guitars now, as it helps even the non-trem guitars to tune up more accurately (no drag across the nut). I have to say it's the best thing I've found to lube my nuts. :)