|  | 
12-04-2009, 11:06 PM
| | | | Lubing or oiling up Hipshot Ultralite tuners. How?
Sign in to disble this ad
Did some searching, found nothing. Not on Google either. I have two basses with Hipshot UL tuners, the kind with the exposed gear on the back side. They look cool, but they are nowhere near as silky smooth as my Cirrus' Gotoh tuners. 10+ years on, the Gotoh's are so smooth it feels like new. But my Hipshots are notchy, grabby. Kind of a pain. They are not cheap tuners, so I would expect them to be smooth too.
Is there any benefit to dripping some type of oil in there? I'm a mountain biker, and have tons of lightweight lubes available. But I don't want to go messing things up if I'm not supposed to.
Thoughts?
__________________
Peavey US Millennium Plus 5 X 2 | Ampeg PF-500 | TC BC212 Cabinet
|
12-04-2009, 11:36 PM
|  | OVNIFX
EXAR pedals rep for North & Central America | | Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: PDX, OR | | | I would use a tenacious non-drippy grease such as used in a headset or other bearing pack. Just a dab in each. |
12-05-2009, 06:28 AM
| | Registered User | | Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: North Central Missouri | | | I used Zebco fishing reel grease on some old Shaller's recently. Seems to work fine and it hasn't run yet. I suppose it could collect dust or grit though. Wouldn't try it on a new set. |
12-05-2009, 09:45 AM
| | Banned | | Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: New York City | | | As a cyclist I too have a closet full of various greases & lubes...agree w/ bongomania that something like Phil Woods or Park grease would probably be fine.
The trick is getting it into the right location: I'm not so sure the issue is where the peg & post gear teeth engage, but rather where the peg meets the frame that holds the tuner to the headstock.
But fwiw, my guitar tech (oops, sorry, I mean my bass tech) uses a homemade mixture of Vaseline and Liquid Wrench for all lubing duties. He squirts a blob of that goo on all my truss rod threads before doing a setup. Not sure what proportions he uses, but it's still in a pretty thick, jelly-like consistency. |
12-05-2009, 09:55 AM
|  | that video LIES | | Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: Northern California | | | I've not tried this, but I wonder if chain wax might be nice for this- dry, non-dust-attracting, stays in place(as opposed to potentially dripping onto unwanted areas). Two of my DB's tuners are a bit sticky; I may try the wax on them.
__________________ Quote:
Originally Posted by Fat Albert  He who throws mud only loses ground. | |
12-05-2009, 10:13 AM
| | | Quote:
Originally Posted by synterx Did some searching, found nothing. Not on Google either. I have two basses with Hipshot UL tuners, the kind with the exposed gear on the back side. They look cool, but they are nowhere near as silky smooth as my Cirrus' Gotoh tuners. 10+ years on, the Gotoh's are so smooth it feels like new. But my Hipshots are notchy, grabby. Kind of a pain. They are not cheap tuners, so I would expect them to be smooth too.
Is there any benefit to dripping some type of oil in there? I'm a mountain biker, and have tons of lightweight lubes available. But I don't want to go messing things up if I'm not supposed to.
Thoughts? | These tuners do not require lubrication. If they feel "notchy", it is likely that the screw that holds the gear to the body is socked down tightly. Back it out and reinstall it.
For those who remain unconvinced:
Dripping oil is a bad idea. The oil tends to find it's way into the tuner hole. It will soak into the exposed grain of the headstock. That will cause the wood to swell and tighten around the tuner shaft. If you think the tuners are stiff now, just wait. Same goes for a nylon bushing between the gear and the plate.
Bicycle greases, white lithium, gun greases, and the like stay in place. That eliminates the first problem. On the other hand, they generally attract dust, dirt, and other abrasive particles. While there may be a short term gain in a smooth feeling tuner eventually there will be wear and the machine will no longer function at top performance.
Dry lubes are the way to go, if you must go. The caveat here is to read the contents carefully. Silicone is not welcome on guitars or in the shop. It transfers to everything it looks at and contaminates it. It spoils most efforts to refinish. If it has silicone, leave it on the shelf.
__________________
Primum non nocere.
|
12-05-2009, 10:22 AM
| | Registered User | | Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Southern California | | | Locksmiths use a dry, powdered graphite lubricant that doesn't drip or gum things up.
__________________
I feel more like I do now than I did an hour ago.
|
12-05-2009, 01:53 PM
|  | Registered User | | Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: Fort Collins, Colorado | | | GRAPHITE. If you must use something, that's the only lube I know of that doesn't end up getting sticky and attracting dust and grit.
You can buy it as a dust, or in solution in small applicator tubes. Use sparingly and wipe off any extra.
NO silicone, oil, grease, peanut butter, personal lube, 90-weight, 10/40, paraffin, pomade or Brylcream. Only graphite.
__________________
"...awesome as a monkey wearing a tuxedo made of bacon, riding on a unicorn!'"
|
12-05-2009, 01:59 PM
| | | | Graphite is the way to go. You can pick up a small tube of it at Home Depot, or any place that makes Keys. Great for door locks too...... |
12-05-2009, 02:25 PM
| | Registered User | | Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: D'Shaw | | | I've used Hipshot Ultralights since they first became available. They've never required any lube whatsoever and are still smathooooth.
__________________
"It's a Crapshoot." The timbre is in the timber. It's a poor craftsman that blames his tools.
| | Thread Tools | Search this Thread | | | | 
Posting Rules
| You may not post new threads You may not post replies You may not post attachments You may not edit your posts
HTML code is On | | | |
