tuner lubrication question

[John-P]

I am wondering if string bass tuners need to be lubricated. Mine tend to be pretty creaky, especially the E and A tuners. They function fine; they're just noisy. Is that normal or should I be lubricating them with something?

[bigolbassguy]

What kind of tuners are they?

[Cody Sisk]

I assume you have Rubner Tyroleans on that Christopher. You can use some 3-in-1 machine oil on those.

[bassteban]

I have used bicycle chain wax- a for the most part *dry* lube- w/good results & the blessing of a luthier friend.

[John-P]

Yes, the bass is a laminated Christopher, around 8 yrs old. I don't think the tuners have been upgraded. I don't see any identification on them. I can tell you they are 4 individual tuners, as opposed to an integrated pair on each side.

[JtheJazzMan]

Is it creaky where the metal pegs go through the wood of the pegbox?

I use graphite powder, though its best to do it when you have no strings on to be able to turn the tuners a full 360 degrees and work the powder into the gap between the metal and wood. Works wonders.

[davpal]

First determine what's squeaking - if it's the peg in the pegbox then lubing the gears with oil won't help and if it's the gears, lubing the pegs won't do anything to stop it. It probably wouldn't hurt if you sparingly treat both of those areas.
I've never thought about the friction of the pegs in the box but now I'm thinking of how & when I should attend to this!

[Jake deVilliers]

Originally Posted by davpal

First determine what's squeaking - if it's the peg in the pegbox then lubing the gears with oil won't help and if it's the gears, lubing the pegs won't do anything to stop it. It probably wouldn't hurt if you sparingly treat both of those areas.
I've never thought about the friction of the pegs in the box but now I'm thinking of how & when I should attend to this!

Paraffin wax is great for quieting creaky hatpegs and makes
them nice and smooth.

I use Chapstick on the ring gear.

[MR PC]

Chapstick is for lips.

[tstone]

Originally Posted by bassteban

I have used bicycle chain wax- a for the most part *dry* lube- w/good results & the blessing of a luthier friend.

I have been using a thin layer of white lithium grease, but it attracts dirt like crazy. I picked up a bottle of this stuff...

http://www.amazon.com/Finish-Line-Bi...7443925&sr=8-3

...at the local bike shop. It's kind of a pain to apply, because it's very thin and runny before it dries. I put the bass on its side and applied the lube with a small artist's brush. Tuners are now very smooth, with no sticking or creaking. The wax lube is invisible, very clean, and even smells good! So thanks for that tip, bassteban.

[John-P]

Thanks, folks. Good tips. Although I can't tell for sure, I suspect the creaking may very well be coming from the friction between the peg and the wooden peg box. I think I will address that first and see what happens.