Nut lube at Home Depot?

If your strings are sticking in the nut, the slot in the nut may be a little too narrow. So, a little work with a nut file (or even very fine sandpaper) may be in order. The idea is to make the slot wider without making it any deeper, of course.

I have never used commercial nut lubes. A little bit of graphite makes a pretty good lube--just rub the point of a pencil in the slot. In general, you don't use silicone-based products in guitar work, because if it gets on the finish, it can make future finish repairs more difficult--the silicone is nearly impossible to remove.

Ed

 

What Ed said - a pencil.

The other problem with silicone also is that it attracts dirt like crazy,

 

I like to lube my nuts at home with a pencil.

 

Or, get a little tube of powdered graphite at a "home improvement" store. It'll probably be around the locks. I got a tube about 15 years ago and I'll never have to buy more, and I use a touch every time I restring the 4-string basses ('cause they have Hipshots on 'em).

jte

 

Just be sure not to throw it on your gig bag and forget about it. I had a tube open up on me. What a freakin' mess. I had to throw out some stuff get a new gig bag.

 

Be sure not to use the sharpened ones for that. Use the pencils from the B-E-A-D ATK. But you knew that.

 

Me too! I'd show the OP my special nut-lubing technique, but it makes me uncomfortable when people watch.

 

I break off a piece of candle wax and rub it in the slots a lot of the time. The nuts need re-lubing more often, but I like the feel and how it works.

 

Sounds painful!

 

Good advice.

The stuff in music stores is called "Nut Sauce"! Just don't get the Habinero one!

 

TEFLON powder that can be bought at a crafts store is what I've used on Brass Nuts for about 25 years and I still have the one and only one I've ever purchased....

Very clean! Possibly a TEFLON type of spray would work...