Bass guitar tuners by nature are large and get the job done they’re supposed to do. But is periodic maintenance required that would involve lubrication?
Answer: It shouldn’t be required as long as the tuner is good (such as Hipshot as shown above,) and the tension is set up to your preference.
An exposed gear is not a bad thing on a bass tuner
Some see bass guitar tuners with exposed gears and think, “that must be bad.” It isn’t bad simply for the reason a bass tuner gear is large. While smaller gears can get gummed up easily, larger gears with larger teeth can be cleaned out easily.
The larger exposed bass gear can usually have any gunk removed simply by blowing it out with compressed air. On your next string change, grab an air compressor or a can of compressed air, turn the gear through a full revolution or two and just blow out any gunk you see in there, if any.
When would one lubricate a bass tuner gear (if ever)?
To note, you should not have to lubricate the tuner gear. But if you feel you have to, there are pretty much only two instances where it might be necessary.
Scenario 1: On a brand new gear that hasn’t been broken in yet (and the vast majority of the time, you should not have to lubricate a new gear.)
Scenario 2: On a really old gear that hasn’t been used in a long time.
In both scenarios, the best stuff to use is a very light application of Vaseline.
Why Vaseline?
The first reason is because it’s clear and will not stain a headstock.
The second reason is that excess can be wiped off easily, again without wood damage.
The third reason is that you can actually load Vaseline into a syringe and use that as a miniature grease gun of sorts. While it may sound odd to do that, it does allow for a much more precise application, and it’s certainly better than using a cotton swab (which by the way leaves little tiny cotton fibers in the gear that aren’t easy to get out.)
You should not have to lubricate a bass tuner gear. But if you feel that you should, now you know how.
On a final note, lubricated bass gears do not necessarily increase tuning stability. If you have a gear that is slipping where your string goes out-of-tune often enough to where it annoys you, lubrication doesn’t fix that. For string slip issues, the fix is a replacement set of quality tuners.
Once a year I lub all my basses tuners. A moving part occasionally needs some lub! I used a silicone lubricating stick, wipe the gears with it and wipe off the excess. Use the string winder to turn the gear around several times and again wipe off excess lub. In a pinch I’ve just plain chapstick in a tube…works great!
Craig
Myself i use graphite from a pencil, just draw it on like i do my nut and bridge.
I HAVE ALWAYS USED A 3 IN 1 OIL OR OTHER PENETRATING OILS TO LUBE GUITAR/BASS GEARS. THERE IS NO STAINING WITH THESE OILS BECAUSE YOU CAN WIPE THEM DOWN AT THE LUBE TIME. THIS INFORMATION IS FROM A MAINTAINENCE MANUAL FROM THE ’70S. WORKS AS WELL IF NOT BETTER. ANY TYPE OF A GREASY PRODUCT WILL ATTRACT LINT AND DUST INTO THE GREASY AFTERMATTER. FOOD FOR THOUGHT MY BRO.
I use a VERY small quantity of sewing machine oil every other year.