BEST lube for brass nut ?

G

Gary1983

New member
Hello everyone :)
Few days ago I took my Dean VMNT to luthier for frets correction and for new nut. Now I can set ultra low action and the new brass nut is amazing ! Much more sustain on open notes and the low end is now punchy as hell.
I play very aggresively , with lots of vibrato , pinch harmonics like Zakk and I hit strings rather hard. Due to this, strings can sometime bind in the nut and hold the shaper pitch. I didn't hear any "ping" noise from the nut. I know the nut is made properly , strings are slipping through the grooves with easiness so I guess I need good lube for my nut. Currently , I've tried WD40 (I sprayed needle , and carefully slip it through the groove) and it works but I don't know it's good idea.

Any thoughts ?
 
Re: BEST lube for brass nut ?

You just paid to have someone replace the nut and it is binding. Personally, I'd take it back and have them do it right.
 
Re: BEST lube for brass nut ?

The main drawback of a brass nut is they don't last no time.. That's why Gibson dropped that zero fret crap, it went over like a fart in church..
I'd say any kind of moly or lithium that will stay in place will lube it just fine and a drop of that stuff goes a long way and will help minimize the wear of the brass nut..
With heavy bending and vibrato they don't last very long, thats why they never lasted and you see bone, graphite and other synthetics used today..
 
Re: BEST lube for brass nut ?

Big_Bends_Lil_Luber_04.jpg


Great stuff :bigthumb:
 
Re: BEST lube for brass nut ?

Take a pencil, shave up some graphite, and mix it with vaseline. Use a toothpick, apply liberally at every contact point, put the strings back on and wipe.

And no, if it isn't holding tune and it used to before, then evidently the nut isn't "made properly". Take it back!
 
Re: BEST lube for brass nut ?

Ok thank you guys :)
I'm not a expert or anyone but well ... brass is metal , strings are metal so there must be some lubrication to smooth the friction. I mean hmmm ... just look at the engines, machines etc , these things are oiled and so on to make things work like a breeze.
I'm gonna try this nut sauce and things you guys recommended.

About brass nuts ... I like them. My Gibson Explorer also has one and it's just different guitar. I mean , it sound different , better to my ears.
I don't know if they will last forever , but ... I suspect the brass is bit harder than bone ?
 
Re: BEST lube for brass nut ?

Brass is really soft, so eventually that will need replacement, too. I use graphite powder mixed with a touch of Vaseline. I use real graphite powder, as pencil 'lead' also contains clay, which counteracts the graphite. Nut Sauce is good, too, but expensive (silicone and Vaseline?).
 
Re: BEST lube for brass nut ?

As far as I know , the material used on my both nuts (Gibson Explorer and Dean VMNT) is solid brass 360.
 
Re: BEST lube for brass nut ?

Gary1983 said:
Ok thank you guys :)
I'm not a expert or anyone but well ... brass is metal , strings are metal so there must be some lubrication to smooth the friction. I mean hmmm ... just look at the engines, machines etc , these things are oiled and so on to make things work like a breeze.
I'm gonna try this nut sauce and things you guys recommended.

About brass nuts ... I like them. My Gibson Explorer also has one and it's just different guitar. I mean , it sound different , better to my ears.
I don't know if they will last forever , but ... I suspect the brass is bit harder than bone ?
Click to expand...

You would suspect wrong, brass is the softest of metals and is very malleable wears quickly which is why it is used in bearing surfaces to mate metals together, it's designed as a wear point and it very prone to friction wearing it out prematurely.. Bone and synthetics wear much much longer than brass does..
 
Re: BEST lube for brass nut ?

Shooter.556 - oh , thanks for calrifying things :) I suspected that brass is harder than a bone because my buddy has old Fender Jazz Bass or Pecision ( I can't remember) with brass nut , for about 15 years. With no signs of wear or something. The same brass nut for all 15 years. And he play this guitar a lot.

Update - few momments ago I bought tube of something called "Techincal Vaseline" and problem solved ! Zero binding :)
 
Last edited:
Re: BEST lube for brass nut ?

Phantasmagoria said:
Big_Bends_Lil_Luber_04.jpg


Great stuff :bigthumb:
Click to expand...

Mincer said:
Brass is really soft, so eventually that will need replacement, too. I use graphite powder mixed with a touch of Vaseline. I use real graphite powder, as pencil 'lead' also contains clay, which counteracts the graphite. Nut Sauce is good, too, but expensive (silicone and Vaseline?).
Click to expand...

If you like Big Bends, go to a decent hardware store and look for PTFE (powdered Teflon) gel lubricant. It's literally the same thing and costs about 1/10 as much.
 
Re: BEST lube for brass nut ?

If the strings slip then the nut seems to be not cut low enough. Why else would the strings do that? I personally never do any lubrication to the nut and never experience this issue.

You should teach me how to do pinch harmonics with open strings.
 
Re: BEST lube for brass nut ?

It's not that they slip..they (wound strings) catch momentarily at the front edge of the nut after bending etc. Causes tuning issues. Since brass nuts often have sharper/less rounded edges...they're more prone to this a happening..

As for pinch harmonics with open strings, just pinch them the same as you would with a fretted note....easy :D
 
Re: BEST lube for brass nut ?

Actually I was referring to the pinch harmonic Zakk Wylde style like he says; like in 'No More Tears'. I wonder how he does the vibrato with open strings, by rocking the body maybe?
 
Re: BEST lube for brass nut ?

Don't know which specific pinch harmonic you're talking about (he does a LOT of them :lmao:). But yeah he might just be shaking the guitar..or pressing a string behind the bridge/nut..
 
Re: BEST lube for brass nut ?

Mincer said:
Brass is really soft, so eventually that will need replacement, too. I use graphite powder mixed with a touch of Vaseline. I use real graphite powder, as pencil 'lead' also contains clay, which counteracts the graphite. Nut Sauce is good, too, but expensive (silicone and Vaseline?).
Click to expand...

soft? the one I had, I spent one evening sanding and grinding and filing just to make it fit in the slot and make its base radiused. Definitely harder than any nut I had.
 
Re: BEST lube for brass nut ?

Yeah, I'll be honest...my YJM strat's nut seems very hard. I hit my strings like a deranged lunatic and not the slightest sign of wear. It's also cut & shaped/rounded so well that I have no tuning problems at all..with or without the nut sauce lol.
 
Re: BEST lube for brass nut ?

Well, what I mean is, the brass is a softer metal. It won't be softer than plastic or bone or TUSQ or a graphite nut, but it is softer than some strings' metal. I don't particularly like a brass nut, but I know many who do. I wouldn't mind a well-cut titanium or stainless nut or zero fret, either.
 
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