Vintage Kluson Maintenance

[schecterplayer]

I just picked up an old Gibson flat top, and although the tuners work, they are a bit stiff and bind up occasionally. What is the best way to fix a set of these? They obviously need to be cleaned and lubricated but I'm not sure what products to use and how to go about it. Any advice would be awesome.

 

[Bludave]

Re: Vintage Kluson Maintenance

If the are closed backed Klusons there should be an oil hole in the back. Very carefully I would spray a bit of WD40 in there and then work the tuners until they smooth out. If you have a drill you can put the tuner thing on it & work it this way. Someone may have loaded the tuners up with grease & over time the grease has collected a lot of dirt. WD40 was first & cleaner before it was a lube, so it should help. DON'T USE TOO MUCH OR IT WILL RUN ALL OVER THE HEADSTOCK. One or two drops or a short spray should be all it needs. If it doesn't get any better then there could be a bad gear or a bent shaft that the gear sits on. Worse case is you may have to replace them with "New" vintage style tuners, but that should be a last resort. You should be able to get these working nice & smooth.

 

[schecterplayer]

Re: Vintage Kluson Maintenance

Once I get it clean with the WD40, should I lubricate it with something? I've seen people recommend teflon lubricant like TriFlow or something similar.