Best slide lube for close tolerances?

[Bach5G]

Maybe my Yam bass is too well built. Best slide lube for close tolerances?

[BGuttman]

Look into the silicone oils: Slide-O-Mix, Rapid Comfort, UltraPure, and especially Yamaha.

[Bach5G]

Thx Bruce.

[WilliamLang]

definitely silicone oils, i'd be personally surprised if yamaha doesn't work the best, in my humble opinion.

good luck!

[sporto]

Yamaha!

[Vegasbound]

I prefer Yamaha

[Bach5G]

Maybe I just need a new bottle of Yamaha.

[Posaunus]

I only use Yamaha slide lube on my 2003 Yamaha YBL-421G bass. Don't know about close tolerances, but the slide is fantastic. This is a happy marriage!

[just don't expose your lubricant to high temperatures – it will deteriorate. ]

[GabrielRice]

You probably do need a new bottle of Yamaha. Slides with close tolerances also have less margin for error, so if it's dirty or there's anything off about the alignment you will feel it immediately.

I have actually ditched the Yamaha stuff after about 15 years. I've been using just Trombotine + water lately - on my close tolerance Shires slides. The key is to put a fairly generous amount onto the stockings and work it onto the insides of the outer tubes multiple times, wiping off the inners in between.

[harrisonreed]

If you use Yamaha stuff, shake the crap out of it each time you use it!

[Geordie]

If you use Yamaha stuff, shake the crap out of it each time you use it!

Which got me wondering ... Do these various lubes ever lose/diminish their lubricating characteristics if kept at room temperature over time?

[harrisonreed]

If you use Yamaha stuff, shake the crap out of it each time you use it!

Which got me wondering ... Do these various lubes ever lose/diminish their lubricating characteristics if kept at room temperature over time?

Yamaha seems to lose its goodness if keep in a really hot or really cold car.

[JohnL]

Yamaha seems to lose its goodness if keep in a really hot or really cold car.

Not sure about cold, but heat certainly causes problems.

[Geordie]

Yamaha seems to lose its goodness if keep in a really hot or really cold car.

Not sure about cold, but heat certainly causes problems.

Yes, I’ve noticed the impact of extreme heat. I was trying to ask if, assuming they are kept at reasonable temperatures, these lubes ever expire/go off after a while so they are no longer useful.

[BGuttman]

I doubt they would last for storage over decades, but I wouldn't worry over the course of a year or two.

[harrisonreed]

I was trying to say that if you don't shake it like crazy every time you use it, the first few times will be absolutely beyond amazing, and then after a while, you'll have used all the goodness up and all that's left is like soap.

[tbonesullivan]

I know that Edwards has very close tolerances in their slides, and they recommend trombotine.

My Yamaha bass loves super slick. The trick is to never use too much. If you can see the super slick on the inner slide after application, that's too much.

[bassclef]

Yamaha seems to lose its goodness if keep in a really hot or really cold car.

I haven't experienced any ill effects from cold, but hot - definitely.

You may already know this trick, but if your bottle ever does separate from being in a hot car - put it in the fridge overnight, give it a shake = good as new.

[Cotboneman]

For many years I've used a product out of Germany, Reka, which is a thin silicon based lubricant for my Getzen bass, which always had a very tight slide. But after 25 years the slide has some nickel silver wear on the lower stocking and the Reka was proving to be not as effective as it had been. I switched this Spring to the Yamaha lubricant, with some excellent results. The slide is now moving well again, and quietly. The horn will be due for a slide overhaul eventually; this product buys me some time and saves me a little money in the short run.

[paulyg]

I know that Edwards has very close tolerances in their slides, and they recommend trombotine.

Did this change at some point? I always thought that Edwards slides had very LOOSE tolerances, because the action stays quite a bit better that way.

[ArbanRubank]

My Yamahas pretty much don't need any lube. But I think it is better to not use them dry. So I squirt a bottle of Yamaha mix into a pint spray bottle and just give my slides a little spritz after cleaning them thoroughly.

[harrisonreed]

I know that Edwards has very close tolerances in their slides, and they recommend trombotine.

Did this change at some point? I always thought that Edwards slides had very LOOSE tolerances, because the action stays quite a bit better that way.

No idea. My Edwards side took FOREVER to break in. The sound is worth it, but the slide was not as good of an action as my Eastlake 88H...

I think it was because of a very tight fit.

[Pre59]

I end up throwing away all silicone mixes before they get to the end of the bottle, and that's even when adding ball bearings to maintain the best balance of ingredients when shaking the product. There's a bottle of Yamaha heading that that way now, with a usable amount left. It seems to get thinner as the volume decreases no matter what.

[Driswood]

Yamaha seems to lose its goodness if keep in a really hot or really cold car.

I haven't experienced any ill effects from cold, but hot - definitely.

You may already know this trick, but if your bottle ever does separate from being in a hot car - put it in the fridge overnight, give it a shake = good as new.

I keep my Yamasnot in the refrigerator, per advice from Sam Burtis. Stays together, doesn't separate.
DON'T leave it in a hot car!!!!