Slide slows up fast on gigs

[MagnumH]

Something I’ve noticed over the years on various horns - my slides seem to need a LOT of lube on gigs. In practice at home one application can last several days, even with swabbing after practice, but frequently I’ll need to reapply 3 or more times when playing a gig. It’s been the same with both Yamaha slide lube and the Slide-o-mix combo bottle.

My best guess is that it’s something in my saliva just wearing it out more quickly. My gigs are pretty much exclusively loud commercial or NOLA things, and I do play hard and produce a lot of spit.

Any tips/advice on this, or just something to deal with? Anyone else find this issue?

[soseggnchips]

I'm the exact opposite - I seem to go through lube way quicker at home than on the gig.

Could it be the temparature at the venue drying it out? If you play with the horn at a different angle on the gig (or if you move around a lot) maybe the lube's getting pushed down to the water key quicker?

[hyperbolica]

Something I’ve noticed over the years on various horns - my slides seem to need a LOT of lube on gigs. In practice at home one application can last several days, even with swabbing after practice, but frequently I’ll need to reapply 3 or more times when playing a gig. It’s been the same with both Yamaha slide lube and the Slide-o-mix combo bottle.

My best guess is that it’s something in my saliva just wearing it out more quickly. My gigs are pretty much exclusively loud commercial or NOLA things, and I do play hard and produce a lot of spit.

Any tips/advice on this, or just something to deal with? Anyone else find this issue?

Might be the hot lights?

[Doug Elliott]

Yamasnot changed that for me. Now I go several gigs before I need to change it.

[boneberg]

Same thing here. Everything (literally) that I ever tried was used up rather quickly - until I started using the Yama Lube. A difference of like night and day. I think is has something to do with the saliva. Has anyone done any research or made any similar observations here?

[Bonearzt]

Could be the atmosphere on the gigs, could be you're playing a lot more and more aggressively on the gig....
Also, IMHO, the liquid lubes aren't always as long-lived as creams.
I prefer Trombotine on my slide and seems to last. Might be worth a try.

If it was your saliva causing issues it would show up during your practice.

I would also recommend a tech visit to ensure the slide is properly aligned.

Eric

[timothy42b]

Whatever lube I use lasts longer if I don't mist with water.

[JLivi]

What horn do you play on those gigs?

Do you ever spray water instead of re-lubing?

I prefer the liquid lubes, but I know that some creams like Trombotine work better with different slides. I forget which type of slide it is. But I think liquids work better with the slides with more space between the inner and outer tubes and cream is better for inner/outers that are really close together. I may have that backwards and someone here can correct me.

Spraying water might help, but I'm sure you have tried that already. My guess is that it's the environment of the gig. Maybe the air is more humid or dryer in your apartment in comparison to where your gigs are.

[MagnumH]

I’ve not had great luck with creams in the past, and I generally like the quick application of the liquids on gigs. It’s happened with all 3 horns I use, a 2B, a 3B/F, and a BAC Paseo. It’s happened even immediately after a service (which I generally get once a year) so I don’t think it’s an alignment issue.

I think the most likely culprit is that I play much harder on gigs, and move around more, than at home. It’s probably just something I need to keep working with, which is fine, but worth checking out options!

[lupusargentus]

Herman makes a product called Hydro-slide. It's a concentrate you add into your spray bottle. You can mix different amounts to use as a primary lubricant or as a touch up instead of just water. I think it's a relatively new product and so far I like the results.

[PaulT]

Whatever lube I use lasts longer if I don't mist with water.

Same here.

I use Yamaha's slide lube. At first, I misted it with water. Worked great. But, after a while (several days/a week/?), I would get a thin buildup of dried material on the slide stockings. No problem, I wiped the slide and re-lubed.

On the advice of a Yamaha tech I spoke with, I stopped misting with water. I applied the stuff liberally after a cleaning and then just left it alone. It worked great. After a while, I noticed (in a non-controlled non-scientific manner) that the slide lube lasted a good bit longer and it took significantly longer for the build-up of material on the stockings to appear.

I originally took this path because I learned that Yamalube has an anti-corrosive additive and I didn't want to "water" it down, plus if I didn't need to spray down the slide with water (a bother; plus it continually adds excess moisture to the inside of the horn), why spray it down with water? I haven't sprayed a slide with water for close to a year. My slides are like glass. ("like glass" means smooth, clean, and quiet).

[harrisonreed]

Could you not also say that your slide speeds up slowly?

[MagnumH]

Could you not also say that your slide speeds up slowly?

Yes, I could also not say that.

[whitbey]

I had a slide like that. It was almost aligned. My tech would just flash the slide with a torch and it would change.
He worked it over and it was fine.

[mwpfoot]

You might be tightening up and torqueing it in performance, making whatever little alignment issues it has worse.

I suggest this because I have to actively combat these tendencies in order to play freely - especially in free-for-all NOLA-type settings!

[Harpcat]

I have found [and others, too] that the Yamaha product which I love degrades over time. When I buy a new bottle it is very viscous. I keep separate bottles in my practice room and in a couple of different horn cases. As a result each bottle lasts a long time. It seems to separate and thin out displaying poor performance. Just doesn't last as long. I started buying the product more often and that solved the problem for me. Some guys have reported adding BBs or something similar so that the product mixes better when shaken.

YMMV

All the best,
Jay

[ssking2b]

I have 2 suggestions: (I use the Yamaha stuff)
1) CLEAN THE SLIDE! Wipe off the inner tubes before re-applying the Yamaha stuff and when putting the horn away, and run your rag on a stick thru the outer slide every time you put the horn away. Just a light polishing with a rag will keep things flying. I don't expect the lube to outlast one 4 hour playing session, and my slides are always really slick! If you can get multiple days out of an application, good for you. The Slide Doctor has maintained my slides for me for years, so I'm all in with the slides being in proper mechanical shape with no dents. I never balance my horns on the rubber bumper at the end of the slide either.

2) Rinse the outer tubes every 1 or 2 weeks. Just run warm water ( as warm as your hand can stand) thru the tube for 20 - 30 seconds, then buff with your rag on a cleaning rod.

I also find that using AS LITTLE lube as I can get away with works the best for me. That is a line about a little longer than a match stick. Find out where your slide likes and spreads the lube the best. Mine seem to like it at the top, with a tiny drop on the very end of each stocking.

I also toss away the Yamaha stuff when it gets really watery thin, even if the tube still has liquid in it. It is possible to revitalize the liquid by adding a single drop of distilled water to it and shaking the heck out of it. (I won't add the water a second time!) Don't forget to VIGOROUSLY shake the Yamaha lube up before you apply it. I also keep my spares in the refrigerator until I need to put one in the case. I put one in the case at the first instance of me thinking the lube is getting too thin.

Sounds like a lot of fussing, but my slides are impeccable, and I want to keep them that way.