Guess I'm in the no-lube camp. That said, I've never been a pro and my gear has never been tested to that degree. Most gigging I've done has been as a weekend warrior (4 weekends/month). My kit has never seen anymore action than that. So, re-tuning problems have usually been overcome in a jam/rehearsal situation. Even the resto I'm doing on an early 70's Gretsch kit will go back together, with whatever residual lube that may be present from the factory. The next owner can decide on lubrication.

B

PS - My un-lubed gigging Gretsch kit is of a '74-ish vintage. Owned it since '78 and never thought of lubrication. Am I a bad owner?

for all its worth,I spray WD-40 on to some Q-tips and rub the q-tip on the last 4 .threads.It seems to make is easier to hand tighten the rods before tuning. After I wire brush the rods,that is.......MME

WD-40 is only 15% light oil. Everything else evaporates off. It is good for loosening things but it is not a very good lubricant.

If your parts are already clean, it would be a lot cheaper and easier to use 3 in 1 oil.

From Wikipedia:

50% Stoddard solvent (i.e., mineral spirits: primarily hexane, somewhat similar to kerosene)

25% Liquefied petroleum gas (presumably as a propellant; carbon dioxide is now used instead to reduce WD-40's considerable flammability)

15+% Mineral oil (light lubricating oil)

10-% Inert ingredients

The German version of the mandatory EU safety sheet lists the following safety-relevant ingredients:

60–80% Heavy Naphtha (petroleum product), hydrogen treated

1–5% Carbon dioxide

I have used Vaseline for over 40 years on my drums mostly Rogers I used it on tension rods and all swivomatic hardware and i had hardware for 40 years that still worked as new easy to tighten and remove. I use a Q tip and just dab a very small amount on the end of a tension rod the last 4 or 5 threads and then screw it in... when i clean a kit i also use thread chasers to keep all thread aligned they work like new this way. It is the washers under the tension .rod head that keep the head tight and also keep the tension. maintenance of metal parts is a must and lubing them is part of their performance , it is my story and i am stickin to it. I have more trick than a magician for Rogers swivo stuff to keep it tight and nice...