Jeff, One additional prcodure that helps with tunability/stability is to work the strings back and forth on the capo. Move each string out of position, both left and right and back to position. In the section with dampers, this is best done from below, using a piece of brass rod and hammer, making sure to hold the rod as close to horizontal as possible (IOW, driving the strings sideways, not up against the capo, to the extent possible). In the top section, sometimes it is easier from above, sometimes from below. Since it will be impossible to get all the strings absolutely precisely back to the same position, filing the hammers in these sections is a must at the same time, to avoid voicing catastrophe. Before moving the strings, it will help to take a piece of cloth saturated in McLube or ProLube (or paintbrush, or spray) and apply from below to the strings/capo. Some of the lubricant will end up between strings and capo. Obviously this will lead to temporary tuning instability (don't do it right before a prominent concert), but a couple tunings should get you back to normal, and there should be a considerable improvement to tunability for at least a few years, in my experience. This is the down and dirty approach, which I haven't done in quite a while, but did on a regular basis when my position was pretty much the same as yours. Regards, Fred Sturm University of New Mexico
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