In Gerd Schraner's book there is a little jab against the modernism of the machine built wheel which came into the scene big-time in the early 80's. He contends that Spoke prep and similar locking type products became necessary only because machines built loose sloppy wheels that came out of true easily (thus requiring some sort of drying liquid to solidify the whole structure upon completion). He also recommends only motor oil or grease for the nipple rim interface and spoke nipple interface. This prevents wind up and corrosion and results in a tighter wheel that needs nothing other than high spoke tension to keep its structure. In a similar vein, my lbs owner is dead set against velox rim tape because it tends to hold moisture which causes nipple spoke corrosion in some metals. He says that the mountain bikers and many roadies either use plastic rim tape plastic plugs or strapping tape which never retains water. He prefers the latter on his personal bikes because it is thinner and allows more air in the inner tube than thick plastic tape.
In any event, all the JB imports bicycle supply wheels for the southeast area bicycle shops are built in several factories in my area (most of it made by undocumented workers according to one source). I visited one shop undercover and saw that none of their wheels have any spoke prep or grease in them. They are just metal to metal hand made slop jobs thrown in a pile and designed to be purchased by a bike shop for little more than a couple of ten spots. These wheels all need frequent touch ups. Bike shops have other sources for inexpensive pre built wheels of course but JB is one of the biggest suppliers and from the looks of a day's production number lying on the floor of the sweat shop waiting to be sent out - they sell thousands of them every week.
Garth Libre in Miami Florida USA