Top Ten Tools for the At Home DIY Guitar Luthier
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- Опубліковано 25 лип 2024
- Working on your guitar is fun, but buying tools to work on your guitar can be difficult. There are a ton of tools from fret files, to string action rulers, to radius gauges... but which tools do you really need and which tools should you buy first. I have done the hard work and put together a list of tools that you may want to buy to work on your guitars at home. These are the most cost efficient and practical tools to buy that actually work and are worth the investment.
You can get these items here on my Amazon Affiliate links. (I get a little bit of change if you buy with these links).
String Action Ruler
amzn.to/3tHrrS8
Feeler Gauges
amzn.to/3tGXBxp
Digital Caliper
amzn.to/3a3ihb7
Radius Gauges
amzn.to/2YXpWRQ
Notched Straight Edge
amzn.to/2YUB024
Fret Rocker
amzn.to/3aPQHgq
Precision Sanding Beam
amzn.to/2LuRsD0
Fret Crowning File
amzn.to/2OiUAmG
Fret End Dressing File
amzn.to/3tCjv4J
Fret Erasers
amzn.to/3oZ1UjT
Fretboard Guards
amzn.to/2ME34EB
1:19 String action ruler
2:20 Feeler gauges
3:37 Caliper (or ruler)
5:05 Radius gauges
7:12 Notched straight edge
9:21 Fret rocker
11:19 Precision sanding beam
13:40 Fret crowning file
15:25 Fret end dressing file
16:50 Fret erasers
18:02 Fretboard guards
This is very helpful..... you're not just telling the item but you also explain how to use it.. This is a complete guide for beginner guitarist who wants to maintenance their guitar by themselves... Thank you so much
I’ve been playing and DIYing for years. This was an incredibly well paced and informative article
I just sold my house. I am now living in the streets, but at least I have all the guitar tools I needed.
DAMN! SON!
Now you need to change your name to : Homeless MusicMan !
You have a house now ?
Hint: $20 for a fret eraser??? Go to the manicure section of Wal*Mart, Meijer, Etc and buy the finger nail buffers. The soft kind not the really coarse emery board kind. A buck each. They have the flat board types and the kind I use are the triangular three sided ones( there are also four-sided ones). Not only great for frets but if you're really careful you can buff out the neck and body as well using the "Shine" side (They come with a "shine" "smooth" and "ridge removal" side (the four sided type also has a "nail edge" side). I've used them on my $400 Burrito Caster and my $4.5K Custom Shop Mary Kaye and everything in between with no problems. Oh, and just to remove surface scratches and minor defects go to the car parts department and grab some Meguiar's Scratch X 2.0. Cheaper than Virtuoso and just as safe (no silicon)
While you’re in the makeup section, grab some clear nitrocellulose nail polish for patching up the little dings in your finish. Works great near machine head holes and busted out chips around the nut.
This video just came up in my suggestions today---I have all of those tools and then some. I have been working on guitars for 4 decades, and you did a great job explaining the what and why of these basic setup tools.
Thank you for this, Kennis! I agree that there still aren't many vids like this. Ben Crowe did one years ago, but it was effectively fitting out a whole workshop (too much), Dan @ Guns and Guitars has come at it from the opposite side and shows how to make DIY tools, yours is right down the middle and is probably the best, because it's basically doable for a lot more people than either of the two alternatives! Thanks again!
I just want to take a minute to thank you! So much, I'm about to start my first project and this video is valuable ! The least I can do is subscribe and definitely a thumbs up! Thank you again for taking the time to make this video!
Very useful for a beginner like me, thanks Kennis for sharing your knowledge!
Best simple explanation of the basic tools you need for keeping your guitars in top playing shape. Love it 👍👍👍
Glad you liked it.
Thank you for making this video, it has been very helpful.
Thanks for sharing. I'm a strong believer in if you're going to do the work get the right tools to do it correctly the first time. When I was a very young man I learned that the hard way. It doesn't bother me to buy a tool and I might only need it for that one particular job but if I ever need it it's still there if a friend or family needs to borrow it it's right there.
Great stuff Kennis. I've been Learning to do my own Set-Ups & maintenance on my guitars and it comes-out 10x Better = exact to my playing specs. Appreciate you sharing the information.
Hey man, thanks so much for taking the time to put this together for us. Great work bro!
Excellent video. Thanks for putting the time in. This is great
just added the video to my list of favorites :D thank you very much for the information.
Happy Birthday Kennis! Thanks for sharing yet another informative video. I always learn something new from you.
I don't normally comment on videos, but this really is excellent - thank you very much for taking the time to do something so informative.
(By the way, I swear by fine grade wire wool for fret polishing)
Hey Kennis, excellent video, thank you for sharing..
lots of valuable information, thanks for sharing!!!
Excellent video, explains everything clearly. Thanks
Very useful. All the info in one place. Thanks!
Late Happy Birthday! Great video! Thank you very much for making this video for us.
Absolutely been helpful, thanks a lot for taking the trouble to show.. Cheers ; .
Great video Ken. Many thanks.
Yeah! that was very useful and informative Kennis. As a new enthusiast to guitar maintenance this is exactly the information I need. Thank you. 😎👍🎸
Thank you, This helps rid some of the confusion that I have when trying to decide which tools to buy first. Sometimes I buy what fits my wallet and then I still dont have the tools that I need from the get go. Thanks,, again
Great video, well put! Thank you very much
I just got a set and had no idea what some of it even was. This was very informative! Thanks!
Happy Birthday Kennis Russel thank you for sharing knowledge and care ..
Great informative video! Happy Birthday, Kennis!
Great info! Thanks Kennis.
Thank you so much, I really needed this, there are no professional luthiers where I live
Really helpful information, thanx to you bro
Nice video Kennis. I appreciate your opinion and the effort you put into the video.
I am just now in the process of gathering information to 'Set Up'.. my guitar... for the first time..
just can see your tool selection covers the process perfectly for me.. a beginner..
So thanks..
HAPPY B-DAY bro!!! I am a subscriber to your channel , keep up the good mojo !!
Nice video! I'm starting to refret my strat! This was very helpful!
Very useful. THANK YOU!!
Belated Happy Birthday Kennis, enjoy your videos a lot thanks
REALLY good video! Thanks alot!
Great general tips on the required tools ☠️🎸
Great Video! Picked up my first half decent electric, but is in need of a set up, and possibly has a few high frets. I figured if you do your own oil changes, should know how to set up your own guitar!
Thank you mate, very helpful!
This is an awesome video thank you!
Excellent. Thank you!
Hey Kennis, happy B.day and was I surprised when it wasn't a vid. trying to hawk Stew-Mac stuff. Not that I'm saying you do. Just alot do and it's nice to see someone show tools that are not all stew-mac. Thanx for the honesty
Thanks man, this was extremely helpful, cheers 🍻
Terrific video, Kennis and a belated HAPPY B'DAY to you since Apr 19th was only a couple of weeks ago.
Like you, I am a fan of doing my own setup and while I love quality tools, I have amassed quite a few from places like yard/garage sales, estate auctions and even business sales with the bulk of my tools being 80+ years old - quality even Stewart-MacDonald cannot match. I've found metal/wood files, small wrenches, old crescent wrenches, calipers, levels (not like the crummy ones made today), hand wood working tools perfect for bodies and necks, hand drills, and other assorted items for dirt cheap.
I have opted to buy a few modern tools and I have become a huge fan of Fret Guru. Their crowning file rocks! And Skylark's 6" leveling beam is perfect for fretwork as well. Some tools I've made and even bought a couple of el cheapo ones (radius gauges) which I sat and took time to deburr the items. Why anyone complains about that is beyond me especially when the price is right and it takes but a little elbow grease.
in my garage, you'll find Craftsman tools, not the best, Snap On, yet numerous guys here blab on and on about SM and I'm willing to bet they do not have any Snap On tools in their own garage either! Most likely they have either Walmart or Craftsman at best. Yet they won't STFU about SM tools as if those are the only luthier tools around. Clowns!
Many many thanks. Quality vid.
Really informative, thanks :)
Great advices, thanks
Thanks. I see those tools on Amazon, but have no idea how to use them. Well done.
Yeah this is useful thanks man good video
happy birthday brother God bless you! I enjoy all your videos
Jose Rubio
Great Video, thanks!
Great work. Exactly what I was looking for. I need a few of the tools you listed to bust away those pesky sharp fret ends. Thanks.
I'd add allen wrenches for saddles/trussrod adjustment and 0000 steel wool and wood oil soap for cleaning fret boards . Also nut files for more advanced set up work. Nut files are expensive but way less than having to go to a luthier shop for buzzing from the nut or the bridge. GREAT video, very informative.
I absolutely agree, I struggled for years using torch tip cleaners touching up nut slots that caused a buzz the nut files are pricy but worth it & they’ll last forever.. steel Wool on electric guitars always finds its way to the magnets at the pickups, I use the scotch-bright pads instead.
Thank you for the video.
Thanks so muck great information
thanks for the info great stuff.
I agree with what hanten10 said, this is a good video which explains the tool types, what they do and how to use them and prices, something I was looking for in a video myself. Thank you so much.
For sure. You are welcome.
Great video!!!
Very helpful. Thank you
Great list. Good to see someone out there giving good advice like this.
I'd add a true straight edge to the list. You'd be amazed at how usefulthey are.
Fret rockers are a dangerous tool if not understood. Low is often the problem, not just high. It matters to understand the root cause. With that said, great tool and quick results.
A good set of gauged nut files; not essential but handy. Not the double sided cheap ones either, a full set of accurate ones and a fret saw. These will let you make high quality nuts and easily modify an existing sticky nuts or rework for new string gauges. Expensive I know but tools you can trust that last.
I also have 2 fantastic tools from Stew-mac. Not cheap but money well spent. Super accurate and removes any guess work. Yes, they are relatively expensive but you will have them for years and years. Some of the most useful and used tools I have for setups. Seriously great to have.
1. Neck relief gauge
2. Nut slotting gauge.
Yes true. Nut files are the next on my list of tools. Any chance you've tried the new Music Nomad nut files?
So help, thank you!
Many years ago I was teaching myself how to setup my own guitars. I had no one to guide me so I experimented with different tools and techniques. I found that ink erasers worked well for fret work. I had found some around the house that were made with what equated to different grits. I suppose what I am saying is that today I'd probably head to a big box store and buy some cheap ink erasers and see how that works out before purchasing the fairly expensive Stew Mac pack.
Instead of expensive fret erasers, I use multi surface nail files from the grocery store. $4 and has all the different grits you need to polish and smooth frets
I do too. Quick, cheap and very effective.
Yep. Those 4-in-1's just make'em shine. Trust me, I'm Polish.
Yeah there’s some things you don’t want scrimp on but this is definitely one of them lol
Awesome video.
A really instructive video, thanks! I am sure that you already know that your name 'Kennis' is the Dutch and Afrikaans words for 'Knowledge'. It is just so fitting!
Great video thanks. I have been wanting to see this done by an unbiased you-tuber for a while.
Very helpful thanks
Thank you Kennis
I saved your video for future references.
I use an electrical guitar and I also own some basic maintenance tools.
I just recently bought the String Action Ruler. What I dont like is that the reading is so small that I would need to put my glasses on or use a magnifier. Also the stainless steel is hard to read on.
The long notched ruler you have on the list is great, but you can do without for measuring the straightness of the fret board with fretting the first fret and where the fretboard meets the body you fret, then measure at the 7-9 feet. I say that because some guitars have other scale length than 25.5" and the 24.75".
But super great video and you gave me the courage to experiment with a cheaper guitar and see what happens.
Great video. Thanks! I do have a suggestion for #11....an assortment of metric and american allen wrenches.
good video Kennis, one more thing I would have added would have been nut files or at least torch tip files for making nut groove adjustments
Big Thanks Bro. ^^
(Your FC from deep forest of North Thailand .. ^^)
Great crash source on set up tools!
great job
very good..thanks
Pretty spot on choice. But afaic, in order to do a complete guitar setup, i'd add a bunch of truss-rod and saddle wrenches (hex keys, Gibson style, metric and what not), a plain metal straight edge, correct size nut files for bass and guitar (and this is pretty important if you want to get the correct 1st fret action or whenever you change a nut, because without those it can be a pretty long and tricky job). I would also mention a soldering iron, and a quality wire/string cutter. Cheers.
Nice video bro..it help me I'm on Amazon now..
I've got quite a collection of Luthier tools at this point. Just invested in nut files for bass and guitar. The only purchase I have made that I regret is my fret crowning file. It just will not cut the hard, stainless steel frets. I would have gone with a diamond file instead.
Oh ya, I use a triangular file with a safe edge for crowning. Takes skill but gives the best results if used properly. Stew-mac sells them as well as a few others. Definitely skill required but very versatile.
Good video Kennis. For fret Polishing, I would recommend checking out the Music Nomad fret polishing kit. It comes with 3 fret guards with handles in addition to some great polishing solution that is petroleum free. I like it a little better than the erasers.
I'd like to add Simichrome! Amazon for about $5-9 and it's like a toothpaste container. Seen a dude on UA-cam use it and I was in shock how he cleaned up his frets. I even used it on my Floyd rose which is probably 20 years old now and I sware to God it looked brand new and shiny when I was done. That was the biggest tip I ever found for cleaning the metals on my guitars.
Thanks for posting, I can figure this out on my own but this helps to have a list and just to see what somebody else says, heres another thing is a good tuner, I have heard from several people that the pederson stage tuner is the way to go for its supposedly highly accurate , and works well in general but the damn thing is about $200.00
Yes, thanks, and I did.
This is helpful, I bought all of these or facsimiles thereof.
Happy Birthday Ken!!
great vid
Great video ken good enough for 1 more subscriber .
The analog calipers have their pros too.
If you measure something small you might tend to press the caliper to hard on the workpiece and you get a bad reading.
This is often the case when something is soft or very thin. you can see it in the movement of the needle when you close it onto the workpiece.
Thanks!
HAPPY BELATED BDAY. The fret erasers are great... Love me. Also be sure to always tape off the fretboard and sides when working on your frets. The erasers are well worth the 20 bucks and don't wear out easily.
Hi Kennis, I wanted to share a couple things with you, and hopefully help some others, first, you can get a Fret rocker/action ruler in one, I got mine from Fret Guru, the nice thing about mine was if I left a comment about how I thought it was, good OR bad (but believe me it is awesome) then the guy would send you a leather pouch for it to protect it.Next, the notched straight edge, I have that VERY brand, it is great isn't it.. but I bought mine on Amazon for about the 20 bucks, my next one is the bass. I checked around and a pair of digital calipers can be bought from Walmart for about 20-25 bucks, and it comes in a case to protect them.
Good video. You could use just a basic jumbo pink rubber eraser in the school supply aisle for a $1
Thank you so much for this. I couldn't decide on getting a cheap guitar kit on Amazon or buying individual parts. I have many of the basic tools, but the more luthier tools I'd like to get. Have you ever changed a Floyd rose? Would love to see a video on that because I'm trying to swap mine out for a better one, but I don't know what the specs are and if any others would fit since I have the ibanez licensed edge pro ii version. Would love to see how you'd go about that and measuring and whatnot. Thanks anyways! Your video helped.
Happy birthday and congratulations with all your new toys!!!
A side note and please don't take offence but most luthier tools are such a ripoff, it's unbelievable. For instance take that sanding beam. If you buy an aluminium piece as such, stick sandpaper onto a flat surface of which you know is really flat and use that as a guide to correct your beam. Now you've got a 'specialised' beam. Even worse, if you bring it to a specialised metal shop, they probably charge 5 bucks or less to have that $2 beam corrected quickly.
But yours does look very cool though. 😀
🚩 Thanks! You did a great job explaining. Have a Squire that's never been right. Trying to figure out where to start first. Learned a lot👍
What are your biggest issues with it? I may be able to spread some knowledge. Is it tuning or fret buzz? I can give you an idea where to start with both those problems. Squiers have numerous problems, but tuning and fret buzz tend to be the worst.
Tuning is usually because the strings are getting caught up on a cheap nut, which can be dealt with using graphite (pencil lead) to lubricate the insides of the nut slots--or conversely you can buy a new graphite nut for about ten or twenty bucks from Graph Tech. They come in both white and black. Plastic binds your strings.
The tuners are usually very cheap on a Squier, so you may want to spend a few buck on new tuners if messing with your nut doesn't help. Also, the string spread/angle might be too severe on your G and D strings above the nut, which can be fixed with a String Butler, but they're $70+ here in Canada. No idea what US prices are.
Fret buzzing is caused by numerous things, such as uneven fret height, your action being too low, or using the wrong strings. Your saddle heights may need adjusting to mimic the arc/radius of the neck, too, and most definitely back/forth for intonation. If it's an older, worn out Squier, replacing the nut is a good idea just in general.
All in all, sometimes you should just buy a new guitar for the amount of money you'll put into a Squier. They're already a cheap guitar, and you aren't going to get any resale value out of them. The good news is you can get a better guitar for a lot less money than you would put into upgrades for a Squier. Don't be fooled by the word "Fender" on the headstock (if yours has it). The company was licensed by Fender to make these cheap strats, but they aren't really a Fender.
If you're really interested in fixing it up because you want to learn luthier skills, however, it's actually a great place to start. You can learn how to put in new pots and wiring, etc. (Assuming you don't already have those skills. Being female, I never assume what anyone knows, because everyone assumes women know nothing, and I always prove them wrong.) If you don't like the colour, give it a paint job. If the shape doesn't fit your body properly, you can shave it down until it does (hard to find guitars that fit female bodies). I have a cheap Jackson 7-string that's great for sound and everything, but the body is horrid for me, so I've got an Ibanez coming and will be shaving down the Jackson to fit me properly.
So enjoy customizing it if that's your goal. But if it's to get a good, working guitar, I would suggest not bothering with all the work and just buying another guitar. It costs hundreds to get a Squier up to workable standards when they often need a new one of everything.
@@RainStickland Thank You for All the info. No Buzz. The String Butler, may solve a few problems. Saw it, but didn't know name. The Fretboard moved out of place, fixed but t not positive in perfect. Also, Bends have Never sounded right (intonation) and the Newest, The Strings are bunching up, when I attempt to Bend. Very frustrating to learn How To (Bend) on a Guitar that fights u. New Guitar coming soon, if I can Finally Nail down Which One.. not easy $300 range, and which way I want to go, headed for Country, but hate Teles, though found the Right one. But also want Humbuckets. May go HSS?? Again Thanks for the help. I've bought a few Tools+Lube , so will hold down on and Learn How To👍
@@suegates5 My Jackson was less than $300. You can get great guitars for that range now. Don't forget used equipment, too. You can get something for maybe half the price of new if it isn't a collector's item. If you're doing country and hate teles, nothing says you can't pick whatever guitar you like. So many come in woodgrain now--even the metal and djent guitars--that they pass for country and look sinister at the same time. Plus they can have an amazing touch response (they have to for djent), which makes them super easy to play when you're starting out. The right pickups would give you whatever tone you like, and your amp is really where your tone comes from anyway, so the guitar hardly matters there. Mostly the guitar has to be ergonomic and responsive, with good resonance. There are a lot of videos about picking out your first guitar. Philip McKnight is a good UA-camr for beginners, along with Darrell Braun Guitars and sumuraiguitarist. The Art of Guitar one is good for learning, but he doesn't talk so much about gear.
Bending is a difficult concept that needs to be taken slowly (and make sure your nails are trimmed super short--they'll catch constantly otherwise). Try to slip the tips of your fingers under the other strings if you have tiny fingers. If not, just push up the other strings with the one you're bending, and use more than one finger to bend with. It helps a lot to have other fingers pushing up because it adds to the stretch of the string. A Squier goes out of tune all the time (and that includes when you use the tremolo). Every bend or stretch of the strings may put you out, so always check your tuning after doing bends. Paul Davids is another UA-camr who talks about guitar techniques, and he has a good video about David Gilmour's bends.
If your intonation is out, you'll need to adjust it the next time you change strings. A few of the people I mentioned have intonation and set-up videos. Rhett Shull is another one who gives out good info. It's super easy. Unless you're already extended or retracted as far as you can go. They do have compensated nuts for certain guitars (similar to a compensated bridge on an acoustic guitar). You might want to check into those, because they help with the intonation of your first three strings (the skinniest ones), and if you're doing bends you're usually doing them on the bottom strings.
Soldering iron. The only thing I would have added. But, a great video. Thanks for the upload.
Thanks for the list. I’m modding quite a few guitars and basses lately, and building entire instruments essentially by hand as well, so this is food for thought.
One suggestion for you. As a seasoned machinist/ CNC machinist/Process Engineer/CNC Programmer/Production Manager I’ve seen countless measurement instruments, and hundreds of calipers.
Dial cslipers, of even above average quality, will serve you better than a digital any day, in particular over the long haul. Digitals are prone to breaking or internal damage you don’t see. This can cause erroneous measurements, and often inconsistent measurements that may be precise, in that they repeat on the same distance, but are not accurate, in that they are not consistent over varied distances.
Many low quality calipers, like the $10 Chinese made calipers, are as accurate as the tape measures found often to be showing graduations of inches and millimeters, but are not actually showing an accurately defined inch or millileter (I have numerous times taken cheap scales and calipers out of my shop because when compared to a stsndard they were not even close).
If even small metal particulate, dust, saw dust, or dirt get into the very exposed and poorly made mechanisms you can consider it a $20 paperweight and a lesson learned.
If accuracy matters at all, avoid the temptation of the easy way out of cheap digital stuff and get something decent.
Things that have worked and not worked for me.. (as a hobbyist)
I definitely waited too long to get a String action ruler gauge, probably should be something I should have bought right off the bat..
I'm very glad I got a good fret rocker, Probably paid too much, But very glad I got it..
I've not exactly needed feeler gauges.. I get away with using various picks and strings of a certain gauge, but i don't think those gauges are very expensive, but i've yet to get any and I've been ok..
I'm VERY glad I got a NOTCHED radius gauge.. I've yet to have a need for understring radius gauges, But I also don't have any strats or teles..
I'm very Glad I got a notched straight edge..
I would not buy a flat aluminum sanding beam, I almost got one, But now that i know the Radius of My guitars, I'm going to go with a Radius sanding block, that way, when you sand it, you'll never get the radius wrong..
Bought a hosco fret file, I like it, medium is definitely a good universal size, But make sure you also buy a Brass brush to clean the file between passes on different frets, You can get them at a hardware store for fairly cheap, I got a pack of three at my hardware store, One brass, One Plastic and one steel The plastic one has ended up working really well for cleaning hardware and the nasty gunk at the very base of the frets, the steel one is in my other toolbag waiting to be used... That being said, I Should have spent the money and bought a Diamond file, though.. Specifically a Stew Mac Zfile< but good lord...100 plus dollars. However, I see it as eliminating time and steps, as the frets are much closer to the final stages of completion and the z file appears to entail much less of a learning curve,
I'm going to try nail files like someone else suggested here instead of fret erasers, But I'll still buy polish from the hardware store and if it doesn't work for me, I'm going to go with the fret erasures by Hosco.
Never saw a need for fret end file.. Never had a need for calipers.. Beware, fret guards are kinda clumsy and CAN scuff the fingerboard a bit..
Thank you for coming to my Ted talk..