Need A Tool List

[Rootnote]

hello folks,

i've been working in a guitar shop for a year now, doing counter work, and learning how to fix guitars, and i daresay i'm pretty good at it. but recently however, the luthier i've been learning under got fired. i'm to the point now were i can work independantly, so i need ot build up a toolbox to prepare for the day when i dont have the luxury of the shop bench.

heres what i have so far:

good drill

drill bits

socket set

reaming bit

set of needle files

regular files

set of screwdrivers

radius gauges

good ruler

truss rod wrenches

wirecutters

string winders

lots of 000 steel wool

lots o rags

polish, fretboard oil

super glue/epoxy

paint and stain touch up pens

set of nut files

am i missing anything? i notice stewmac is expensive, is there anywere i can get this stuff used? what kind of budget am i looking at?

[Carl762]

hello folks,

i've been working in a guitar shop for a year now, doing counter work, and learning how to fix guitars, and i daresay i'm pretty good at it. but recently however, the luthier i've been learning under got fired. i'm to the point now were i can work independantly, so i need ot build up a toolbox to prepare for the day when i dont have the luxury of the shop bench.

heres what i have so far:

good drill

drill bits

socket set

reaming bit

set of needle files

regular files

set of screwdrivers

radius gauges

good ruler

truss rod wrenches

wirecutters

string winders

lots of 000 steel wool

lots o rags

polish, fretboard oil

super glue/epoxy

paint and stain touch up pens

set of nut files

am i missing anything? i notice stewmac is expensive, is there anywere i can get this stuff used? what kind of budget am i looking at?

http://projectguitar.ibforums.com/index.php?showtopic=10353

See the sticky threads?

Sorry about the lost job, but good luck in your new endeavor. Stewmac is expensive, but you get what you pay for. If you buy cheap, you'll replace tools and ultimately spend more. You'll need planes, spokeshaves, fret tools, a long straight edge, perhaps a adjustable to 45 watt soldering iron, flux, solder, many other things. Hmm, you'll need a hot glue gun, hot pot maybe, glues, epoxies, clamps a plenty, different sizes, shapes and types.

Get a Stewmac catalog and prioritize your needs.

Read on my good fellow.

[Rootnote]

oh i didnt loose my job, but i'm to the point were i'm tired of the store(and its attached baggage), and need ot move on, while still wanting to do repairs.

i'm not looking ot carry stuff to build, more over maintain. setups, restrings, bridge reglues, minor stuff like that, as i dont really have the space or knowledge to get into fret jobs and neck shaping and all that jazz

[Southpa]

You'll usually wind up needing more than you think. I've been doing all sorts of repair work for friends and friends of friends who become my friends when I fix their guitars. I don't know how many guitar players out their would pay to have someone restring their guitars for them, maybe a few I guess. But you should try to make yourself as versatile as possible, not from a building standpoint, but on the repair side. I mention this because if you want to make any money you can't afford to turn down a guitar just because you don't have the tools or expertise. OK, you are looking for tools now. You'll find yourself buying them as you need them, can't anticipate everything.

I've done lots of work on acoustic guitars , everything from split sides, separated back / sides, extremely high actions due to bridge / nut / soundboard problems, rebuilt soundboards, bracings and all, refinishing with lacquer, poly, (just started doing oil finishes) , fret levelling, dressing and replacing. Electric guitar repair also involves replacing switches, pots, jacks and rewiring. I also do lots of switching modifications. EVERY guitar I "repair" also gets a full cleaning and detailing.

A few tools I've found to be VERY helpful for that kind of work.

old computer hard drive

- tear it apart and use those really strong magnets for clamping hard-to-reach areas inside acoustic guitars.

- I also use the highly polished metal discs (cut in half and mounted to a stick) for looking inside guitars, otherwise a dentist's mirror (steal one when he isn't looking )

Dentists are also a good source of dremel bits for inlay work, cutting, drilling, and generally causing pain.

I use a dremel with a small wire wheel for cleaning very rusty parts.

A multimeter is handy for checking basically EVERYTHING on an electric guitar.

I recently bought some leg bones. Yes, I made soup! I now have a good source of nut and acoustic bridge saddle material to play with. Not a tool but as I said...the list can go on and on and on... it doesn't hurt to have lots of spare materials and parts on hand. And I don't see sandpaper on your list. I use LOTS of that. Everything from 60 to 2500 grit. Thats all for now, I'm tired.

oh yeah, clamps, clamps and more clamps!

Edited June 27, 2007 by Southpa

[Masina]

Just start building a guitar, and buy the tools as you need them, this way you'll get everything that you need and nothing you don't.

[Rootnote]

yea i'm slowly getting a list up, when i go into work today, i'm gonna make a list of everything i use in the course of a day, and go from there.

i know i'll need a soldering kit, becuase i do all the shops electrical work now(though i have no idea on how to use that meter thing) and sandpaper is a given. i never thought of magnets! and it turns out i have a few old HD's laying around, what luck.

[ihocky2]

Great tip on the hard drive magnets Southpa. I just upgraded my computer and have an old hard drive I was about to destroy before I threw it out. Now I can actually get some mroe use out of it once I rip it apart.