ShortScale.org

What are they? I know I can get a basic list from Stewmac or Erlewine, but what tools are essential for guitar maintenance in your opinion? I will add as I think of them.

I am looking at a precision ground straightedge, a radius gauge, and some fret measurement tools. I am also looking into nut files, a nut clamp (YEAH) and a few others. One guy suggested that a Dremel could suffice inplace of all those fucking spendy Stewmac files.

PAINTING
Power drill
Vise for holding neck board--soon to be Parks PCS bike stand
Sander, paint scraper
2 Respirators (old one for general use, new one for fumes)
Shop Vac
Shop lights
Fan
Rubber gloves, latex gloves, lucky undies

ARSEMBLY
Cordless drill
One-speed Dremel
Lots of tiny screwdrivers
Soldering equipment
Crescent wrenches, needlenose pliers
Solder, cloth wire, screws, springs

NEED
Heat sink clamps--also to help hold parts. The iron stand has two but they don't give good reacharounds
Tweezers
Nosehair trimmer (note to self)
Solder fan

PAINTING

Makita palm sander
Norton peelnstick sand paper (80 100 150)
3M wet or dry sandpapers (220 400 800 1000)
hard foam sanding block
buffer with application and buffing pads
(I'm sure there's more, but I can't remember atm)

GUITAR BODY MAKING

Freud Router and table
various 1/2" and 1/4" router bits. (both with and without guide bearings)
Bosch planer
Drill
Jigsaw (or bandsaw)

PICKGUARD MAKING

*same as GUITAR BODY MAKING with the exception of the jigsaw/bandsaw*
45º countersink

ELECTRICAL

multimeter
soldering iron
solder/flux
wire cutters
wire denuders (or your teeth)
needlenose pliers
pliers

NEED

bandsaw
joiner/planer
drill press
BEER

dude,
don;t let anyone tell you what you need, just start on a project and as you go along you will figure out what you need and what will work better for you.
i did however buy the erlwine nut making stuff. its hella good.
get as many 6 inch rulers with cm and mm as you can,
get like 25 of them and just leave them in every spot imaginable.
deffinitly get some digi calipers too. those are spiffy.
i do have a list that my tewacher gave me from school if you realyl think its nessecary i will post it up.

Anyone tried making the routes with a chisel instead of a router? I can imagine that is the old school method.

My Dad has a Transit with the best of every tool or power tool you can imagine. He even owns a professional spray booth for cars with a pneumatic spray gun. And his soldering iron even has a built in flashlight.

One day I'm going to be just like my Dad.

euan wrote:Anyone tried making the routes with a chisel instead of a router? I can imagine that is the old school method.

Aye, someone on here has in the past, mike maybe?

euan wrote:Anyone tried making the routes with a chisel instead of a router? I can imagine that is the old school method.

that's like opting to eat green peas with chop-sticks.

So you are saying if I want to put a P90 into my tele I need to buy a router and a table to do so. And there is no other way?

Aug wrote:

euan wrote:Anyone tried making the routes with a chisel instead of a router? I can imagine that is the old school method.

that's like opting to eat green peas with chop-sticks.

More like eating green peas with a gumshield and socks over your hands. You can still eat them, it's just messy.

euan wrote:So you are saying if I want to put a P90 into my tele I need to buy a router and a table to do so. And there is no other way?

yes. let someone else do the routing for you. Anything worth doing, is worth doing right. I've seen plenty of guitars where the routes were done with drills, chisels, etc... It makes me cringe.

robert(original) wrote:dude,
don;t let anyone tell you what you need, just start on a project and as you go along you will figure out what you need and what will work better for you.
i did however buy the erlwine nut making stuff. its hella good.
get as many 6 inch rulers with cm and mm as you can,
get like 25 of them and just leave them in every spot imaginable.
deffinitly get some digi calipers too. those are spiffy.
i do have a list that my tewacher gave me from school if you realyl think its nessecary i will post it up.

Poast it! There might be somethig useful there. I am mainly looking for the ones you can't live without. The 6 inch ruler thing is not something I have run across. Good to know.

I was using a bulb solder sucker which is fine, but then someone suggested the braid--OMIGOD it is so much better. I want to get a straightedge, but I don't know what I would use most or how little I could get away with. For these guitars, you'd think 24" would be perfect. But I figured if someone had one and never used it, I wouldn't have to drop $50. I do like these gauges though. I wish they sold them separately.

We are all starting at various points with tools. I guess this should be in the wiki. But I have never had a radius tool, yet I have never really done my own setups. From what I have read, you really want to either do it or have someone do it, or just live with crap intonation, buzzing, bad action, or fretting out. When I had just any McGuitar, it didn't matter as much to me as it does now. But since I am playing weirdo vintage with damaged parts and short necks, I think I had better learn this.

the six inch is a must. and the smaller the better.
you will end up needing it for some weird shit i garentee you,
i have used mine to hold open a crack to glue it.
measure the depth of the fret slots.
to hold or lock down a floyed rose.
im telling you man, invest now!
im still looking for the papers.....

Malik wrote: And his soldering iron even has a built in flashlight.

Military grade stealth soldering iron? i want a flashlight on my iron

mine was one of those facny electric ones from menards for like 13 bones, and it has a light in it.
my new rigid router has a badass led light in it.

Make sure you have a plastic spork on hand if you plan on routing squire bodies.

bassintom wrote:Make sure you have a plastic spork on hand if you plan on routing squire bodies.

can it have a flashlight?

You can just tape or glue gun a small flashlight on it for night routing.