There are times when making a tool is just not an option. From tools that are more complex, to weighing your time and materials costs to build certain tools, it makes sense at times to buy tools. There are a lot of good tools in the following photos. Watch for links in the text to learn more and purchase select tools...
As I was researching parts and methods for building one, I ran across a forum post about this bender. The person writing the post was looking for a bender that would easily handle EVO gold and stainless steel frets...
Unfortunately, the website for this fret bender has been taken down and the bender is no longer available...
I often wind up inside of an acoustic guitar with mirror and flashlight in hand, digging around trying find a problem, view repairs I have made or just taking a look to make sure everything is in it's proper place...
After a few weeks of snooping around I finally found it. A USB Endoscope camera on a two foot gooseneck with a handle and an LED light with variable brightness control...
Simple, but effective tool. The three sides are cut to different lengths and the edges precision ground flat. This tool is used to span over three frets and 'rocked' to detect high and low frets...
Instead of evenly spacing the marks for string slots across the nut, this tool compensates for the larger strings toward the bass side so the larger strings are spaced a little farther apart for an even, overall spacing...
In my opinion, feeler guages are just too time consuming and are not as accurate as this guage is. This is another time saving, must have tool around the shop. Visit Stewart McDonald for precision guitar repair tools
These will likely be the only type radius gauges you will need in your shop. They work underneath the strings at the bridge to adjust the saddle radius on electric or acoustic guitars. Use the bottoms to identify any fret board radius...
For fret board leveling, I have not found anything to match this tool. I won't say this is a 'must have' tool, but I prefer leveling from the fret board, not the fret tops...
For small jobs and the convenience of having a Dremel, its a good idea to have a Dremel router base and a jig. The jig can be built of the price raises your eye browns, there are plenty of ideas to research on YouTube...
For tight areas and a small base that will level well on previously routed bodies it can't be beat. A word of caution, router bits for Dremels are sharp and will eat a chunk of wood quickly. Practice on a piece of wood before attacking a guitar...
You have a guitar that came in with a loose bridge. You've heated the remaining glue and removed the bridge, now its time to scrape the old glue off. This tool is great for scraping the small footprint of a guitar bridge..
The Bahco 625 scraper is the perfect tool with the perfect angle and handle to scrape old, dried hide glue without tearing up the soundboard. Check out this great price at Amazon...
I have tried every kind of fret tang removal tool you can imagine. From nippers to files, noting seemed to work quickly or painlessly for that matter, until I saw this...
I probably could have built this tool, but at the time I needed it I had a few fret jobs waiting and didn't have time to build anything like it. It would have cost me more to build it than to buy it. Turns out, it was worth every penny...
I had to make a couple of adjustments and use a feeler guage shim (I made), to level the fret in the carrier as it passes over the file and removes the tang. Once I got the pitch like I wanted, I never have to adjust it. The tool cut my fret tang removal time by 50%, hands down...
FRET INSTALLATION DRIFT
BRASS IMPACT FITTING
LONG REACH CLAMP
EXTENDED REACH
Stewart McDonalds fret installation tool was designed for pressing in frets, and I do have a fret press that I use for bolt on necks. The brass piece on top of the caul takes the weight of the hammer...
Knowing that driving frets with a hammer directly can lead to dented frets, I made a brass drift fitting. Using this method disperses impact across the length of the fret with the brass radius bits to match the fretboard radius...
For those hard to reach places such as clamping a brace on the soundboard near the bottom, this clamp is a big help. It is aluminum, light weight and very easy to manage...
The two pivot points on the clamp not only make it easy to get into the sound hole, but offer an extensive range of clamping positions as well...
From complete setup to major repair, Accu-Tech Guitar Repair LLC is your one stop shop for quality stringed instrument repair and maintenance...
