You can use this when adjusting pickup height or anytime you need precise measurements for replacement hardware, knobs, tuners, and so on. Three flathead and three Phillips screwdrivers in large, medium, and small sizes will cover most jobs.
Screwdrivers, nut drivers, and hex keys. I recommend having six different screwdrivers on hand: three flathead and three Phillips in large, medium, and small sizes Fig. Parts you can adjust with these include pickguard screws, jack plates, neck bolts, tuning key screws, bridge plates, certain truss rods, and some bridge saddles. Having several sizes lets you handle most types of screws used on guitars. Nut drivers are essential for tightening output jacks, tone and volume pots, switches, tuner collars, and some truss rods.
Nut drivers Fig. Many guitar adjustments are done with hex keys. Having a set of hex keys is essential for adjusting your guitar at home and on the fly. I use about 13 different sizes on a regular basis Fig. Here are the go-to hex keys in my toolkit:.
Having both metric and imperial U. Unlike regular files, nut files produce round-bottom slots that correspond to different gauges of strings. Nut files. Unlike regular files, these specialized files are designed to produce round-bottom slots that correspond to strings of different gauges Fig.
Many luthier suppliers sell single nut files or sets of them. I recommend you have at least six files—one for each basic string width. This Planet Waves ProWinder includes a string-cutter and bridge-pin puller.
String winder and wire cutter. Few things make changing strings easier than a string winder. There are several great string winders on the market.
It fits the tuners on most acoustic and electric guitars, as well as mandolins. There are winders for bass, too. Got a hand drill? You can get a string-winding attachment for it. It really speeds up the stringing process. Just chuck it into your drill and start winding.
The hardest part of using a drill bit winder is remembering which direction the drill is about to turn. And a wire cutter is essential when you rewire a guitar or work on its electronics.
Guitarists who want to tinker with potentiometers, pickups, and circuitry need a basic soldering kit. Soldering supplies. A soldering kit Fig. Most soldering irons include a small stand for your iron. Keep a can of electronics cleaner handy for fixing scratchy pots. When in doubt, take the instrument to your favorite tech.
Along with a few toothpicks and some Q-Tips, fast-acting cyanoacrylate adhesives like Super Glue can be useful for emergency repairs. That said, two small bottles of glue can go a long way when your guitar needs an emergency repair. Your toolkit should have a bottle of Titebond wood glue and a small bottle of cyanoacrylate, such as Super Glue.
In addition, stock up on a few toothpicks and Q-Tips Fig. Combined with a toothpick or two, wood glue can temporarily secure a loose strap button—at least until you can get the instrument to a repair shop. This combination also works well for fixing stripped holes for pickguard and pickup ring screws.
Super Glue is perfect for gluing a loose string nut or temporarily filling a nut slot to get you through a gig. The Q-Tips are essential for immediately cleaning up any excess glue. If you spill or squeeze out too much glue, a Q-tip works great for a quick cleanup. A set of miniature bastard files can remove a burr from a bridge saddle, smooth out a sharp fret end, and perform many other useful tasks. A set of miniature bastard files can solve a lot of little problems, including removing a burr from a bridge saddle, smoothing out a sharp fret end, carving string slots into the nut on a bass, widening the string slots in an acoustic bridge, and much more.
You can also frequently measure the action on your guitar to ensure it does not need a setup. If you notice that the number is lower only in the middle of the neck, you likely have warping that you will have to fix. Finally, if you have an electric guitar, you will know it needs a setup when the technological supports do not work as they should.
Test the battery to ensure it still holds power. After, tighten all screws and bolts to ensure the proper functioning of the electronics. You likely have many of the basic tools needed to setup guitar parts.
Make sure you have access to screwdrivers, string cutters, hex wrenches, and Allen keys. These will help you adjust the neck, fix the action, or move the bridge.
For your guitar itself, you should have a string winder and an action gauge to determine distance. Bring along a work mat and cleaning cloth to ensure you do not damage the wood on your instrument. Some of the kits and products below come with these essential parts, however.
It has 13 Allen wrenches that come with the product, giving you the tools you need to work on, essentially, any guitar or part. This guitar setup tool kit also comes with a screwdriver with two heads on it. The tool kit also comes with a cleaning cloth to allow you to keep the surface of your guitar as pristine as possible. The ruler helps you to measure the action, though you may find a more flexible product like a tape measure easier to use.
Finally, the carrying case is durable, protecting the tools inside for years to come. Finally, the Ernie Ball Musicians Tool Kit comes with wonder wipes to remove stains and other debris from your guitar. There is ample room leftover in the case to store extra picks and strings as well.
This option is highly beneficial in meeting all of your basic repair needs. The Micling 72 Piece Guitar Repairing Tool Kit has everything you can think of when considering the tools needed for guitar setup.
It even comes with instrument-specific products like picks, strings, bridge nut saddles, bridge pins, and more. With the variety of tools in this guitar setup kit, you can change the strings out, fix the intonation, adjust the action, and perform any other basic repairs you need.
There are even fret stickers that will help you learn how to play if you are a beginner. They are available for hour support for any of your needs. The setup kit also comes with a one-year warranty if any of the tools become damaged or break. There are storage bags for every piece that comes with the product. These will give you further protection. The manufacturers also state that this setup tool kit is not just for your guitar. You can use it for anything with strings, including ukuleles and banjos.
It can provide repair and maintenance to any stringed instrument you may have. The most exciting tools found in this kit are the ten files. You will find a knife and a willow version for your needs. These will help you fix any warped areas that may be on your instrument or add linings. Like the two kits before, this one allows you to change your strings or measure the action as necessary.
There are so many Allen wrenches for your use, no matter the bolts and screws you need to adjust. Sizes on these range from 0. The largest is best for the nut gauges that you have to remove when changing the action or any other part of the neck, for instance.
The cleaning tool included in the Mudder kit has two sides. On one end is a cloth with cleaning solutions to remove any grime or debris. The other, however, has a lubricated pad to give a smooth finish to any wooden part on your instrument. This option, and the product below it, are small tools for guitar setup that will quickly repair minor issues. This product is specifically best for Ibanez guitars, however, as it is from the same brand.
This small multitool comes with seven devices for your maintenance and repair needs. Each of the wrenches has a clear label to let you identify what you need with ease. The center hole helps you maintain a grip on the casing when you select the tool that you need to use.
Store it in your pocket or guitar case, for instance, for your next big show. It will not take up any extra space, and it weighs less than half a pound. This product does not come with cutters for you to make string repairs, however.
To achieve the optimal set-up, I believe it is always best to start with a neck that is as straight as possible and add relief as needed. A neck with too much relief can suck the tone out of a guitar, and when the neck is straight the action stays more uniform as you move up the frets.
Tune the guitar to pitch. There is no reason to detune if the neck is good and you have a properly functioning truss rod. Another important thing to keep in mind is to always check the straightness of your neck in the playing position. Now check the amount of relief you have. Place a capo at the first fret or hold the string down with your finger, and fret again around the body joint where the neck starts to thicken, this is usually around the 12th to14th fret.
Then note the gap between the string and the top of the fret in the middle of these two points. Moving the string up and down over this fret will make it a little clearer, and this is easier if you are using a capo at the first fret instead of tying up both hands. You will need to check both E strings as the amount of curve can vary from one side of the neck to the other. The best way to judge relief is with a straight edge, and a straight edge will make it easier for you to determine if you have a back bow.
You can find inexpensive edges on Amazon but I find the ones available from Stewmac to be of excellent quality and worth the money. When using a straight edge I also check between the D and G strings to get an average between the two extremes.
If the first fret is high or low it can throw off the reading and this is will verify what you saw. The reading at the first fret and second should look about the same. If the gap is smaller, your first fret may be high. TIP: As stated earlier, do all this checking in the playing position, and placing a light below you will help to illuminate the gap for clearer reading. Even if the neck already has relief, it is a good idea to loosen the rod a little first to see how tight the nut is and to verify it is working properly.
I also prefer to straighten a bowed neck rather than bow an overly straight one. If this happens, bow the neck and then bring it back to straight. Keep in mind you may not be able to get the neck straight, or perfectly straight, everywhere.
In this case, just go with as close as you can get with no back bow anywhere. Remember…we are getting the neck as straight as possible in this step, we may add some relief later on. This will be an interim step and we will come back to actually adjusting the nut slots later. For now, we are essentially going to eliminate the nut and set it to zero.
You will need a capo, and for repair purposes, I prefer the Kyser click here to check price on Amazon. With an electric, you will be able to make your adjustments simply with a wrench, but when dealing with an acoustic saddle you will need to add or remove material. TIP: Doing this step properly requires some tools. These are included individually or in the StewMac setup kit, and also easily available on Amazon.
I will break this step into two sections to make it easier to follow and better illustrate what tools you will need. There are many different types of bridges all with different saddle adjustments. You will need to determine what yours is, and if you have a Gibson style Tune-o-Matic bridge you will need a set of nut files to match each string. A tremolo will also make this step trickier because you might need to deal with balancing the bridge by adjusting the tremolo claw that anchors the springs to the guitar.
It is important to understand that as you tune the guitar the amount of tension on the bridge changes and will cause it to move, and conversely, as you adjust the tremolo your tuning will change. When tuning a guitar with a tremolo, I always tune back and forth to bring up the tension on the tremolo evenly: E to E, A to B, D to G.
Because the tremolo is rising as you tune-up in pitch, you will likely find you are flat when you are done. So you will have to repeat that process until you are in tune and the bridge finds its balance. You will need to adjust the screws of the claw in to pull the bridge back or let them out to allow the bridge to rise. Do not move the claw the full amount all in one adjustment.
Remember that as you change the position of the claw you are also changing the tuning of the guitar and will need to re-tune, which in turn will change where your bridge sits. TIP: You are trying to achieve equilibrium. So make small adjustments to the claw, re-tune and check again until you find the point that the trem levels when you are in tune. Check the radius of your fretboard.
This applies to both electric and acoustic. You need to know what the fretboard radius is so that you can set the underside of your strings with the saddles to match. Now set the height of the two E strings, and just like the truss rod adjustment, check these measurements in the playing position. These measurements are approximate and we will likely go back and readjust them later based on how the guitar feels. Once the E strings are set, use the under-string radius gauge to set the saddles to the fretboard measurement you took.
It is easiest to raise the 4 middle strings up high until the gauge is only touching the E strings and then lower them down to the gauge. If you have a tune-o-matic bridge you will need to use nut files for this, and if the middle strings sit below the radius you will need to use the thumbwheels to raise the E strings up higher and then lower them to the 3 and 2 measurements with the files in order to set the radius of the middle strings. Angle the file with the approach of the string from the tailpiece, and use a file of the same gauge as each string.
Remove small amounts at a time until you get where you need to be. Use some fine sandpaper to remove any sharp edges in the saddle when you are done. The best saddle material is bone. If yours is plastic or some type of synthetic material and you want the best tone possible, have it replaced with bone.
If your saddle is significantly off and this is all new to you, then you should also make a trip to the repair shop. I could take up an entirely new article with the techniques necessary to make a good saddle, and reshaping the top of one to match a radius crosses into that territory too much for our purposes here.
Other things to look out for are cracks, major chips, and significant string wear. These can all be signs of a saddle that needs replacing.
Once you have verified your fretboard radius and checked the saddle to make sure it matches, take string height measurements with a straight neck and a capo at the first fret in the same manner as described previously. The only difference here is that you will want to start a little higher than an electric. To get down to these measurements requires you to remove the saddle and take material from the bottom.
You will need a hard flat surface and some self adhesive sandpaper. I like to use thick tempered glass, and I prefer the 3M brand sandpaper, but there are a variety of options here. I use grit unless I have a lot to remove. Just make sure whatever surface you choose is hard, smooth, and flat. If you have steady hands you can even use a belt sander.
Remove the saddle and mark a line on both sides of the saddle with a sharp pencil that represents the amount of material you were above your measurements at the 14th fret.
Using the sandpaper and the flat surface, drag the saddle towards you being careful to keep it 90 degrees to the sandpaper. TIP: Do not sand back and forth, I find that pulling the saddle in one direction only towards myself is the best way to keep control and ensure the base of the saddle stays flat.
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