In case you were wondering what guitar making tools to put on your luthier list this year, I put together a list of tools I use and a few thoughts about why I like them. This is by no means an exhaustive list and not a list of everything you need to build a guitar, it’s just a few ideas and recommendations of tools I have found to be helpful in my own adventures in the art of lutherie.
I would love to hear your recommendations too, so please use the form at the bottom to share the tools you use and recommend with me and the other readers – Thanks!
Dual Grit Diamond Fret Crowning File – I have been using these for years, they work great and the angle helps when working above the 14th fret over the guitar top.
Choosing An Acoustic Guitar
Straightedge For Fret Leveling – I have the 16″ version and I love it, I use it for making a compound radius on the frets when I am leveling them.
Dead-Blow Hammer – I don’t have this one yet, but I want to get it soon. I’m still using the old version fret hammer.
Nut Files – Definitely a critical tool to have, the seating of the strings is unbelievably important, they must be very solid in the slot, but still slide easily for tuning.
Guitar Repairing Cleaning Tool Kit Electric Acoustic Guitar Repair Accessories
Lie Nielson Low Angle Block Plane – I have talked about this tool a lot because it’s one of my all-time favorites, click the link to read the full article.
D’Angelico Planes – I have the larger one of these and I couldn’t live without it. It’s my workhorse for highly figured maples when carving arch-top guitar backs. I need to get the small one too, just never got around to it yet, but I will.
Ibex Violin Plane – My other workhorse plane; this baby is hard on the fingers, but it makes smoothing out highly figured woods easy, and it’s just the right size for those last stages of carving an arched maple back before scraping and sanding.
Rocker Ra 200 Acoustic Guitar Review
Hand Scraper Set – One of my most used tools, you can read all about it by clicking the link to read my article.
Stewmac Dragon Hand-Cut Rasp – My favorite rasp for guitar making. This is especially great for neck carving. I use the large-size fine-tooth version the most.
*Check out my video review of the Dragon Rasp and read my guide to finding the best wood rasps here: How to Choose the Best Wood Rasp for Guitar Making
Best Guitar Cleaning Kits And Tools 2023: Keep Your Guitar In Shape
Chisels – I use the ones linked to, but my dream chisels are these Lie Nielsen socket chisels. They are modeled after the ones my mentor Eugene Clark has which were originally made by Stanley back in the day. I only really use 1” and ¼” and ⅛” sizes, the other sizes just collect dust.
Dosuki Saw – Love this saw, I use it every day for many things, it’s hanging on the right front leg of my bench, I grab it makes a cut and put it back in seconds.
Fret Saw – May favorite fret slotting saw. It has the perfect combination of all the best parts of my other fret saws, all blended into one.
Denver Acoustic Guitar
Peterson Auto Strobe – I love this tuner, being able to see the strobe helps me to dial the intonation in much more accurately than if I were just watching an indicator light or something – this one is super important to me.
6 inch Steel Ruler – this seems obvious, but I was using other stuff for a long time before I found these, I also recommend getting a Starrett 16r version, but the one I linked to is good too.
Starrett 24 in. 16R Ruler – Expensive but worth it, vital if your layout and cut your own fret slots by hand. You can also easily see the relationship between 8th and 10ths and make sure you are building “on the grid” as I talk about in my book – The Art Of Lutherie
How To Intonate A Guitar Quickly And Easily
Caliper – I have owned and eventually destroyed many calipers over the years, some super expensive and some cheap. The one I use now is moderately priced, but works well. That way I don’t have to cry so hard the next time spill a bottle of shellac on it and ruin it.
Side Bending Iron – Man I need a new one of these, mine is worn out, but still going after 15 years. I did replace the heating element once, but a great and convenient tool.
Milwaukee Router – Kind of random to have this on the list, but it’s the best router I have ever owned. Perfectly in tune with itself, it sounds like an instrument, with really amazing balance and precision.
How To Set Intonation — Haze Guitars
Binding Router Bit & Bearings – I have been using these since day one and they are great. I keep one just for spruce and rotate the others from maple to rosewood as they become duller each time.
Go -Bar Deck – One of the simplest ways to glue your braces. I use this type which is good, but I think if I was doing it all over again I might go with these or make my own out of pipes with spring-loaded bars inside for super fast hide glue action.
Glue Clearing Chisel – Absolutely love this tool, it keeps my tops clean and saves me a lot of work. It also lets me clean the squeeze-out without flooding the area with water for cleanup – very important.
Tools Used To Adjust Your Guitar
Glue Bottles – Seems dumb to put this on here, but they really make it so much easier to get the right amount of glue on the surface and they are so cheap you can replace them when they wear out or when you lose the cap. Any similar bottle will work fine not just this brand.
Quick clamps – Best to get the 4 pack, you save tons that way. I learn about these in 2000 when I studied with Boaz Elkayam, so handy and lightweight.
Making An Archtop Guitar – This is the book that changed my life. I will always remember the cool autumn the day I found it in a book store, and read it cover to cover in one sitting. I’ll always be thankful that Bob shared that with all of us.
Guitar Central 2] 1 Pc. Fritz Ruler For Electric / Acoustic Guitar Luthier Intonation Tool
The Art Of Lutherie – I have to recommend it because it contains what I consider to be the core concepts of the guitar itself and how to use them to engineer the voice you want from your guitar. It’s designed to be a companion to your favorite “How To” Step by step book on guitar making.
Guitarmaking: Tradition & Technology – The second book I ever got on guitar making. I don’t use many of the techniques here, but I think it is very important to know what the tradition says and understand the parameters you are working in while you design your own guitars and systems.
Making Master Guitars – The same as above, I love being able to look and see things like how big was the heel cap on a Torres, it is so awesome to have that info and to be able to compare such great luthier’s work side by side to get an understanding of their thinking and approach.
Pcs Guitar Tool Kit For Set Up,intonation Adjustment And Repair, Guitar Maintenance Kit For Guita
Fretwork Step By Step – I learned so much when I got this book back in the 90’s I think. A great basis to start developing and growing in your fretwork skills and understanding.
Take Your Guitar Building Skills To The Next Level!Online Guitar Luthier SchoolShorten your learning curve & avoid costly mistakes with the training and personal support you need to build your first guitar or take your current guitars to the next level.
Tom Bills has been hand crafting one of a kind custom guitars for the top players and collectors around the world since 1998. Tom is also the author of the guitar making book/DVD set - The Art Of Lutherie - published by Mel Bay, and has written for and been featured in may publications both in print and online as well as several television and film spots. You can view and learn more about his guitars by visiting his website: tbguitars.comAnouncement: As of 4/10/2022, I have retired from taking orders for custom-made shelf-nut blanks. The blanks I have in stock are still available for order by the numbers assigned in the Shelf-Nut Blanks In Stock table.
Guitar Setup: The Tap Test
These pages will enable you to understand how guitar setup and guitar intonation work. The principles of compensated nut and compensated saddle will flow easily from that understanding, enabling you to do a better guitar setup, or to better work with your luthier.
A few summers ago, I was admiring a friend’s beautiful J-45 sunburst. He said: “it’s amazing that people who make such fine and expensive guitars, don’t make them so that the open strings are in tune with the fretted notes”. I had been thinking the same thing myself for years! Most acoustic guitars are sharp about 5 - 10 cents on the lower frets on the sixth string. Unwound 3rd strings on electric
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