I’ve been meaning to write a guitar tech tool list for ages, and so here it is. These are the exact tools I use – and if they aren’t I’ll say so, and recommend some that I think will be similar.
Tools are a fantastic thing. Good tools are a joy to use and make every job easier and quicker and give better results. Cheap tools can be a false economy. Save a few quid now, and suffer every time you use them. Having said that, I do appreciate good value, so I’ll use a cheaper tool when I think it will do the job just the same.
I’ve provided links below for both Amazon and eBay (where possible) so you can buy from whichever platform you prefer. These are affiliate links so I get a few pennies if you click on my links and buy something, although it won’t cost you any more. If the products aren’t available on Amazon or eBay, I’ll just link to the appropriate websites – no commission for me – boooo. Anyway, here we go…
My Guitar Tech Toolkit List
CHEMICALS
Ahh, the lotions and potions that are essential for any guitar tech. Here’s what I use.
Jim Dunlop 65 Guitar Cleaner/Polish 16oz
I use bucket loads of this stuff. It’s safe, easy to use and does a good job. Gets rid of most muck, fingerprints and dust and leaves your guitars smelling fresh. Much cheaper to buy the big bottles of it too!
Dunlop 65 Guitar Cleaner/Polish 4oz
What’s that, you want a smaller bottle? Ohhhh, okay then. This is a 4oz bottle of the same stuff as above. I actually prefer this pump bottle to the trigger bottle, so I buy the liquid in bulk and pour it into the smaller container to use. And hey – it fits in a guitar case!
Servisol Super 10
I just used alcohol based cleaner for years for switches and pots, until I discovered Servisol. It’s absolutely bloody amazing for cleaning electrical parts and leaves even the dirtiest pots and switches smooth and crackle-free. For really dirty pots, flush with alcohol based cleaner (below) a couple of times, and then finish off with a bit of this.
Alcohol Contact Cleaner
Flush REALLY dirty electrical parts a couple of times with this, then finish off with a short blast of Servisol . Alcohol evaporates totally, so it doesn’t matter if you get it all over the place. Servisol is a little oilier, so be careful where you spray it.
Dunlop Lemon Oil
This is what I use to condition any raw wood fretboards that come across my bench. Rub a little on and buff off with a rag. Makes the wood look darker and more lustrous, smells of lemons and comes in a neat applicator bottle (although I still use my finger).
Zippo Lighter Fuel – Fretboard Cleaner
For cleaning fretboards (unpainted ones!) you need a chemical called naphtha. There used to be a supplier that sold it in 1L bottles which was nice, but they shut up shop. Nowadays you can either buy it in 5L cans (sold as automotive panel degreaser) or just buy lighter fluid – it’s the same thing.
Nut Lube
Lubricated nut slots are essential if you want a guitar that stays in tune. I’ve got a tin of silicone PTFE grease that will last a lifetime so probably a bit overkill… This small tube is the same stuff and easier to handle. Remember – just a TINY amount in each nut slot!
Cleaning Cloths
I use old cut-up Slayer t-shirts for all cleaning duties. Don’t ask me why, but only SLAYER tees can offer the softness and cleaning abilities that you guitar deserves. Buy a SLAYER t-shirt, wear it til it’s so full of holes that your mum threatens to throw it away, and then cut it up into 12″ squares. Keep them separated – some for cleaner/polish and some for naphtha/fretboard oil. SLAYERRRRRRRRRRR….
HAND TOOLS
Ah, hand tools – the lifeblood of the guitar tech. Screwdrivers, allen keys, files and spanners. All that is good in life 🙂
HOSCO Flat Nut Files
Ah, the nut files. This is one area where only the expensive option is the one that will do the job properly. These HOSCO nut files may be expensive, but they make the job faster and more accurate and are a pleasure to use. This set will do most guitars, but the other set (below) is useful in some cases too.
HOSCO V-Slot Nut Files
This makes a good additional set of nut files that’s designed for guitars with angled headstocks. They’re more robust than the flat files (above) but don’t go using them on Strats or any guitar that doesn’t have a lot of break angle over the nut.
Bass Nut and other Assorted Jobs
For doing bass nuts I use the above files for the thinner strings, and then the round file from a set like this for the thicker strings. The round file in the set has a tapered end, so it can be used to make slots of any width. The other files in the set come in handy for odd jobs too.
Stanley Fatmax PH1x100 Screwdriver
This is the screwdriver that I to use 90% of the time. It’s the perfect size for scratchplates, cavity plates, pickup rings, pickup adjustments, jack socket plates, machinehead screws, Strat switches and much more. If you can only afford ONE good screwdriver, this is it.
Stanley Fatmax PH2x125 Screwdriver
This is the bigger brother (or sister) to the above. I use this for neck screws and tremolo claw screws – and any other jobs that need a bigger Phillips driver. I’ve found these Fatmax screwdrivers to be great quality and value, and I have plenty more Fatmax tools as you will see.
Stanley Fatmax Screwdriver Set
Actually, if you haven’t got any decent screwdrivers already, this is the set you want. It’s got the two Phillips drivers above, plus a smaller one which comes in useful for very small screws. Then, it’s got three flat head drivers which come in handy for setting action and intonation on Gibson style bridges. I’ve got more drivers in my box, but could quite happily just use these six for all eternity.
Stanley Allen Key Set – Metric
Allen keys are needed for adjusting truss rods, setting action, adjusting Floyd Rose trems and other esoteric applications – like inserting Schaller straplocks into the guitar body. Most guitars made outside of the USA use metric (mm) allen keys. I think this red set was one of the first guitar tools that I bought, and they’re still going strong.
Stanley Allen Key Set – Imperial
For USA made instruments, you need a set of Imperial allen keys, and these are what I use. You’ll use them for adjusting truss rods on Strats quite a bit, among other things. That’s almost all the allen keys you’ll need, apart from these next ones…. 😀
Bondhus 0.050″ Allen Key
This is the Imperial allen key that you need to fit the action screws on USA made Strats. It’s the thinnest allen key you’re ever likely to need and doesn’t come included in the above sets. Because it’s so thin, I reckon you’re best off getting a really good quality one. Bondhus only make allen keys (totally badass) and this one is really good.
Acoustic Guitar Truss Rod Allen Keys – 4mm & 5mm
The truss rod adjuster on acoustic guitars can be so well hidden inside the guitar body that you need an extra long “L” shaped allen key to access them (Martin guitars are the worst – the truss rod nut is where the neck meets the body!) These two will cover all bases that you’ll come across.
ELECTRONICS & SIGNAL
Antex 690D Soldering Station
I used cheap soldering irons for years and ended up with nothing short of a soldering iron graveyard. Eventually I bit the bullet and bought one of these. It’s powerful (digitally variable up to 450 degrees!) so soldering onto pot casings is easy and yet it has a slim tip which makes access easy even in tight cavities. Spares are also readily available from Antex.
Mini Marshall Amp
When I need an amp for testing guitars, this is what I usually have handy on my bench. It’s battery powered (so no messy cables stretched across your workspace), has enough power for the job, and looks cool as fuck. I mean, come on. It’s a Marshall fer Chrissakes!
Digital Multimeter
At some point you’re gonna need a multimeter. Useful for checking pickups (to see if they’re blown), continuity checking in circuits, and plenty more besides. Even basic models have all the features you need for guitar work. Mine came from Lidl I think, but this one looks just as good – if not better, actually.
Lekato Wireless System
I absolutely HATE cables on my workbench, so I bought this cheap wireless system to use when I’m testing guitars. They’re USB rechargeable, have decent range and sound just fiiiine. I don’t think I’d want to gig Wembley Stadium with them, but for home and workshop use they’re absolutely perfect. Had mine a couple of years and still going strong!
SNARK Clip-On Guitar Tuner
Again, my hatred of cables led me to the SNARK clipon tuner. Mine is an earlier one – the one pictured here is probably better! Plenty good enough for the tuning and intonating of electric and acoustic guitars, basses, mandolins, ukes – pretty much anything with strings! Top tip: get a pack of replacement batteries (I think they’re CR2032)
Keith McMillen Batt-o-Meter
This is a really smart unit that gets a lot of use testing guitars with 9v batter circuits. You can plug it straight into the guitar and test the battery without even taking it out! Shows battery voltage and also the estimated number of hours left before it runs out (you just need to tell it what battery type is in the guitar).
Behringer CT100 Cable Tester
When you’re chasing faults in a guitars electronics, you need to make sure that the cable isn’t causing the problem. I’ve got a small D’Addario tester that just does guitar leads and pedal PSU cables, but this Behringer model does a ton more. It’s what I’ll be buying to replace mine if/when it finally craps out. (How do you test a tester??? 😀 )
POWER TOOLS
Don’t worry, there aren’t loads of expensive power tools that you’ll need when working on guitars 🙂 But hell, they sure do make some jobs a LOT easier!
Dremel Lite 7760 Cordless Rotary Multi-Tool
If you’re wanting to polish frets up to a mirror shine you can either spend hours with polish and a cloth, or use a rotary tool with a felt buffing pad. I’ve got an old Minicraft MB150 which is fine, but alas it has a cable, and you KNOW how much I hate those. When the Minicraft breaks, this Dremel is what I’ll be getting. (Actually, I might just get it anyway). As an aside – AVOID any of the unbranded cordless multitools in the £20-£40 region. I got one and it’s absolutely dogshit.
1″ Felt Buffing Pads
These are the buffing pads that you’ll need for the Dremel if you want to polish frets. ONLY get the felt ones. I’ve tried the stitched cotton ones (that look very nice) but they just disintegrated and filled my workshop with fluff. There’s enough here to last you a good long while! 🙂
Polishing Compound
Apply this to your felt buffing pad and away you go. Brown first, then finish with the blue if you want to go mega shiny (have a buffing pad for each colour). Easy peasy.
There are bundled packs available that contain the buffing pad AND polish, but they also include a million other things you’ll never use. Keep it simple – buy what you need.
1″ Mini Belt Sander
This sander is super useful for shaping/sizing guitar nuts and saddles before they’re fitted. It’s only a small unit with a 1″ wide belt so it doesn’t take up too much room. It also doesn’t make tons of dust. I use mine sat on the worktop with the vacuum cleaner hose close up to it (power switch taped to ON with masking tape 😀 ) and that stops the dust from going everywhere. Super useful little gadget and a real time saver!
STRINGS
These are the strings that I have in stock, generally speaking. Of course, i’ll use the client’s strings if they have them.
Electric 6 String – Rotosound
I was an Ernie Ball man for yeeeears until I gave Rotosounds a try. Sound wise, they’re on a par, just perhaps not quite as bright as Ernie Balls when first installed. After a couple of hours playing I can’t tell the difference.
So why use Rotos rather than Ernie Balls? Here’s why:
- Counterfeits! There are a LOT of knock-off EB strings out there. Not so with Rotos.
- Spare top E string in every pack – very useful if you break one putting them on 😀
- I much prefer the way they’re packaged. No individual paper packets, yet the strings are bundled in a way that makes them easy to get apart and use without tangles.
- They’re made in sunny Kent, UK!
I stock 9-42 (Pinks), 10-46 (Yellows) and 11-48 (Reds). (AMAZON LINKS)
9-42 (Pinks), 10-46 (Yellows) and 11-48 (Reds). (EBAY LINKS)
Jim's Guitar Workshop 