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However, if you’re reading this, then I bet you’re considering doing your own guitar setups. Maybe you’re sick of always paying someone else and then being without your guitar for weeks while it’s in the shop. Or, perhaps you just want to set up your axe
Whatever the reason, if you’re serious about giving your guitar a proper setup, there are some basic guitar setup tools you’ll need in order to do it right. There are also a few specialized (and really cool) tools you can add to your arsenal as you gain experience.
Essential Guitar Building Hand Tools
Me trying to isolate the source of a mystery buzz on a floating trem. My magnification visor helps me see those tiny spaces.
That’s why I’ve broken the page into 3 main sections. Use the “The Essential Tools” list to make sure you have the basic toolset you’ll need to get started working on your own guitars. Use the other 2 lists to gradually add some “nice to have” specialty tools as needed, such as if you start doing setups for other people.
Setups on your own guitar. You’ll be glad to know they’re inexpensive, not highly specialized, and you may even have many of these already.
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Feeler gauges are handy for checking and setting neck relief and other guitar measurements. I use this TUSK set because the tapered tips are better for tight spaces, and I like that this 32-gauge set goes from a paper-thin 0.001″ (0.03mm) all the way up to .040″ (1.00mm).
Setup-related measurements are very small, so you’ll need a precision ruler that reads measurements as small as 64ths or 1/2mm. The one pictured here is the actual ruler I use (that’s my guitar in the pic). It’s cheap, highly accurate, and has both inches and millimeters.
You’ll need a decent set of string cutters (or side cutters) with a hardened edge for cutting guitar strings. I like these CruzTools cutters because they’re reasonably priced, spring-loaded, and hold their edge.
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Twisting tuning pegs by hand sucks, so get a proper string winder. The cheap ones like this are a dime-a-dozen on Amazon and just about any basic winder like this will dramatically speed up your string changes.
It may go without saying that you need a guitar tuner, but I’ll say it anyway. You can buy a physical tuner like the one shown here, or use one of the free tuners available for smartphones. Low-priced tuners like this one are fine for general tuning, but not adequate for setting intonation. For that, you’ll need a strobe tuner (see next section below).
You’ll need a capo to perform the “string-and-capo” method of measuring and setting neck relief. There are other ways to check neck relief, but the string-and-capo method will work fine for most people in most situations.
Guitar Setup Tools You'll Need If You're Going To Do It Yourself [list]
If you don’t have the truss rod wrench that came with your guitar, you’ll need to buy one to adjust the relief (forward/backward bow) of your guitar’s neck. There are a few different types and sizes, so be sure to buy the correct wrench for your guitar’s truss rod bolt. Here are two examples (but not guaranteed to fit
Depending on whether you have an acoustic or electric guitar, and what kind of hardware your guitar has, there are other basic tools that you may need. In general, I’ve found that having a couple Phillips screwdrivers and a hex key set to be invaluable:
Now we start getting into the good stuff! Already have a core set of guitar setup tools, but want to take things further? Maybe you want to start doing setups for others. If that’s the case, you’ll need a few extra (or more specialized) tools so you can be prepared for the different guitar types and setup issues you’ll encounter.
Gwl Acoustic Guitar Kit 3 Tone Sunburst
You’ll eventually need a proper guitar neck support, since roughly 75% of the work you’ll do requires the guitar to be flat on its back. Having a neck support frees both your hands without worry of the guitar falling or sliding around.
Cheap chromatic tuners are fine for general tuning. However, to accurately set intonation you need a tuner that’s accurate to within +/- 0.1 cents or better, and that’s where strobe tuners come in. I use the Peterson HD Strobe Tuner shown here, and I love it. It’s an incredible value for the price, considering how expensive strobe tuners can be.
If you plan on servicing other people’s guitars, you can use trial-and-error and spend years accumulating a garage full of tools, or you could just buy this all-in-one toolset. It’ll cover almost every guitar nut, bolt, and screw size you can throw at it. I use it, and you can read my in-depth review of this tool set here.
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Made specifically for guitar work, the progressive string height scale makes it a lot easier to see the individual string heights. It’s a precision-cut piece of stainless steel, so the short edge can even be used as a fret rocker in a pinch. Choose inches or metric.
If you’ve got a press-on guitar knob that’s being stubborn, this ingenious (and inexpensive) little tool will pop it right off… easily and safely. Simply slide it under the knob, secure the tension ring, and gently pull up. Done! Works on standard speed knobs, bell knobs, and Strat-style knobs that are of the press-on variety.
If you’re ready to move beyond the string-and-capo method of checking neck relief, then use what I use: an 18″ precision straightedge. I actually find it easier and faster to just grab this than to try and use the capo method.
Tools Used To Adjust Your Guitar
A notched straightedge fits over the frets so that it rests directly on the fretboard rather than on top of the frets. This avoids any irregularities in frets that might throw off your relief measurement. If you suspect a high fret somewhere or your frets are pretty worn, use this to set neck relief instead of a normal straightedge. Each straightedge comes notched for two different scale lengths, so be sure you buy the correct one for your guitar’s neck.
This is the miracle spray you’ll use to fix any cracks, pops, or scratches you hear when you move your guitar’s knobs and switches. Assuming your electronics are otherwise good, DeoxIT will clean out whatever is causing noisy electronics.
A little dab of this in each string slot of your guitar’s nut is often enough to fix most tuning problems (assuming your nut is in good shape). It’s also a great lubricant for truss rod nuts, string saddles, Floyd Rose knife edges, and more.
Squier Sonic Mustang Hh Solidbody Electric Guitar
Speed up your string changes dramatically with this cool little string winder. It fits just like a drill bit in any cordless screwdriver. I recommend only using it with a cordless screwdriver, not drills. Drills can spin too fast and potentially strip the gears in tuning pegs.
A proper work surface needs to be soft, padded, and made of a non-slip material that won’t interact chemically with a guitar’s finish. That’s why I love this guitar work mat from Music Nomad. You can also buy the work mat and neck support together.
Oh yeah, now we’re getting into guitar repair-nerd territory! If you’re buying from THIS list, then you’ve decided that you’re all-in. Maybe you’re doing setups on your friend’s guitars or have moved on to doing it as a business.
Gwl Electric Guitar Kit, Maple
Part of a perfect setup is making sure that your nut’s string slots are the correct depth and shape. For that, you need a proper set of nut slotting files. I own the Grizzly files shown/linked here, as well as nut files by Stewart MacDonald. Just be sure you buy the correct size for your specific string gauges. These come in handy for string saddle work too.
These radius gauges help you easily set the height of the individual string saddles on your bridge so that they match the guitar’s fretboard radius (as they should).
The radius of your bridge saddles should match the radius of your fretboard. But what if you have a Floyd Rose (or similar) bridge, where the saddles aren’t height-adjustable? Bridge saddle shims to the rescue! Stack these little shims
T Style Electric Guitar Kit
Sometimes you need to alter a bolt-on neck’s angle to achieve a consistent string height over the entire fretboard. These shims are precision-sanded to ensure a precise angle. They maintain full-contact between the neck’s heel and the guitar’s body, unlike sticking pieces of plastic and credit cards in your neck pocket. These are also available as blanks, so you can cut them exactly to your desired size.
These calipers were designed especially for fretwork, and includes special notches for measuring fretwire height. Handy for lots of other measurements too. For example, someone asks you to put lighter or heavier strings on their guitar, but forgets to tell you (or isn’t sure) what’s currently on there.
Even if you have perfect vision, some guitar parts are just too small to see well without some magnification and a little extra light. This magnification visor is the one I use. It comes with 5 magnification lenses, a
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