Luthiery - Tools and such

[Nadz1lla]

Hi guys,

This question is aimed at Jonathan (Feline), Wez, and anyone else who builds guitars to a professional level.

I'm going to have a serious go at making a guitar for myself. Last time I tried this it was just out of curiosity and I didn't have access to any proper tools so I "made do" with what I had laying around and could borrow from my Dad's DIY shed.

I wanted to know who makes the best tools, where to get them from etc. I had a look at the David Dyke site, and he's got a small selection of hand tools, which is great and I hear he's reputable so therefore probably doesn't touch anything that's cr@p (I've heard to stay away from StewMac stuff).

I know also that Crimson make their own line of tools, haven't looked at them yet, though as just getting opinions.

Of course I know if you want the best, you have to pay top money (usually), but if there are cheaper but reliable and accurate options suited more for someone who is going to make maybe one or two guitars per year for myself and friends (just at material cost, of course) I'd be very interested in finding out what those are.

If I ever took this up as a profession (unlikely, but a curious prospect) in the future, then of course I'd be looking for workhorse last-a-lifetime stuff and an apprentice position very seriously, but until then....

Any advice?

Thanks in advance to anyone who takes an interest. 

[PhilKing]

I'm surprised that you have heard bad things about StewMac tools.  I have lots of their tools and have never had an issue with any of them.  I find they make tools that you just can't get anywhere else.  I use a lot of their tools when making nuts, doing minor fretwork and setting up guitars in general.

[Nadz1lla]

Mostly things like handles breaking on screwdrivers etc. I have their little interchangeable screwdriver set for floyd rose / locking nuts and general guitar-sized screws and I also found that the handle feels quite cheap and feels like if you encounter a particularly stuck allen bolt, it'll just break away from the metal shaft. If they're still wort looking into I'll have another gander at the site. 

[Nadz1lla]

More opinions coming in from people in-the-know that I trust that are opposite to the couple of randoms on the internet who were bad mouthing StewMac tools. Glad I asked around first!
Cheers for your input, Phil. Boys at Manson's say they use them too. Goes to show all it takes is someone who is either bitter or has some kind of agenda to say something negative to someone like me who doesn't know any better.... at least I ask around for second opinions before making decisions!