Stereophoney Posted November 4, 2008 Share Posted November 4, 2008 Hi i was just wondering if anyone can recommend what tools i should aquire for a basic service on my Epi's Cheers in advance Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stone1281734000 Posted November 4, 2008 Share Posted November 4, 2008 Hi i was just wondering if anyone can recommend what tools i should aquire for a basic service on my Epi's Cheers in advance What exactly do you plan on doing to them? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stone1281734000 Posted November 4, 2008 Share Posted November 4, 2008 Some things for basic service would be: -A good pair of needle nose pliers(with a wire cutter) to cut and crimp strings. Can also be used to pull stubborn bridge pins. -Some coarse and extra fine sand paper to make saddle and nut height adjustments -A little metal guage to measure string height -Truss rod wrench(these probably came with your guitars) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pohatu771 Posted November 4, 2008 Share Posted November 4, 2008 A peg winder/string puller. I have a Dunlop that cost $2... you can get a little fancier and get one with a string cutter... the most expensive I've ever seen is $10. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stereophoney Posted November 4, 2008 Author Share Posted November 4, 2008 Ah cheers, really just wanna give them a string change and a good clean, there are not many decent guitar shops near me so i need to learn to do my own minor repairs Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TommyK Posted November 5, 2008 Share Posted November 5, 2008 In addition to the above. A good quality small side cutters. What's a 'good quality' side cutters? One that after cutting a string doesn't get it's cutting edge damaged. Skip the mass market big-box stores like Wal-Mart (I don't know what discount department stores you have 'over there') that sell everything from soup to nuts. They usually have low price points and therefore, don't sell high quality tools. Go to a hardware store. A side cutter can be used to pull subborn bridge pins by carefully engaging the business end under the head of the pin and prying up using your finger(s) as a fulcrum. This will do the least noticable damage to your pins than a needle nose pliers, if you have stubborn pins which someone else or you have jambed the pins in too tightly. Some winders have notches cut into them that are supposed to work for this purpose. They either work or the notch is the wrong size or the material it's made of won't withstand the pulling. So I avoid using it. Good quality phillips Screw drivers in number "00","0", "1" sizes. to tighten loose screws. Get good quality when you buy your good quality side cutters. Nothing will ruin a screw head faster than a cheap screw, after which it will likely skitter across your headstock taking the finish with it. Don't go cheap here. The rest, quality is not much of an issue. Go cheap. Small scrub brush usually available in the health and beauty products section. The one I have has bristles an inch long by 1 by 2 inches. I think they're designed for cleaning your fingernails without puting metal objects under your nails. Really importat too if you finger pick and need your nails on your picking hand longer than your frettin' hand. This is great for scrubbing the grunge out of the fretboard once a year.. more often if you have really oily body fluids. Use mild, mild, mild, mild soap. Fill a basin with warm water, drag a bar of Ivory soap through it, set the soap aside, then dip the brush into it and go to town. Bottle of Lemon Oil. to oil the fret board only after the annual or semi annual cleaning. One bottle will last a life time. 18" Steel ruler for checking neck flatness Small pocket rule for checking string height. Must begin "0" at the edge. The cheap ones sold as school supplies do not begin '0' at the edge. You can spend big bucks at a hardware store Starrett is a top of the line brand. However, if you keep your eyes open thin plastic rulers, thinner than a credit card, are given away as promotional items with company or peoples' names on them While they do not generally begin '0' at the edge, you can create a new edge at zero with a careful trimming with a scissors. It's cheap, won't dig holes in your gig-bag and if bent, will straighten back out. The expensive metal ones tend to retain the bend once bent. Shoe shine sponge the kind impregnated with silicone for puting a quick shine on dress shoes. This works great for lubing up the strings so they don't squeak. Keeps the Missus and dog happy. One quick swipe and you're gold. Even better, I got one of these miniature ones the size of a pill box from a hotel once. I lost it. It's really small and takes up very little room in a guitar case. The others, which I have, are about the same size as a chalk/white board eraser. Bulky but really handy until a pocket sized one presents itself. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YerDugliness Posted November 5, 2008 Share Posted November 5, 2008 Shoe shine sponge the kind impregnated with silicone for puting a quick shine on dress shoes. This works great for lubing up the strings so they don't squeak. Keeps the Missus and dog happy. One quick swipe and you're gold. This is not a bad idea as long as you don't get it on the guitar' date=' itself. Silicone is slipperier than owl snot and once it gets on a guitar's body, it spreads like the bubonic plague. The problem with that is that silicone doesn't ever come completely off, no matter how you attempt to clean the guitar, and it keeps even the best of glues from adhering, so if you get anything with silicone on your guitar, you can forget about ever getting the neck reset! Also, read carefully the ingredients in your guitar polishes, "String-ease", etc....you really DON'T want silicone on your guitar! Dugly Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ship of fools Posted November 5, 2008 Share Posted November 5, 2008 Here is a great place to learn about your guitar, and as Dugly said, don't use silicone based products on or near your guitar, the best method, an nice old cotton t-shirt is the best way to take care of your strings, all of those other products are made to make money for which ever company is selling them. http://www.frets.com/FRETSPages/Luthier/Technique/Setup/BuzzDiagnosis/buzzintro.html When dealing with acoustics, you must apply the K.I.S.S theory (keep it simple stupid {not meant towards you or anyone else})Ship:-k Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YerDugliness Posted November 5, 2008 Share Posted November 5, 2008 Hi, Ship! Good to hear from you again! Just as a heads-up to those who are reading Ship's posts--he is a retired professional musician and has had a rewarding recording career which he actually has plans to continue soon. He certainly knows whereof he speaks! IMHO, if Ship says it, you can take it to the bank! Dugly Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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