Fret dressing bronze fret wire

[Sam Spoons]

Shouldn't be a problem on a uke but masking the pickups before using wire wool on an electric is a good idea*. Or Scotchbrite pads are great too of course

* If you forget blue tack is quite good for getting iron filings out if the corners or gaffa tape in a pinch but it's a job you'll do while chastising yourself for not masking the pickups

[merlyn]

Oh ok! Fair enough! I'll just go with the standard stuff. Do I need something different to clean the body and the back of the neck?

EDIT: The back of the neck is satin finished maple I believe. Body is a budget affair, poly gloss and white paint.

There are polishes aimed at guitarists. 'Polish' implies there is some mild abrasive in it, so this would be suitable for the body. To keep the satin finish satin there is guitar specific satin cleaner. Guitar specific polishes and cleaners probably are overpriced, but again, hardly any is required, so they do last.

[Wonks]

Start with warm water and a cloth.

Anything sticky, I’d use naptha/lighter fluid. It’s a mild solvent and doesn’t attack the finish.

[merlyn]

To me, the most important thing is what the guitar plays like. If I clean the neck, it's so that it feels smooth and friction-free. Stickiness and greasiness feels a bit yucky and off-putting. And you can get most of that off simply with a cloth.

When I change strings, I give the guitar a good clean.

[Murray B]

I've been down a similar path in the last few years learning to do setups and fret work.

To build up my skills I went through a number of guitars from my local pawn shop - giving them some much needed TLC and getting them to play a lot better than a budget guitar normally would.

I didn't really make the money to cover my time on doing them up, but I did make a small profit on each one, which was a pretty helpful way to get free guitars to practice on and the profits paid for my tools. Plus it was nice feeling to sell on beginner grade instruments that played as well as I could make them play to the folks that bought them.

I learnt that it's worth getting good quality files and that music nomad make a nice set of feeler gauges that really help with getting the nut height right by by setting the clearance above the first fret. It's a frustrating mistake to cut one of the slots too low with a moment of over enthusiasm or rushing the job.

One of the other things I've learnt is that the tolerances between an okay playing guitar and a great playing guitar are really small - a couple of thousandths of an inch change in the relief can make more of a difference than I ever thought possible and I play a lot more attention to this than I did in the past.

You'll learn a lot from working on guitars and I'd recommend doing at least half a dozen or so practice guitars before working on anything you care about. One key learning point for me was to check for lifting frets and clamp and glue them down rather than going straight to levelling - fortunately this lesson was learnt on a £60 vintage brand bass rather than any of my stage instruments

[garrettendi]

Wonks... What are your thoughts on these? https://share.temu.com/0ntlCk1cGyA

(Temu site, pretty sure it's safe to click).

[zenguitar]

I wouldn't use a single item in that kit I'm afraid. Just a whole bunch of cheap rubbish assembled to a tick list. The few items that have any real utility won't last very long, and I wouldn't trust them to be accurate.

The key thing to understand with all work on guitars is that it is essentially very simple work done to a high degree of accuracy. You really do need decent tools.

My advice would be to completely forget the idea of buying a budget kit. Instead, learn new skills over time and as you start a new skill just buy the few tools you need. They don't have to be very expensive, and many of the things you need aren't specialist.

You know you have friends here who are happy to help with advice on the tools really needed for each job. And I am sure we will be able to get you the best value for money and avoid wasting money on things that aren't up to the job.

Andy

[garrettendi]

Thanks Andy.

I just want to get all my ducks in a row, but I appreciate your honesty. As you say, I will take things bit by bit, and inquire with you guys the cheapest decent tool for the task in hand as they come my way!

Thanks again for the honesty!

[zenguitar]

Always happy to help

A few things for you to consider about tools. Good basic tools like screwdrivers, pliers, side cutters, allen keys can be found affordably in stores like B&Q. Don't discount old second hand tools from market stalls and car boot sales, my planes and chisels mostly came from market stalls, and I have bought very good cutters, sharpening stones, spanners and vices for very little money.

Model shops often have excellent ranges of some of the finer tools we sometimes need. Fine saws, needle files, modelling knives, scalpels and blades.

Lots of good options out there

Andy

[tea for two]

Don't discount old second hand tools from market stalls and car boot sales, my planes and chisels mostly came from market stalls, and I have bought very good cutters, sharpening stones, spanners and vices for very little money.

^^

I'm on the look out in markets for those classic wood working planes made of wood considered antique nowadays.
I don't have workshop nor shed nor garage was hopeless at woodworking. More for nostalgia as a kid used to loose meself observing carpenters with these classic wood working planes.

[Dynamic Mike]

Carpenters don't usually make stuff. They generally work on building sites fitting stuff made from wood by joiners in the workshop.

[tea for two]

Carpenters don't usually make stuff. They generally work on building sites fitting stuff made from wood by joiners in the workshop.

He and his assistant were old skool carpenters. They measured the windows for a house, thereafter onsite made the window frames with their wood planes.

[Dynamic Mike]

https://www.accesstraininguk.co.uk/news ... -carpenter

[tea for two]

As a kid I could just gawk at them loose myself observing them. I'd still do this now for lots of crafts, just that at my age now I would look odd I look odd anyways lol. I did this 5 years ealier observing professional Glass blowing, then I came to my senses relasing it's a trifle odd for some bloke gawking.

[Sam Spoons]

That distinction is, I suspect, a modern one historically a carpenter did the big stuff like the building's structure and a joiner the finer stuff like window frames, doors which would mostly have been built onsite. Mrs S' dad, a joiner, made stuff on site as well as fitting stuff built off site, he used to say the difference was that a carpenter didn't deal with timber less than 12" thick. My paternal grandfather was a ships carpenter and, basically, fixed anything on the boat except the engine (and he probably could have done that in a pinch).

I have a recently retired mate who worked as a site joiner for Wimpey's for over 40 years.

[Dynamic Mike]

Joinery was a 7 year apprenticeship. Carpentry was 2 years learning how to use a hammer and nails on site. This was in the 1930's and 40's which is old skool to me. Not saying some carpenters weren't talented and could do more but they were/are distinct professions.

[S2]

I'm neither a joiner nor a carpenter but I enjoy building guitars and I'm just about to start my fourth. I guess that makes me a hobby woodworker??

[Sam Spoons]

Joinery was a 7 year apprenticeship. Carpentry was 2 years learning how to use a hammer and nails on site. This was in the 1930's and 40's which is old skool to me. Not saying some carpenters weren't talented and could do more but they were/are distinct professions.

Sounds about right, many joiners like my FiL worked in site though and did both jobs.

[Albatross]

I'm neither a joiner nor a carpenter but I enjoy building guitars and I'm just about to start my fourth. I guess that makes me a hobby woodworker??

Luthierist?