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Post by justin on Dec 23, 2020 1:02:39 GMT -5
For those who don't have a permanent workbench, how do you keep your guitar related tools? I have a bench (aka old dining table) in my garage but I much prefer to do guitar stuff inside the house. I currently have 7 guitars and 1 bass that I maintain. I don't play out anymore so this has become more of a therapeutic hobby. I found that my small 13" guitar toolbox was bursting at the seams so I just ordered this from Home Depot. It was delivered the next day (today) with free shipping - can't beat that! It's too bad I can't fit my new soldering station in here though. With the recent change in weather around here I've had to do a few setups. I took that as an opportunity to clean up my guitars as well. This box fits most of the essentials and then some. I'm waiting on a clip-on Perterson Strobe tuner that I can stick in here too. I still have a bunch of loose pickups that I have to organize - probably with a shoebox. This works for me right now, but I'd welcome any other ideas. New guitoolbox - Stanley 18" Fatmax. I think I could throw this in a pool and the contents would stay dry. Stanley Fatmax  |
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Post by rdr on Dec 23, 2020 11:02:25 GMT -5
Nice box! I have a smaller version of the toolbox, just for tools. Spare guitar parts and electronic components go in the box in the closet.
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Post by Peegoo 🏁 on Dec 23, 2020 11:44:56 GMT -5
Howdy Justin I have several permanent workbenches and tools on the walls in my shop, but I keep my guitar-specific tools together in a small tool box because they're small tools. This little 14" box has everything necessary to set up and adjust any stringed instrument...except for a piano  This thread might fit better in the Instrument Workshop. Anytime I go to a jam I take this box with me because it's quite common for a fellow player to complain about some aspect of their guitar/bass/banjo/mando, and having the tools right there makes fixing it a simple operation. The leather roll atop the box contains files (fret files, nut slotting files, ignition files, etc.). If I have soldering to do, I have a separate tool bag that contains everything necessary to do that, e.g., soldering station, solder, wick, sucker, flux, strippers, clippers, nippers, flippers, etc. Spare parts are sorted and stored in bins on steel shelves. Here's one shelf; there are five more like this.  Larger stuff (leveling beams, straight edges, sandpaper, etc.), stay in the shop.  |
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Post by budg on Dec 23, 2020 13:04:58 GMT -5
I havent gotten that sophisticated yet. I have a coffee container that I have my basic tools and I have a small plastic bin I keep my guitar polishing tools and my cruz tool kit in. . Eventually ill get more organized . My work bench is my wet bar . I just put up my Fender guitar thingy down to work on it . It has a cushion and support for the neck. I have one of those lights that extend out and up . Seems to work really good so far.
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Grizbear-NJ
Wholenote
"I'll do the BEATING around here"
Posts: 217
Age: 71
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Post by Grizbear-NJ on Dec 23, 2020 14:20:08 GMT -5
It does my heart good to see that other people (besides myself) think ahead and prepare. As I have stated in other posts, I consider myself an amateur drum technician. From what I have seen so far, I carry a lot of the same tools pictured, and also many tools that are specific for drums. A good example is a "Thread Gauge": If I am doing a repair, I need to confirm the diameter and gauge of tension rods and drum lugs (or nuts & bolts) if they need to be replaced. A specific tool I have is a "drum head" Torque tuner; I have two of them, one I permanently modified to a "Universal" (metal) tension rod socket, and the other I left with all of the different plastic socket attachments available.
When I play drums; I always wear a neck cord with a detachable drum key, and a detachable drum "tri-tool" (specialty). At a recent Jam I had to do a quick repair to a snare drum; I didn't spot the issue until we were just about to start playing. We were able to continue (slight delay) without me having to stop & scramble for tools to fix it.
I have two De-Walt "Tower Tool Boxes": one with the tools I need; the other one with spare parts. I keep the tool box within reasonable access anytime I play; the parts box stays home unless I know I will be addressing a specific problem for another drummer. Important note: both boxes are on "dollies" with wheels; that is a very important consideration at my age.
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Post by Larry Madsen on Dec 23, 2020 15:16:37 GMT -5
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Post by justin on Dec 23, 2020 15:59:00 GMT -5
Good stuff gentlemen. Larry - nice work!
I just started this particular box yesterday. I just added a DMM, aligator clips, and a short guitar cable. My nut slot files are in there as well underneath the wire cutters. I opted for the Japanese ones as they were a little bit less expensive than the Stew Mac ones. The look-a-like ones I once purchased from Amazon were absolute junk. Their thickness varied a lot across the blade.
Doorbell just rang and it's my DR 9.5-44 strings. I've used 10s for many years and I remember not liking 9s too much. I'm going to try these out on my tele. Time to bust out The Box.
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Post by funkykikuchiyo on Dec 23, 2020 19:13:15 GMT -5
I have a workbench that is two segments, probably about 10 feet long. It has a magnet strip, a bunch of cups, and I have lots of bins for various things, but mostly things like clamping cauls (those accumulate very fast). My trick is to always have a home for everything, so when I clean it up, I know where to put things instead of reinventing the wheel each time. I also like being able to clear my work area, since one job might require more bench real estate than another, or might use completely different tools, or have different demands for instrument safety. Label makers seem dorky, but are extremely helpful (unless your handwriting is as good as Peegoo's). I keep steel wool in ziploc bags to avoid them shedding and getting all over the place. I've gotten good at finding nooks and crannies for things, but always make sure I devote places to specific things and vice versa so I can always find stuff when I need it.
You learn to adapt over time - the tool you use every day shouldn't be buried under the tool you use once a month. If I had to switch to a mobile set up like you have, I'd do something similar. So, things like the spare Strat pickup covers would rarely be needed, so those could be downgraded to a plastic bin on the shelf, to make room for a tool you're going to reach for more often. Be careful with liquids - I've had a couple issues with things in seemingly tight containers spill inside of those plastic tool boxes and make quite a mess. Little squirt bottles are likely fine, but if you have enough bottles rolling around that are meant to be upright, it'll eventually make you very sad.
Have an eagle eye for odd little containers that will be useful. Things that you can't easily label or see through can be more trouble than they're worth (like those Danish cookie tins), but sometimes you find something good. Old pickup boxes from DiMarzio and Duncan are staples on any bench! I also am a fan of modifying old scotch cans for good upright storage for longer items.
If small parts get out of control, craft stores have plastic bins intended (I think) for sewing enthusiasts that are see through and have little dividers. Sporting goods places have them as well (fishing supplies), but they tend to be a bit more expensive. I don't have many of those at work, but my home stash of parts makes use of 8-10 of these.
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Post by guildx700 on Dec 23, 2020 19:24:33 GMT -5
Large tool box full of all sorts of tools and parts. My pool table doubles as my guitar work table.
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Post by Larry Madsen on Dec 23, 2020 19:58:12 GMT -5
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DrKev
Wholenote
It's just a guitar, it's not rocket science.
Posts: 416
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Post by DrKev on Dec 25, 2020 15:21:04 GMT -5
I have an Ernie Ball toolkit, which is in a nice little storage case. With a capo and feeler gauges in there I'm covered for most setups and string changes. I have a Stanley tool box that the rest of the stuff goes into. Electronics parts and soldering kit, multimeters etc. go in another box.
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Post by Leftee on Dec 25, 2020 16:03:28 GMT -5
Have have two workbenches out in my shop - one for wood and parts work, the other for solder and setup.
But I tend to do setup in the house a lot, and it’s nice to have those tools inside, as well. So I have more tools inside.
I’m still trying to find my ultimate organization, post move (June). This thread is helpful. 😊
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