Have any of you tried this set of measuring tools from stew-mac

http://www.stewmac.com/shop/Tools/Measu ... p_Kit.html

would like to find something similar for a bit cheaper

Been playing the guitar most of the day its certainly very comfortable and does need the action raising on the B&E. That could be my inaccurate fretwork or the straighter neck lowering the action a little.

Heres the first showing the overall bowback of the neck. After much experimentation i decided on this level of back bow as providing a flat neck when the guitar was strung to tension.

Heres one showing the effect of backbow up close, not a great picture sorry.

Then i set the frets level to this backbow


Hey presto a perfectly straight neck and relief set into the frets.

No i'm not prepared to share the easter egg.

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Niki: apart from your self-customised ruler (complete with Union Flag ) talk us through the tools you used, if you'd be so kind.

Then we can discuss brands of muesli...

Cheers - C

Well a couple of steel rulers is gonna cost about £7 and some cardboard and a big compass to make your own radius gauges these days cant be more than £10. A fair bit cheaper than $86.
I'd offer the idea that the best tool he used there was the magnifying glasses. A jewlers eye is undoubtedly expensive.

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No no and no

Yes, and just use a darkened background, or at least keep the bathroom door shut ( a mistake that I've seen many make!).

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Being able to play and enjoy music is a gift that's often taken for granted.

Don't leave home without it!

Hmm. Well I have one of these:

http://www.eyemagnify.com/index.php?ful ... abdf93b6bc

Pretty handy for £6 / $8.90...

Cheers - C

The backbow of the neck did the work of creating relief on fret height when the neck pulled back straight. Aside from that it was just a regular level and crown. Feeler guages to set the backbow, a oilstone and straightedge to level the frets. A small 1/4round fine file and rubbing compound to crown and smooth them. Final polish with brasso, cos i like em shiney.

Oh and about half a roll of masking tape. Which is the real labourious bit. I think my next home made tool is a board guard.

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And only a 10 minute walk from my house . I thought they would have cost a fortune and been difficult to find localy. Just shows how wrong you can be.

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I got the basic setup kit from stew mac as a gift. it is excellent, but there isn't anything in it, I couldn't get or easily make for much cheaper. the string action gauge is super handy though!

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I'm not an expert, but I play one on the internet.

[quote="nikininja"]. Aside from that it was just a regular level and crown. Feeler guages to set the backbow, a oilstone and straightedge to level the frets. A small 1/4round fine file and rubbing compound to crown and smooth them. Final polish with brasso, cos i like em shiney.Oh and about half a roll of masking tape.

Not to mention all the breakfast food one could eat

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"Another day in paradise!"

A side effect of being from birmingham mate. Its a old local saying that a good brummie eats breakfast all day (meaning a fry up breakfast).

Keep the cereal coming and I'll keep mucking about with bits of wood and metal.

The more i play that telecaster now the more i cant put it down, where i wasnt too keen on the neck size before. If you have a old beater guitar knocking around its an interesting experiment.

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I haven't read the whole thread so maybe some of this has been said, but here goes. I have a notched SE that i made myself. Simple to make, but i made it to do fretwork. You don't need one to do what you are talking about. You can use the high E string to get the neck straight. Just hold it down at the first and last frets and look at the clearance between the string and about the 10Th fret. Once you adjust the neck so the string is very close to touching the 10th fret using this method, then tighten the truss rod in VERY small increments till is't just touching or theres so little clearance it's hard to tell.

that said, i have always adjusted mine straight and i do it not because Dan says it sounds better, but because i always felt it does. It may be subtle or impossible to notice for some, but i feel the tone has better sustain and harmonics. It's also more obvious when you go to a straight neck from one that has a lot of relief than from one that doesn't have a lot to begin with obviously

If you wish to learn to do your own fretwork, make a straightedge. Otherwise you really don't need one.

It was to get the wood of the neck straight not the frets. Doesnt the string method only measure fret tops?

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[quote="nikininja"]A side effect of being from birmingham mate. Its a old local saying that a good brummie eats breakfast all day (meaning a fry up breakfast).Keep the cereal coming and I'll keep mucking about with bits of wood and metal.

Stateside....the traditional source for that kind of re-enforcement comes from "Wheaties" and "Cheerios", or "Quaker Oatmeal"

(Now just wait until you see where this one is going to take us

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"Another day in paradise!"

Doc, what are you talking about? Everyone knows that you get all you need from a plate/bowl of grits!! Sometimes with a little redeye gravy on top!