Guitar Building & Luthier Supplies

Guitar Building Luthier Supplies

Part of building a new guitar is making sure it gets fine-tuned correctly like a luthier would do to make sure it sounds good. A luthier is someone who builds and works on guitars and other stringed instruments. The luthier supplies you will need to set up a guitar to properly finish its construction include tools to adjust the truss, the action, and the strings to match the arc of the fretboard.

The truss rod is inserted into the neck of the guitar to help keep it straight. If the neck develops bows, the strings will touch the bowed part and the sound will become distorted. The truss rods on guitars can be adjusted using a small Philips screwdriver, Allen wrench, or hex key, depending on your guitar.

Truss rod wrench sets are available if you have multiple guitars with different types of nuts or screws that need to be turned to adjust the rod.

The method for determining if the neck is perfectly straight from the top of the guitar body and along the fretboard is by placing a precision straightedge on top of the fretboard. A straight edge will also help to make sure the bridge is aligned at the same level as the fretboard.

This tool is used to measure the height of the strings from the top of the fretboard. The measurement is taken at the 12th fret to make sure it is the right height for your personal preference. For example, if you play heavy rock-n-roll where you are going to be pounding down hard on the guitar, you’ll want to set them a little further away from the fretboard.

The strings should also be set to match the arc in the neck to make the guitar easier to play. The arc of the neck is set by the manufacturer and each one has its own specifications. These tools are typically available in sets so you don’t have to try to figure out which individual one is most suitable to use on your guitar. The tool is used by placing it under the strings so you can raise or lower all of them until they all match the same arc as the fretboard.