Buying all the basic tools needed to build a guitar - Podcast 65

[@Martyr9991]

Can you do a video building a guitar (one that's not super complex) using these hand tools that you're promoting? So we can see how each one is important or what we have a chance of already having. That would be very interesting.

[@chriss2452]

No he can't

[@johntailing5283]

I’m convinced this is Bill Baileys long lost brother! Ben Crowe , you’re my hero!

[@wolfpak1313]

You helped me start building guitars due to being constantly layed off. I was nervous at first but you soothed that by showing mistakes can be better. I started making my own block planes and blades. You are an inspiration to others. Thanks. I'm over 60 and have 21 guitars but still don't know how to play yet. I'm not overly concerned about that because I think of it as an art.

[@musishoon7950]

he looks like a rugged biker and sounds like he should be narrating the signing of important documents

[@AleZayas]

Four years later but he looks to me like a mix of normal mood Jason Statham and Russell Crowe in a good mood.

[@Helpsnekgettosubspls]

nah he looks like surge from Thor ragnarok

[@spiderprint]

Bill Baileys well natured nephew

[@JoeyPinter]

what a great video you made. I was a carpenter for 20 something years, I almost always did renovations on homes. I found many very cool, very useful tools at yard sales. some of my favorite things were my Stanley Bailey planes, I've used tools every day that I know are at least 50 years old, and their still able to make money for me. thanks for a great video.

[@JgHaverty]

Here are some other things not covered, but often overlooked 1) engineer square. For setting up precision lines, and accurate markings, holy crap do not forget this tool. 15$ for a good one. 2) high quality pencils (Drafting pencils) 10$ 3) machinist scale 36" (not mandatory but again, the precision and time savings come in handy!) Johnson sells them for decent quality for not a whole lot of money, 10$ or so. 4) a good marking gauge goes a long way. 10$ here 5) digital calipers 30$ tops, dont go crazy here. 6) shop vac. go as big as you can fit/afford here 7) Its safer to get a cheap router with a high quality bit. DO NOT CHEAP OUT ON BITS. A GOOD BIT WILL LAST A LONG TIME, CUT CLEANER (SAFER!!), and is well worth the money! 8) you can go cheaper with sandpaper, but you're ultimately wasting money. Good sandpaper lasts longer, cuts cleaner, and works better. Mirka makes the best cost-effective sandpaper for power sanders, and 3m makes some higher quality hand paper. A box of mirka multi grit (from 80 to 240 grit) costs 15$ on amazon. 9) use the right bit for the right job. Don't be using a small router bit for a large surface area. Its unsafe, wastes time, and ultimately wastes money as youre gonna dull em out in a heart beat. 10) good drill bits. Omg I hate using cheap drill bits now. Spend the money, they will be worth it.

[@danterosales6985]

JgHaverty good bits?

[@mattinahat6475]

you sir , have a voice like melting butter

[@CrimsonCustomGuitars]

+mattinahat Why, thank you.

[@fridgeways2300]

@@CrimsonCustomGuitars I can't place your accent, born abroad and educated in the UK? Please do tell.

[@fridgeways2300]

Hint of South African? Probably completely wrong

[@SergePupko]

I've now caught the bug.. I've been playing guitars that other people made for years and now I really want to build one myself... I probably have half (if not more) of the tools needed. Granted, my first project will probably be a kit guitar that I can experiment with just to dip my toe in and see how it is. I've never really been interested in wood working but now I have a really good reason to be interested.

[@jamesrockland9616]

''...and now you're wondering why there's usually blood on my floor''.... hilarious, this man slips in witty, dry humour every chance he gets, what a character, I could listen to him speak for hours, and when the topic is guitars, its even that much more enjoyable! Just love this channel, informative AND entertaining...

[@nothingsworking]

I don't know if anybody suggested already, but if you build a neck you'd make good use of a nut slotting file set. Also if you buy a cheap neck, the nut is usually not set correctly so it will be useful then, too. I know it's quite expensive though.

[@CrimsonCustomGuitars]

We're working on a budget but slotting file set.. Well, relatively budget.. They are pretty damn time consuming to make so tend to cost quite a bit in relation to other tools we make.

[@jaynbob42]

Just finished my first ever electric guitar build from scratch (although just the body, the neck came from a donor guitar). It’s taken a while and all I had was a chisel, a detail sander and a cordless drill. Many mistakes made along the way and a far from perfect guitar. However it works and plays well. The point being, you don’t need many tools to actually make one. Having done it I’m now happy to start building up a set of tools so that the next guitar I build will be of a much higher quality and finish. This video is a great starting point for what I need to look for. Thanks Ben.

[@CrimsonCustomGuitars]

We are glad to help. DC

[@davide.waterbury6295]

You don't "need" a router. Forstner bits and a mortising hand chisel will get you pickup pockets or a neck mortise.

[@larscw74]

Basic tool requirements are basically saw, rasp, knive to sharpen your pencil and a good set of chisels. I do agree with the tools you mentioned as they would save a lot of time and time is something that non of us has unlimited.

[@rodneyhowe4486]

If you have very little woodworking/engineering skills then i would say its best to buy/build a kit guitar first, just to get a good "feel" of what is involved. Then move onto making the body and buying the neck. Building a guitar from scratch in my experience requires a lot of accurate skills and experience in marking out, measuring, cutting, machining, forward thinking, timber structure etc, and is NOT a "beginner woodworkers" project. Unless you want a guitar that's purely for decoration because its unplayable!! You will need to be able to work to tolerances of + - 0.5mm or less for it be be in tune and look good. Having said that, anyone can do it but you need the basic experience first. :-)

[@Colin56ish]

Well said Rodney! I have a metal engineering trade background but I think even kit guitars are a bit daunting. I would have a go at a repair job though. Tolerances are not a problem, it is more working with a material which is quite foreign to me, that I find intimidating.

[@ScienceofLoud]

Watching this I'm wondering how I've managed to build all my guitars with only a fraction of these tools. Looks like I'll have to expand my collection.

[@CrimsonCustomGuitars]

:) I think that I really do have a bit of a problem though, we'll, actually a tool addiction of epic proportions is probably the best way to say it..

[@daw162]

We share the tool problem - many do, including super fine makers who can make just about anything. A friend, George Wilson, is 75 (76?) and just about worn out but he still has the tool bug bad. (same george wilson who can be seen in a video making violins and spinets by hand on youtube "Colonial Violin and Harpsichord Making"). He's got the making and buying bug bad (he's a toolmaker, too, but it doesn't keep him from buying) - still overflowing with wants to make and build.

[@chippisc7120]

CSGuitars so... what tools do you have?

[@ibroxore4980]

CSGuitars

[@Ploutvonozec]

Haha. I am making my first violin from scratch and it can be also done with fraction of usual tools. Lot of essential ones can be made or bought cheap. So if I were you, I would not worry about your limited toolspan.

[@stkesq48]

I may be a little late posting this but anyway I'm very impressed with the care and free exchange you have for your customers and even viewer's here in the US we are overly blessed there is a tool store on every corner ive built custom furniture for about 40 years and I too started with hand tools,,, it makes you appreciate the bigger, better, hi performance equipment ....this yank if that's the way you say it ( southern yank ) thoroughly enjoyed your post thought it was very instructional thanks Steve USA.

[@cliffordesolomon8923]

Your most experienced trained be more blessed.You Sir accomplished lots.I can hear and see.

[@mikedcc100]

Hey now. Don't badmouth DeWalt. I work for them. Ahh, but you mention Stanley. You like their planers? Stanley Black and Decker owns DeWalt 8) Thanks for the videos. I love playing guitar. Rather than laying out $2500 or so for high end (Ibanez, Vigier, etc.,) guitars which may or may not have the specs that are perfect for me, I'm seriously thinking of taking up luthiering. You are an awesome craftsman and your videos are appreciated. I'll tell people about Crimson guitars. Maybe you can mention DeWalt's new DC brushless angle grinder some day. I'm on a small team of electronics engineers developing the motor controller for that baby.

[@Colin56ish]

Mike, I love the DeWalts I have had the pleasure of using, I found the DeWalt metal cutting Dropsaw the best for ergonomics because the handle is side on to the disc (that's just one example), No one else seems to have caught on to the awkwardness of straight handle Dropsaws. DeWalts electric tools always seem to have lots of grunt too.

[@JackstandJohnny]

Wait Stanley and Blacl and Decker own DeWalt? Ok, I will never buy another DeWalt tool ever again. Thanks for that.

[@billsutherland2128]

Ben, thank you for your tremendous efforts to teach us the art of the Luthier. And thanks for validating my obsession with planes, and as a matter of fact, all high quality tools. We become tool junkies as our knowledge and talent progress.

[@Terribleguitarist89]

Outstanding channel, definitely appreciate the list provided. As a teen I apprenticed as a gunsmith (focused more on the stockmaking side than metalwork), but also dabbled in valve amp building and basic luthiery. My father has a workshop that is an accumulation of easily 40+ years of various wood and metalwork so I was absolutely spoiled haha Now that I'm out of the military and no longer moving every few years I'm definitely going to work on building my own workshop up.

[@christopherberthelet3977]

Most of the tools I have from union apprenticeship and buying tools as needed/wanted, even before I was a carpenter and I built several hand made guitar/basses with a rented band saw and my router and rasps borrowed at first family tools then slowly built up to more tools than I have room for In my 2 car garage which is mostly storage.

[@cliffordesolomon8923]

I built My own guitar work bench and guitar neck jig with adjustable heigth s to go under with necks shape to keep steady and straght necks so can fret level and do refrets.

[@AndyinMokum]

Hi Ben, greetings from The Netherlands. Thanks for taking the time to make these vids. I enjoy making Cigar Box Guitars, (I even try and play 'em). I like to keep my builds as uncomplicated and rustic as possible. I try very hard to do this without compromising on the tone, or the beauty of the instruments. I also keep my tools as simple as possible. They're basic and good quality. The trick is, I look after them. They in turn, look after me. I can't work without Japanese pull saws though. These are my weakness. I love them. Even though your vids are not CBG specific I still find them very useful and informative. Again, many thanks

[@cliffordesolomon8923]

Thank You for this video on KZbin I m planning on making a stracoasters type guitar body and a telecaster body and finish them My self .I have two with great necks I'm going to use My existi g necks they perfect frets I leveled recrowned My self.Thank You for making this video. You and Yours be more blessed.

[@wolflahti412]

If you buy a pre-made neck (recommended both because it's the most-finicky bit to make and because it requires specialized tools), you can get by minimally with a coping saw, rasp, chisel, a soldering iron, and some clamps. And some good-quality measuring tools. (Starrett rulz! Or something)

[@JgHaverty]

+Wolf Lahti Eh, depends. The hardest part is the fretboard, you can buy slotted fretboards from plenty of vendors for not a lot of money. The neck is actually the easiest part to make honestly.

[@CARBr6]

I'll caveat this post by pointing out that I haven't looked at your webstore, but have you considered putting together a "Hobbyist's Starter Tool Pack" (Clearly not including the power tools)

[@alberthughes925]

I ended up fabricating almost all of my hand tools. saved me loads of money.

[@Level3Lifestyle]

This video has been such a great help! I know its older now but thanks! Luckily i have most if not all of the non-specialist bits in the hobby shed- I bet it would cost a bit more than £500 today! I do love that you talk so much about second hand prices and such, its just how i built up everything i own. I have a collection of ashley isles, sorby and henry taylor chisels that would make most life long pattern makers blush and i spent no more than £150; i dont think any where ever used before i got them, sitting in sheds for decades. School shop machinery was a blessing when HS regs changed a few years ago, wadkin, startrite and meddings stuff came penny's to the pound for a little while; my partner had to accept i love her and my startrite 352 equally 😂 Would you consider doing an updated version of this kind of videos now its closing in on a decade ? I imagine you can easily replace something like the second hand stanleys which or going up in price with a electric planer from Aldi for £30 for instance

[@Eo_Tunun]

"All of them!" is the only proper answer to the question about how many clamps you need.

[@rhysbooth4842]

Its only when he pulled out that tiny plane that i realised "he has a problem" 🤣🤣🤣🤣

[@Andyjpro]

Harbor Freight in the US is a great source of cheap stuff to get started with. Especially clamps. I picked up my 1920s Sargent VBM jointing plane on ebay for 40 bucks shipped and boy am I happy to have it. Don't always stick to the Stanley Bailey name, there's many other brands that are equally good and most of them are copies of that SB design any who.

[@Colin56ish]

A great video Ben. Most tradesmen are only to happy to advise on tools. As you said "find a friend". Most guys won't lend tools, and that's understandable since they often don't come back. I would advise only buy exactly what you need (in good quality tools), even if they are second hand. A quality second hand tool will do a much superior job than a Bodgy el cheapo Taiwanese tool. Quality steel! Imagine if there was no power tool, how would you do the job? So take time and use a hand tool such as a chisel or spoke shave. As you said Ben, a Jigsaw will do the job for a while, but buy top quality blades for it (less likely to flex). Don't buy sets of tools to start out with, only get what you actually need to do the job!

[@markwarner5554]

I bought my first router at Home Depot for $59. It's a Ryobi 1-1/4hp model with just a 1/4" collet. It's cheap, but it's still going strong, 3-1/2 years and ~10 guitars later. I also have a couple of Craftsman router and a Porter-Cable router set up for various tasks. I use the Ryobi mostly on a sled for routing scarf joints. My first bass was made with the Ryobi router, a Ryobi 3/8" hand drill ($49 I think), a small crap drill press ($69 at Harbor Freight), and an oscillating spindle sander ($160 from Grizzly). I also got a Black & Decker random orbital sander at some point. I think it was $30. That was the extent of my power tools. I also had numerous borrowed files, rasps, gouges, and planes. It took me about 8 months, but with a months long break for summer, as my shop isn't air conditioned. My favorite power tool that I've added is my 6x36" WW2 era jointer. I got it for $20 on Craigslist. I had to build a stand and add a (scrounged free) motor, but it works beautifully.

[@jpsholland]

25 years ago i needed to cut brick and concrete with a angle grinder. I did not wan to use my expensive Bosch and Hitachi's for this, afraid i damage the tools beyond repair because the dust which would polish the motor to kingdom come. So i bought the cheapest angle grinder i could find made somewhere by brand Unknown. 25 years later, still cut tiles and bricks, cleaning with compressed air after every job and sone new lubricants every now and then. The whole thing had the same price as an Bosch diamond disk for stone cutting.....

[@ZuoLuoT]

I haven't seen you even mention the oh so mighty Shinto rasp ! Well, on this video at least. I've discovered that "saw rasp" thanks to you, and I just love it for neck carving, and other stuff like that. Thanks for the video, I'll be looking for some planes since I only have the nr 4 one.

[@constablebentonfraser5014]

At first I was think kiwi and then I recognised South African. You have the most perfectly blended south african and english accent I have ever heard. Blended accents usually sound terrible, yours is awesome.

[@emochinchilla]

You're amazing brother! Thank you very much for all of this valuable information.

[@finnhagan7664]

3:26 £400-500 for a spindle sander? Triton make the TSPS450 for £130 in screwfix and its great

[@jobeious]

Thank you sooooooo much for this video, I have wanted to start building as a hobby but had no idea how much it would cost, this has been Great! All you're videos are awesome, entertaining and educational, keep up the good work, thanks again

[@CrimsonCustomGuitars]

Thank you.. Since I made this video I ended up opening a Vintage Tool Shop as well as Crimson.. Check out www.vintagetoolshop.com it should have some of what you need at very good prices! B

[@jobeious]

Crimson Custom Guitars I've already checked out the vintage tool shop when I started watching you're videos because I'm absolutely positive I'll get a quality tool no matter what I order, you are always honest so I can't go wrong really

[@peterlamborn]

By pillar drill do you mean a drill press?

[@JackstandJohnny]

peterlamborn Yes. For many it is referred to as a drill press.

[@esa062]

Also a respirator is necessary when making dust. And gloves help keeping fingers attached when working with power tools. That was a pretty good basic set. Of course the bare minimum to build a guitar is much less yet. For example you can, and people do, build a guitar without any power tools. You can make cavities with just a chisel and mallet, although a drill helps a lot. And you can quite well drill wood without a power drill. A chisel, saw and plane are pretty much a must. And rasp, file and sand paper. And ruler and caliper. And pencil.

[@JesusvonNazaret]

gloves are actually more of a threat than a protection when it's about power tools a colleague lost two fingers and the tendons up to his elbow because his glove got caught in the lathe about 3 years ago also they are quite magnetic to drill presses and everything that rotates just don't wear gloves around power tools

[@esa062]

Gloves can get caught, and in such metal work tasks gloves need to be loose fit, so they come off easy. Without gloves your fingers get cut off so that's no good either. In wood working gloves are also necessary to avoid splinters. Some tropical woods cause nasty infections.

[@CrimsonCustomGuitars]

I'm going to have to sit down and think about this even more.. You are right of course.. I suppose it could be done entirely without power tools if we wanted to.. Mmm, I sense a new video series don't you?

[@esa062]

Josh on the Guild forum makes great guitars using only hand tools. That's one thing on my bucket list too.

[@slimschuedl]

esa062 gloves are nice to protect your fingers while carrying around sharp stuff and so. But as soon you are working with something like a spinning spindle (which includes most powertools) you ABSOLUTELY should take them off. As already mentioned, gloves are a hughe thread for your fingera, even more if they are loose-fit! That's a basic protection rule that i learned the very first day of my apprenticeship!

[@charlescain7962]

Glad I found your channel, entertaining as well as informational. Liked and subscribed.

[@sprinkle_some_crack_on_em8279]

The way you talk about tools makes me happy lol. I'm going to give building a guitar a try in a few weeks. Any suggestions for a good pre built neck?

[@CrimsonCustomGuitars]

Well.... we make kit necks etc that are as good or better than any others available.. crimsonguitars.com/product-category/kit-guitars/unfinished-kit-guitars/

[@Whamesl0l]

My dad has most of these tools in his shed, all I need is a router, and the fretting kit lol

[@scottgoldsberry5203]

Hey Ben, No kidding the #1 Stanley-Bailey planes are expensive. I saw one online, circa 1870 type 3/4, going for $1650 USD. And I for one don't think your obsession is a problem. In fact, a number 1 is just aching to take a place on your shelf.

[@CrimsonCustomGuitars]

I would love to own one.. There is a picture somewhere deep in my social media feed of me holding one and I was almost crying! Expensive indeed but in the end an investment.. Or at least that's my excuse ;)

[@scottgoldsberry5203]

Crimson Custom Guitars Funny, I can imagine you getting one and putting it in a special-built lighted case, and mounted directly behind you on the wall. The case would have a biometric sensor to keep all the other shop mates' hands off, and a Rottweiler sleeping just below & out of sight.

[@CrimsonCustomGuitars]

:) there are some of my tools that have NSFW written on our near them.. Everyone understands that they are definitly 'not safe for work' and punishment would be dire.. The rottweiler though.. I hadn't thought of the rottweiler... mmmm

[@christopherbillington8965]

An old Shopsmith mark 5 would do just about everything. The 48" belt sander attachment can shape a neck in minutes.

[@BaconSniffer578]

Adorable man with head tattoos. Love it.

[@doritoboi7997]

Scott Campbell XD

[@xGshikamaru]

Don’t forget a soldering iron and the necessary things that go with it when you get to the electronics :)

[@achannel1818]

I have access to a work shop and I hope to make a solid body out of some scrap wood. One thing I wanna do is have detachable pick ups.

[@DreidMusicalX]

Love your videos. When I was 16 I didn't know what I was doing, couldn't play hardly at all. I decide to build a guitar body and use a neck I had from a cheap guitar. I traced it out and copied all measurement from the old guitar onto the new body. Some how it became an AWESOME playing guitar. Looked like shit because I was no pro at it. I ended up selling that guitar to a friend of Mark Slaughters for $200.00. He loved the 1 bridge pickup and sounded like Eddies guitar weird enough. Well now I have been playing for about 34 years. I want to start building a few guitars maybe to sell or of my own? You have been very informative of tools I need to do it. Some I already have, some i need to get. Now I need to find a cheap place for wood and type? Mahogany, Basswood, Swamp Ash? Not sure yet. Also finishes on the guitar? So much to choose from. Well sorry about the book here. But all in all thank you. Your videos are awesome!

[@caughtbynothing]

I really appreciate the information given here. What I'm a bit missing is the costs / importance of templates. By the way: why don't you sell some ;)

[@stringsalive20]

Templates can be homemade quite easily using the tools mentioned. And templates are necessary for repeatability, but not absolutely necessary for buildingz

[@alexpenny9416]

"because their rareeee.... and i have a problem." not sure why i laughed at that XD

[@krustybuzzard2477]

For those yanks like me that has never heard of a piller drill he's talking about a drill press.

[@Colin56ish]

Aussies too! Thanks for the interpretation.

[@tariqxl]

We speak the Queens English here gents ;)

[@HazardSports]

Excellent question at 1:00 I come from a family of woodworkers and love it! Just in the last 2 years I have been dying to make about 3 guitars and considering trying to start making money making guitars! My question is how tough is it to make money at it as it is probably tough to get “noticed”.

[@Colin56ish]

Ben is a professional Luthier. So be reasonable in your expectations of your own ability. I find it a bit intimidating myself (not being a woodworker myself). I thought I might start with a piece of crap guitar and see if I can practice some simple mods. Maybe pick up a broken guitar at the Markets etc. and fix that. Buying a kit first off would probably a bit of a reach for me, I don't know about other first timers. Start small I figure. Of course Ben wants to sell lots of Kit guitars, that's his income. HazardSports If you already know how to use tools you may be way ahead of the rest of us. I hope you don't over invest to get started.

[@ninokrtanjek]

I made a gibson sg standard replica with just, stanley sweetheart chisels, wood mallet, hand drill, drill bits, hand belt sander, sand paper, rasp, knife, pen and combination square

[@CrimsonCustomGuitars]

Nino Krtanjek awesome! I have plans to make a video series following me doing the same thing, I relish the challenge! How did it turn out?

[@ninokrtanjek]

Crimson Custom Guitars The guitar is awsome, has some really minor mistakes but plays great! I still have to paint it, order another pickup, make a push/pull setup but all in all im really happy because it is my first homemade guitar

[@TheFraserog]

Could you put the list of tools in the comments here? All the best

[@lagrottedubarbu]

nice breakdown of the tools needed... but now i need so much tools, it's a disease :D

[@walterrider9600]

Ben thank you. personally i am driving my wife nuts. snicker. health broke and had to retire earlier than i intended. so now i am looking for something to do. thinking about learning to build acoustic guitars. looking at tools hand and power it will all add up. oh i can see it now all the shinny new tools to come my way again . pardon the drooling

[@johne7100]

First-aid kit. ;-)

[@paigemorgan2175]

I'm only subscribing because you remind me on skurge from Thor. And I love Karl Urban

[@przybyla420]

Angle grinder for carving a neck? I would think a 1” wide hand held belt sander with the backing plate thingy removed so it is slack would be much better (but what do I know). I have a Makita and it hogs wood off with 80 grit.

[@simonderycke7545]

Thanks for this information. Thanks for putting your heart out there too!

[@GavinMorris1]

You should offer this lot as a kit. I'd buy!

[@larrycortner6321]

Thank you for the information

[@NachoManRandySandwich]

I saw this video in my suggested list but I can't watch because it's almost 1am, I don't have to work tomorrow and I know if I go down this rabbit hole it'll be 7am before I know it. I did this yesterday after watching the left-handed Gibson build. I had to talk myself out of emptying my bank account to buy a shit load of chisels 😂

[@NachoManRandySandwich]

Crap after saying all that I just realised I'm 8 mins into the video, damn ya almost got me again 😁

[@tariqxl]

I went to a deeply religious school (don't worry none rubbed off on me) but they thought lefties were Satans doing and forced my mate to write right-handed. Whether Satan is behind it or not, I do think left-handed guitars are guitars for the criminally insane. I mean, they play the guitar backwards. You can't be normal and do that ;)

[@sryanrussell]

Thank you for this! I so wanted this answered for years!

[@aex-blacksmithuk2111]

Ben, you missed out a couple of THE most important things for any workshop....the BREW KIT!

[@TomTobin67]

Item one: A good workbench.

[@McSlobo]

Kitchen table will do in the beginning. Only when you have tools to make a good workbench and know what you need you can start planning it.

[@craigjacob3704]

I was like yiuwn I worked on boats and the outboard motors, and I built motorcycles on the side and couldn't walk into a supply place without walking out with new tools. Do you ship to America? And where do I go online to your tool catalog. Thanks so much for the video it was inspiring.

[@walterrider1612]

lol Ben so you are saying breaking in new ppl takes blood on the floor? so spare the rod spoil the worker! sorry could not resist. thanks for all the work ( videos ) you put out. keep up the good work.

[@JMnyJohns]

So helpful, thank you for sharing your knowledge with us.

[@1961jscofield]

Thanks for a very informative and useful video for the aspiring (perspiring!) hobbyist.

[@cantormentorsofficial206]

the luthier gear is a few bob mate. I would say have some instinct first. Before buying the tools

[@TenPester]

Why do you store the chisels upright? My thinking is due to upswinging arms reaching for tools, but not sure.

[@kewlbns69]

just curious why you don't think the dremel router option is viable. love your videos btw. cheers m8 :D

[@TiberiusWallace]

Torque.

[@couchpotato5363]

Some good chisels + very good saw's manual+ 4-6clamps + fret cutter+ good measurement tool , .... You're good to go 😁

[@gabewilliams7462]

Hi Ben, I'm looking to build my first guitar soon, and am absolutely loving your channel! I have one question though - how would i rout the fretboard for inlays? Thanks!

[@kennyboyle700]

Thank you for this video, it is exactly what I've been looking for :) 5 years on from this video, would you add anything to this list or change anything?

[@DonCYHaute]

Finally found some time to watch this video as I've wanted to for days! Until now you seem to have sworn by the Japanese saw rasp thing for neck shaping. Why the change to the spoke shave?

[@noneofyourbeeswax01]

I imagine it's because he's advising starters on what would be best for them, as opposed to his personal variant choices.

[@glennspringthorpe4495]

Ben I love you to bits but your prices are way out. A good second hand Stanley No.4 can be easily bought for £10. The No.6 is actually known as a Fore-Plane & is an extra long Jack plane. The No.7 is called a Try-Plane & last but not least the No.8 is the Jointer-Plane. For most guitar making tasks you Nan get by with a No.120 Block-Plane, a No.4 Smoothing-Plane & a No.5 1/2 wide Jack-Plane. You are right though, No.6's are lovely & comfortable to use. I have made guitar-necks on a lathe, 2 at the same time; hee hee. Best wishes: Glenn

[@rumeunner3245]

I have three chisels, 1/4, 1/2, 1. They all serve me well.

[@darylwinn7507]

My brother-in-law is a luthier and he has thousands of dollars worth of tools. He just builds acoustic guitars, no electrics. I'm interested in building electrics. I just want to get a kit and put together the guitar I want with the stuff I want on it. Anyway, your video was very interesting but I get confused with all this pounds and quid stuff. I don't have the slighest idea what all that is. Anyway, informative video.

[@GamrGemini]

Me spending the whole video going "did he say pillar drill? I think I heard him... wtf is a pillar drill" then loudly going "OOOOOOOHHHHHHH" and getting dirty looks from my wife when I search it up on google.

[@TheGoodSon89]

That's a very helpful video! Thanks!

[@emilmarkotic4115]

I was looking to buy a cheap spindle sander from China. I found a brand and was looking at photos, and guess who I see... Yes Ben was there. They used your photo sanding a guitar and a Triton sander as their own 😂😂

[@Colin56ish]

Cheaky Buggers!

[@bitegoatie]

Great summary, but your estimates of prices are hopelessly optimistic. This is true of several of these tools. At least the prices in the States for new tools add up very quickly indeed.

[@RainMakeR_Workshop]

The £ is almost double the value of the $

[@bitegoatie]

Obviously the pound is a different currency and exchange rates fluctuate. The point holds - some of the estimates are quite low (others are accurate, especially where used tools are the subject). Which does not detract much at all from the value of the video. It is worth keeping in mind that tools are expensive. Anyone looking to build a guitar to save money should be dissuaded. People building for enjoyment are the target here. While that can be done with minimal tooling, costs to avoid substantial labor grow very quickly, especially with the power and specialty tools. All the same, fine video.

[@Darrenmccarthymusica]

Brilliant video, exactly what i have been thinking about the past few weeks! :)

[@timothycorcoran36]

When it comes to hand planes you and I have the same problem.

[@Mikeymoon12]

So informative

[@barbaramclean7088]

Could I use this technique to adhere a light weight frame to glass? Or Could i use it o put light weight chair rail? Could I susbtiture liquid nails intead of super glue? I want to be able to change it later. Barbara I think neat rick. Just wonderling if i could use it in my application. Thanks!

[@Drew.Parry-Guitars]

Personally I’m in for £1000 already and probably am only 1/3 of the way to having everything I need to build guitars properly. My advice is to struggle through a few builds and you will KNOW what tools you need :)

[@Drew.Parry-Guitars]

Rule of thumb is if you buy cheap, you will buy twice I learned that the hard way

[@Colin56ish]

Totally excellent advice man. I learnt the hard way that when it come to tools, there is no substitute for quality.

[@marctherobot7550]

Being slightly objective here but I was considering the idea of making guitars and looked into what it takes to become a 'skilled artisan', using this video as a kind of blueprint - more importantly, the cost and time involved. All of those tools you have must have been accumulated through the years at a cost. I know what it's like where you buy 'things and stuff' and then 5 or 10 years down the road it's like, "Jesus, I've spent £15,000 on things and stuff..." Necessary skills to implement/utilise these tools too. I'm thinking to myself, you do the apprentice thing on your site at a considerable cost - 'starting at £3495' and there are no reviews whatsoever to say whether the quality of tutelage is of any worth, but the crux of my argument is this; there's an art to making guitars. There is. But for the cost you're (or any luthier) asking, and also the longterm cost of trying to turn these skills into a business... CNC Machines aren't cheap in the short-term but they could roughly equate to what people spend in accumulating tools over the years, yes? Couple that with a good CNC design course and you could be making perfect guitars on a production line so long as you have the resources to do so. Now, if one were to do that second method as a means of 'making guitars' (the CNC approach), is their design of that guitar through CNC any more or less of an art than building one from scratch using your hands? It does after all take work, knowledge and design expertise to turn a blank image into something that can be sent to a machine and made. I suppose what I'm asking is this - in the long-run, and without the superficial argument of 'evolution doesn't necesarily mean soul or passion', would it be cheaper to make a guitar the way you make it, or would it be cheaper to use a CNC machine?

[@Colin56ish]

Mr Robot I think even with everything going for you there is no guarantee the market will pick up your product. You could lose the Ranch if you get my drift. These online businesses seem to be the go if it's money you are after.

[@alexpenny9416]

leather strop! (you where thinking about a "lapping" thing)

[@rcfay]

I know this is an old video but is there any chance that you could tell me what 4 main hand tools are essential? I have a nice chisel set and a dragon rasp and a couple nice ibex planes. What should I get to take it to the next level? Thanks

[@gilos18]

Do you have any security tips like how to not hurt yourself in the workshop?

[@garethtravis1786]

@crimson custom guitars are these 4 inch clamps you refer to just regular G clamps?

[@rfphill]

Is this list written out somewhere? Great vid.

[@Spazzsticks]

Superman's greatest enemy. Lex luthier. He'll beat superman by making his guitar sound terrible and by destroying his fretboard.

[@constablebentonfraser5014]

This is an under-rated comment

[@marxbud]

Hi Ben, I am considering building a multiscale 7-string guitar and I am unsure how to angle the headstock. With the nut no longer at 90 degrees, would you recommend cutting the headstock back at a compound angle? If so, how would you approach cutting this angle?

[@tariqxl]

Did you ever get that done? Hurts my brain just thinking about it lol

[@JebJulian]

video idea after the 90 hour build. Make a guitar with $300 of tools

[@paulmathias1908]

Really great advice, thank you.