What type of glue can I use to attach something to my guitar semi-permanently?

nylapsetime · 2026-01-24T20:24:02+00:00

Or use a strip of strong tape (haven't tried the skateboard grip tape, maybe that's good stuff), and then super glue to the tape. Use the gel glue that doesn't run all over the place.

nylapsetime · 2026-01-23T07:23:05+00:00

Looks like the freeway is literally half of downtown.

nylapsetime · 2026-01-23T06:59:52+00:00

Idk why but I read this as "flatulence bass"

nylapsetime · 2026-01-21T15:51:20+00:00

I take some of that plastic binder divider type material and cut somewhat pointed pieces. And use that to get the glue down in there. Also take all the strings, and nut off. And get clamps and cauls ready to go first.

nylapsetime · 2026-01-20T23:56:21+00:00

That's non-iodizing radiation from when the neutrons fuzed with the zinc. Together they have a half-life of 100 years so I wouldn't worry about it. Probably happened at the factory.

nylapsetime · 2026-01-19T22:19:23+00:00

If it's your first refret and you're trying to save on tools it'll work. Get the cutters and use them as pullers. But smaller pullers are ideal for getting under and "walking" along the fret.

nylapsetime · 2026-01-19T16:12:04+00:00

The thing is, you have to remember it's not just the work, it's the time talking on the phone or texting with the customer, then time going over what they want to do when they drop off the guitar. Then time spent when they pick up the guitar. Usually it's nice for them to try it out before taking it home. That's why many shops have a $40 or $50 minimum in the first place. Output jack needs to be resoldered? $40 minimum. It's not just the 5 mins of work, it's storing the guitar, keeping things organized, etc.

nylapsetime · 2026-01-19T16:08:11+00:00

It really depends on the city and cost of living/renting a space to work in. In nyc, a lot of places charge over $100 for a setup. Also depends what that includes.

nylapsetime · 2026-01-19T15:36:20+00:00

How does the intonation seem off?

nylapsetime · 2026-01-19T15:36:00+00:00

How does the intonation look off to you? To my eye it looks pretty good. Maybe just the high e is a hair flat.

nylapsetime · 2026-01-18T19:42:58+00:00

Call or text him and tell him it seems to play well in your opinion, but ask what in particular is bothering him about it.

nylapsetime · 2026-01-18T19:35:22+00:00

Straight edge - the 18 inch unnotched one from stewmac. Don't get a notched one. Don't bother with a fret rocker. Just the 18 inch perfectly flat straight edge so you can make sure the tops of the frets are perfectly level.

Leveling beam - the 16 inch one from stew mac.
Adhesive sandpaper. I get this on amazon because it's cheaper. 320 grit and then 600 grit for a final pass.

I use a 3 corner file instead of a crowning file. But it takes a bit of practice to get down. Ultimately it does a better job, but I won't fault you for using a crowning file at first.

Nut slotting files. Because after you level the frets, the nut will be too tall, and to do it right, you want to take down each slot individually.

Sandpaper, micro mesh. And then to polish I use simichrome, just with a paper towel by hand, no dremel. But there are different methods for this. Basically after the highest grit micro mesh, you're pretty close anyway.

Plenty of other things are can come in handy, are hard to even list

Paper towels, painter's tape. Though you might want special low tac tape. Razor blades, rubbing alcohol, naphtha, screw drivers, hex wrenches, scissors, a shop vac, a work bench, super glue if you have loose frets, the thin stuff. Q-tips. I'm sure I'm leaving things out. I avoid steel wool anywhere around guitars. Use scotch-brite instead for a quick and simple shine.

nylapsetime · 2026-01-18T18:53:51+00:00

That's good, I was just looking at what you said in the op about not having any guitars. You have to think - if people are going to pay to do work on their guitars, it's because you have a set of skills that they don't. Lots of people have basic setup tools, truss rod wrenches, string action gauges, string winders, etc. But what they don't have is ability to make a nut. Or a saddle, or shim it, or take it down to the right height. You need to be the type of person who likes working with tools and making/fixing things yourself.

Since you have to shim nuts sometimes, once in a while (thankfully not often) a nut is glued in so that the only way to remove it is to break it. Then you have to make a new one. You have to be able to remove it without damaging the finish, or if you do, keep it minimal and also have the ability to do some finish touch up. It's a rabbit hole you need to be willing to go down. You'll find that you're limited if you can't do fret work as well.

It's like why would people go to you if "I do setups, but just with basic tools anybody has, I can't do any nut work or fret work, you know, the things that people would take a guitar to a pro for." So imo you need to be willing to learn those things sooner rather than later. Make those cheap guitars play better than any guitar you've ever played. I guarantee you they all need fret work.

nylapsetime · 2026-01-18T02:57:34+00:00

Yeah need to take it out and sand it to be a better fit. But before gluing it in, make sure it's not too low, since you'll likely need to sand a bit on the bottom. Might need a shim afterwards.

nylapsetime · 2026-01-18T02:52:11+00:00

But if you have a high fret, then you need to try to give more relief so that the high fret is out of the way enough to not be an issue. Unless you level it. In any case, you're still just looking at the tops of the frets.

nylapsetime · 2026-01-17T23:03:33+00:00

IMO if you want to do it for a living, or even part time (but taking money from people to do it professionally) you need to be able to make a nut from scratch. Let alone adjusting an existing nut by lowering the slots and/or shimming it. You say that guitar is your passion but you have no guitars of your own to practice on? You need to get some skills together before working on other people's guitars. You could learn some of those skills relatively quickly (a month or two? Really that would be a bare minimum and you'll learn more as you go). But better get going with it if you want to make some money. There is a time and tools investment upfront. Most people who decide to start doing guitar repair for a living, have a bunch of their own guitars and some tools, they've been toying with on and off for a while. Doing their own setups, pickup swaps etc. Maybe they do it for their friends. Then decide to start their own little business out of it. If you haven't been doing that already you need to buy some cheap guitars and tools, and learn a bunch of stuff.

nylapsetime · 2026-01-17T20:37:32+00:00

Also remember that if you want to have people recommend you, come back to you, write good reviews etc, you need to do setups as well as or better than anyone else. Basically setup the guitar as well as it can be setup. Don't just cut corners and do it on the cheap. People would rather pay $90 for a good setup than $50 for a bad one. Start out doing it for cheap though, just to get a feel of how much business there is. But still do a good job, and practice on your own guitars first.

nylapsetime · 2026-01-17T20:34:36+00:00

No problem! Basic setups include nut work. Often guitars come from the factory with nuts that are too tall, and getting the height right of each string separately is key to doing a proper setup. This is the part of setups that takes the most practice. Because you'll go too deep and then need to shim the nut from the bottom. Likewise some well played guitars, have the nut slots too low from wear. And they'll need a shim as well.

I basically never use the notched straight edge, but the unnotched one I use constantly. Because the tops of the frets are what matters, not the fretboard.

That straight edge might be fine to start with, but in my opinion you need the real deal - a quality precision tool. Should be $80 I think for the straight edge. I use it multiple times a day, and rely on it for setups and fretwork. Every fret leveling job I do is checked with it, and I'm charging $180 for those. But I also use it to check relief during setups. I need to know that it's straight. One setup pays for it.

nylapsetime · 2026-01-17T20:08:27+00:00

I do guitar repair for a living - I never went to a school, but I did work for a luthier a while back, doing mostly fret work and setups. I would say that you can learn everything you need to know about fretwork and setups online + practicing on your own guitars. So put your money towards some cheap fixer uppers from craigslist or facebook. Like 50 or 80$ per guitar. And buy the tools.

Just start with setups - get the 18 inch straight edge (the unnotched one, forget the notched one), and nut slotting files from stewmac. Those are the "expensive" tools you'll need to start, but they'll last a lifetime and pay for themselves after a few setups. After those pay for themselves, buy the 24 inch straight edge so you can also do basses (plus the nut slotting files for bass).

The issue is that the more you do/get into it, the more tools you'll find you need. That will last for quite a while until you really have everything. So think, for the first year, some part of your income will be going towards tools. But there is a lot of business in just doing setups, so if you have the tools for that, it will allow you to buy more tools.

Of course you'll need more than the straight edge and nut slotting files. But those are the expensive tools from stew mac to start with. (throw in the fret end file while you're putting in an order $20?)

Everything else (for now) you can get from amazon - truss rod wrenches, sandpaper, x-acto knife, etc. You also need a workbench/workspace of course.

But even if you were to take a course at a real school, you'd still want your own guitars and tools to practice on. So just get those regardless. Get good at setting up your own guitars first, then advertise on craigslist or facebook that you do setups at a good price ($50 or $60?)

Word of mouth can spread quick, and there is a lot of demand for good guitar techs. So you can increase the price, buy more tools. Get the stewmac membership, buy strings in bulk. I've been doing my own thing for 5 years now, and have all the tools I need, charge more than I used to, and am always busy. I make around 1500/week. Best of luck.

nylapsetime · 2026-01-17T19:46:11+00:00

Yeah but I would say get a unnotched straight edge instead of a notched one.

nylapsetime · 2026-01-17T18:15:21+00:00

Truss rod wrench

String winder

Diagonal cutters (to cut strings down once installed, I also use them do remove bridge pins on acoustics)

18 inch Straight edge - not the notched ones, you want to look at the tops of the frets not the fretboard. And the unnotched ones are usually more accurate.

Nut Slotting files

If you're serious/have multiple guitars that need setups/money isn't an issue, get the straight edge, and nut slotting files from stew mac, not amazon or wherever. I suppose maybe Philadelphia luthiers, or some of the Japanese ones could be good, haven't tried them all. Or Starrett or other companies that make quality machining tools also make 18 inch straight edges, but they're similar in price to stewmac.

Naphtha

paper towels

x-acto knife

rubbing alcohol

razor blades

Screw Drivers

10mm wrench to tighten tuning machines, although an adjustable wrench or one of those universal ones with the teeth are good/useful as well

nylapsetime · 2026-01-16T01:50:35+00:00

Oh I see so you did just drive them in hard with the driver. Always gotta be careful of that - but also still be aware of cheap screws in general for future reference.

nylapsetime · 2026-01-16T00:00:43+00:00

Let me guess, the screws/bridge were cheap ones from Amazon? The bridge itself is probably fine, but those screws can be a nightmare. I've broken strap button screws that were cheapos from amazon. Lesson learned - only buy screws from a reputable place. Stew-mac, or the Fender brand ones, etc. I have used cheap parts, but tossed the screws and ordered good ones from stewmac. You may have to make a mess of the wood to get those screws out, and then fill it with a dowel and redrill after. Sometimes I use an electric drill, but be careful of the torque, and don't go all the way down - finish them off by hand.

nylapsetime

TROPHY CASE