This IS a great time saver, yes you can still do it old school but you might be surprised how many people cant see as well as they used too, that case alone makes this a great device!
+Zeek Duff You're exactly right. $180.00 for this thing is disgusting. I've worked with my hands my whole life and this tool is a nice invention but it's the reinvention of the wheel and it's basically a simple concept and not expensive to mass produce. Everything stewmac sells is ridiculously overpriced. They have a lot of items that can't be found anywhere else but their prices are simply scandalous. Hey, this is America and we're a consumer society but there is a point where it gets to be almost sinful. I have no problem with anyone or a business making a really comfortable living and even becoming wealthy but I've seen some of the things they sell, which are manufactured by others and often overseas like in China, sold elsewhere for 25 percent of what stewmac sells it for. I'm not talking about something similar but the exact same item made by the same manufacturer. They're out to make a killing rather than improve the trade AND make a good living. They have their comment section for every item they sell because they know that it's human nature for most people to say positive things and kiss up to them as a company. For most customers, even when they have a gripe, they're almost apologetic about it when posting comments. They prefer to be polite at the expense of honesty if their comments will be seen by others. Stewmac is shrewd and knows this very well and they know that overall, having a comments section can only help them. They do sell quality stuff for the most part but they charge a massive premium for a small difference in quality or utility. Excuse my French but they've got the market by the balls and they know it so they milk it for every drop.
Except in this case, it's not a StewMac-exclusive product. The brand is Heart Sound, and they're sold everywhere for about the same price. Probably made in very small numbers and expensive to produce.
You can get this one for $90. www.philadelphialuthiertools.com/luthier-tools/guitar-nut-and-saddle-sander/ But unless I was doing a lot of this, not spending the money.
Seems like you could take a specific amount off by resting each end of the "car" on a feeler guage and letting the nut or saddle just drop down onto the bench and tightening it. As for the price, well StewMac will sell to anyone, but they are selling professional luthier's supplies, not DIY supplies. Tools make you more efficient. A professional is going to ask him/herself how much time this will save over a year or two. If it pencils, buy it. (And then expense it, so it really only costs the luthier $100 out-of-pocket.) If not, don't. It's no different than if they were contemplating buying a wide belt sander or an expensive CNC router, etc. For someone who does a lot of nut and saddle work, this thing might pay for itself pretty quickly. For others, maybe never.
Totally agreed. The full time tech will use this thing all the time. It's well thought out and well made, makes quick and simple work of a job that is encountered all the time in any shop. I don't see how people think it pays them not to spend money on efficiency.
There are some Chinese made ones on eBay that are actually very nice for cheap. That's what I'm using right now. Now, if I did this for a living, I may spring for the more expensive one.
i thought the same thing & just commented about it above. it seems way too obvious to somebody capable of imagining this slick lil unit.. i dont get it... if henry ford yelled to the masses "ive invented a self powered 4 wheel automobile" & upon delivery the f drivers side wheel is missing & nobody notices or corrects the issue, lol
wait. you dont think they gonna release the tool that squares up the width for another 180.00 do you.. maybe do a bogo for $20 off or suntin?.. id love to pay 340 to change nuts in my 4 guitars once & never again...
looks like a nice, easy, accurate, efficient tool. However, it doesnt appear that the tool will accept the nut @90 deg angle so you can square the width as well. if this is true, Why!?.. your 90 percent of the way there, why not facilitate this surface as well?.. ive learned from experience that i can taper the width aspect beyond anything usable with just as must exuberance as the height. actually more so, because i can hang onto the surface easier.. tell me im wrong, please.
Extortionate amount! Surely there are lots of good people out there that can design it on a 3D printer and freely share it to fellow DIY repair hobbyist... doing their work repairs. Who knows, maybe even improving the design. All you need then is getting it printed, buy, 4 wheel bearing, 4 screws and four bolts, all for less than £10 and you are set! I wonder how many would agree to the idea? 😀
Just wait. Someone in China will make a knock off soon. I bought an exact replica of StewMacs fret slotting miter box on eBay from a seller from China and it was half SteweMacs price. You can't tell the difference and it works perfectly. I'm not all that happy about having to buy a Chinese product over American product but the bottom line IS the bottom line. I also have nothing against a company making good money for what they sell but you can't convince me that their profit margin isn't ridiculously high. Everybody falls for their cool videos... and they are great tutorials, don't get me wrong and they post customer testimonials knowing that it's the nature of most customers to be extra polite and over the top with their praise AND forgiving knowing it might be seen on their web sight. These two factors aren't good enough reasons for the highway robbery prices that they charge. They charge well more than a premium for items that can't be found elsewhere and though I'm not particularly religious I think it's a real sin. I'm sure there are a few luthiers out there who are making a comfortable living but most can't support a family fixing stringed instruments.
@@niceguyfory0u It's pretty strange! I live in Russia and I've got it in one month from AliExpress without any problems. I also recently received a parcel from StewMac from the USA with no problem absolutely.
@@alexz2643 Bought many things from Ali Express, but it says it cannot ship to the US. I ended up paying $89.99, which includes shipping from a US company, which means I will get it faster. I have had items stuck in customs from China before, that's why I would rather buy from US since I live in the US.
It might sound expensive at first but if you were working on acoustic guitars every day that $180 would save so much time that it would pay for itself in a very short period of time.
Good luck getting a flat bottom on the nut. Before the wheels hit you can hardly sand flat. I still needed a fence to lean it against so it didn't flop around. Great idea and expensive too. No instructions either. WTF
It's convenient but if you need this, you probably shouldn't be working on guitar. No normal person needs this. I can see if you are working on extremely expensive or rare guitars and it has to be absolutely perfect first try because the vintage nut costs $500 but how many ppl can say it's worth the money when you can just use a new $2 nut if you somehow massively screw up. Maybe if you are mass producing guitars it could be handy but most luthiers are competent enough to make a jig that holds the nut to the right height. Really u just need a slot in a piece of wood and a bolt to hold it in place.
The owner of that guitar is happy with how it plays BUT he wants the action lowered?? How does that make any sense? You didn't even note whether he wants it lower on the bass or treble side. What a bunch of contrived BS.
How's that bull crap.. I'm a guitar luthier and I can tell you that most of the time people want all of the action lowered not just a couple of strings.. In other words he likes how the guitar plays but overall the action is a tad bit high. Come on dude you're really reaching here LOL But I agree with most everybody great tool way too expensive
This IS a great time saver, yes you can still do it old school but you might be surprised how many people cant see as well as they used too, that case alone makes this a great device!
can you bring this back in stock plz
Let me know when the price goes from $180.00 down to $25.00 where it belongs. Thanks. For the current price, it should turn lead into gold...
+Zeek Duff You're exactly right. $180.00 for this thing is disgusting. I've worked with my hands my whole life and this tool is a nice invention but it's the reinvention of the wheel and it's basically a simple concept and not expensive to mass produce.
Everything stewmac sells is ridiculously overpriced. They have a lot of items that can't be found anywhere else but their prices are simply scandalous. Hey, this is America and we're a consumer society but there is a point where it gets to be almost sinful.
I have no problem with anyone or a business making a really comfortable living and even becoming wealthy but I've seen some of the things they sell, which are manufactured by others and often overseas like in China, sold elsewhere for 25 percent of what stewmac sells it for. I'm not talking about something similar but the exact same item made by the same manufacturer.
They're out to make a killing rather than improve the trade AND make a good living. They have their comment section for every item they sell because they know that it's human nature for most people to say positive things and kiss up to them as a company. For most customers, even when they have a gripe, they're almost apologetic about it when posting comments. They prefer to be polite at the expense of honesty if their comments will be seen by others. Stewmac is shrewd and knows this very well and they know that overall, having a comments section can only help them. They do sell quality stuff for the most part but they charge a massive premium for a small difference in quality or utility.
Excuse my French but they've got the market by the balls and they know it so they milk it for every drop.
Except in this case, it's not a StewMac-exclusive product. The brand is Heart Sound, and they're sold everywhere for about the same price. Probably made in very small numbers and expensive to produce.
You can get this one for $90.
www.philadelphialuthiertools.com/luthier-tools/guitar-nut-and-saddle-sander/
But unless I was doing a lot of this, not spending the money.
This isn't made with the DIYer in mind.
Got it for $150 on Ebay!
Holy crap man, all you need is a little block with a square end on it to set on the sandpaper and slide the bone against.
Anyone with the competence to build a guitar could make a replica out of wood scraps and a little hardware. $180? No way.
Exactly! StewMac merchandise isn't a little higher priced than others. They're absolutely scandalous!
Got it for $150 on Ebay!
You can also build one from wood with brass strips on either side, where it contacts your sandpaper. I might use Hotwheels wheels on mine. ;-)
Seems like you could take a specific amount off by resting each end of the "car" on a feeler guage and letting the nut or saddle just drop down onto the bench and tightening it.
As for the price, well StewMac will sell to anyone, but they are selling professional luthier's supplies, not DIY supplies. Tools make you more efficient. A professional is going to ask him/herself how much time this will save over a year or two. If it pencils, buy it. (And then expense it, so it really only costs the luthier $100 out-of-pocket.) If not, don't. It's no different than if they were contemplating buying a wide belt sander or an expensive CNC router, etc. For someone who does a lot of nut and saddle work, this thing might pay for itself pretty quickly. For others, maybe never.
Totally agreed. The full time tech will use this thing all the time. It's well thought out and well made, makes quick and simple work of a job that is encountered all the time in any shop. I don't see how people think it pays them not to spend money on efficiency.
Please bring this back! I don't feel like getting a knockoff with no quality assurance.
We're working on it!
There are some Chinese made ones on eBay that are actually very nice for cheap. That's what I'm using right now. Now, if I did this for a living, I may spring for the more expensive one.
A nifty looking whirligig…but $180…are you free kin kidding me…!?!
Got it for $150 on Ebay!
@@niceguyfory0u Still way too much, sucker!
... why god made 3d printers and 608zz skateboard bearings.
Well it’s custom built jig from a machinist so yeah that’s gonna cost.
@@bobbystruggle3658 also, it actually is avaiilable from China now. But I'm intentionally keeping that info in this reply to a reply to a reply :p
I went on stewmac and I couldn't find this tool
Why not have it open wide enough that you can sand the front and back walls? All that tech for the bottom only?
i thought the same thing & just commented about it above. it seems way too obvious to somebody capable of imagining this slick lil unit.. i dont get it... if henry ford yelled to the masses "ive invented a self powered 4 wheel automobile" & upon delivery the f drivers side wheel is missing & nobody notices or corrects the issue, lol
wait. you dont think they gonna release the tool that squares up the width for another 180.00 do you.. maybe do a bogo for $20 off or suntin?.. id love to pay 340 to change nuts in my 4 guitars once & never again...
the best material to use for nut and saddle making is a solid piece of old fiber glass fishing rod easy to shape and hard to break
looks like a nice, easy, accurate, efficient tool. However, it doesnt appear that the tool will accept the nut @90 deg angle so you can square the width as well. if this is true, Why!?.. your 90 percent of the way there, why not facilitate this surface as well?.. ive learned from experience that i can taper the width aspect beyond anything usable with just as must exuberance as the height. actually more so, because i can hang onto the surface easier.. tell me im wrong, please.
What grit sand paper is he using?
For 40 years I've been doing this by hand and checking for square on glass. Gee, I guess I've been doing it wrong.
Everyone knows it aint done right unless you're paying through the nose for it!
Good thing everyone doesn't think innovation is a threat. Otherwise the whole CNC thing would never have caught on.
@@georgeellison926 Huh?
They seem to have the exact identical tool on places like AliExpress and Temu for £25.
Wow....that's great except for the price. Back to the old school way.
That is a superb and very handy tool.
So is a screwdriver but I wouldn't pay $65.00 for a screwdriver.
It’s expensive but I think fundamentally it’s a good tool -
aliexpress.ru/item/4000493063014.html?spm=a2g0s.9042311.0.0.4ef833edH2QGoA
Whew...$180 is too much. Found same thing on eBay for $170!
Made in Italy???
Extortionate amount!
Surely there are lots of good people out there that can design it on a 3D printer and freely share it to fellow DIY repair hobbyist... doing their work repairs. Who knows, maybe even improving the design.
All you need then is getting it printed, buy, 4 wheel bearing, 4 screws and four bolts, all for less than £10 and you are set!
I wonder how many would agree to the idea? 😀
Really scraping the bottom of the barrel, huh?
180? that's for a gross right?
At 1:37 I thought he was going to actually say ".....your nuts" .
I'm with Zeek way way too expensive, I would expect someone to make a cheaper version.
Just wait. Someone in China will make a knock off soon. I bought an exact replica of StewMacs fret slotting miter box on eBay from a seller from China and it was half SteweMacs price. You can't tell the difference and it works perfectly. I'm not all that happy about having to buy a Chinese product over American product but the bottom line IS the bottom line.
I also have nothing against a company making good money for what they sell but you can't convince me that their profit margin isn't ridiculously high.
Everybody falls for their cool videos... and they are great tutorials, don't get me wrong and they post customer testimonials knowing that it's the nature of most customers to be extra polite and over the top with their praise AND forgiving knowing it might be seen on their web sight.
These two factors aren't good enough reasons for the highway robbery prices that they charge. They charge well more than a premium for items that can't be found elsewhere and though I'm not particularly religious I think it's a real sin.
I'm sure there are a few luthiers out there who are making a comfortable living but most can't support a family fixing stringed instruments.
aliexpress.ru/item/4000493063014.html?spm=a2g0s.9042311.0.0.4ef833edH2QGoA
@@alexz2643 Funny, I have an account and ordered many things from Ali Express. Ali Express says it cannot deliver this item to United States!
@@niceguyfory0u It's pretty strange! I live in Russia and I've got it in one month from AliExpress without any problems. I also recently received a parcel from StewMac from the USA with no problem absolutely.
@@alexz2643 Bought many things from Ali Express, but it says it cannot ship to the US. I ended up paying $89.99, which includes shipping from a US company, which means I will get it faster. I have had items stuck in customs from China before, that's why I would rather buy from US since I live in the US.
Why is this tool not in your store?
We're working on bringing it back but aren't quite there yet.
@@stewmac thanks. Reading the reviews it looks like not everyone is happy with the price
It might sound expensive at first but if you were working on acoustic guitars every day that $180 would save so much time that it would pay for itself in a very short period of time.
Classic self-defeating product marketing.
Will wait for reasonably priced alternative
Saw this...
www.amazon.com/Guitar-Saddle-Polishing-Abrasive-Burnish/dp/B07B2H8GD1/ref=sr_1_4?keywords=guitar+and+nut+sander&qid=1566651617&s=gateway&sr=8-4
aliexpress.ru/item/4000493063014.html?spm=a2g0s.9042311.0.0.4ef833edH2QGoA
Good luck getting a flat bottom on the nut. Before the wheels hit you can hardly sand flat. I still needed a fence to lean it against so it didn't flop around. Great idea and expensive too. No instructions either. WTF
Stewmac grossly overcharges for E V E R Y T H I N G ! ! !
It's convenient but if you need this, you probably shouldn't be working on guitar. No normal person needs this. I can see if you are working on extremely expensive or rare guitars and it has to be absolutely perfect first try because the vintage nut costs $500 but how many ppl can say it's worth the money when you can just use a new $2 nut if you somehow massively screw up.
Maybe if you are mass producing guitars it could be handy but most luthiers are competent enough to make a jig that holds the nut to the right height. Really u just need a slot in a piece of wood and a bolt to hold it in place.
Nice but very expensive .. Daniella. x
Just as easy to use a properly adjusted belt/disc sander for less than$150! Plus many more uses for that!
Brilliant tool - but you'd have to be making nuts and saddles all day everyday, to get payback, on that price. WAY over the top!!!
$180.00 Cronkites?
The owner of that guitar is happy with how it plays BUT he wants the action lowered?? How does that make any sense? You didn't even note whether he wants it lower on the bass or treble side. What a bunch of contrived BS.
If it is ok how it plays, he wants to lower it on BOTH sides evenly, isn't this obvious? You kNow
How's that bull crap..
I'm a guitar luthier and I can tell you that most of the time people want all of the action lowered not just a couple of strings..
In other words he likes how the guitar plays but overall the action is a tad bit high.
Come on dude you're really reaching here LOL
But I agree with most everybody great tool way too expensive