2-in-1 Precision Straightedges
V-4003
A straightedge that is truly straight is an essential tool in any shop. The StewMac 2-in-1 Precision Straightedge and the Notched version make your work more accurate than ever. Whether you're building a new instrument, repairing a vintage heirloom, setting up your shop tools, or tuning up your favorite daily player, this straightedge gives you the biggest bang for your buck possible.
Video Transcription
Erick Coleman: When you're working on frets and doing jobs like setting acoustic necks, you need a truly straight edge [on-screen text reads: StewMac tools + ideas for guitarmaking]. It's the one line in your shop that lets you know if the neck is adjusted straight or if fret tops are perfectly level.
The 2-In-1 Precision Straightedge
This tool gives you two straight edges for the price of one. It has an 18 inch edge on one side and a 12 inch on the other. It's great for working on guitars, bases, banjos, and we also have a shorter one that has a 10 inch edge and an eight inch edge, which is great for smaller instruments like mandolins and ukuleles.
I use straight edges in my repair shop daily to locate problematic frets, check acoustic neck angles, and evaluate necks for overall straightness. When preparing a fingerboard for new frets, I use it to check my sanding progress when working out humps or dips in the wood until the board is dead flat. When you're building an electric guitar, you can know that the body is truly flat for flush mounting the hardware and ensuring everything is going to fit together just right.
Use them for checking the flatness of acoustic sides for perfect neck joints and binding channels. Getting your sides dead flat where the cheeks of the heel touches the body is absolutely critical. And before routing binding channels, you need to see that your sides are truly straight flat. They're also helpful for setting up your shop tools accurately.
The 2-In-1 Precision + Notched Straightedge
We also have a notched version, which is my personal favorite. It's got a 16 and a half inch edge on one side and a notched straight edge on the other. Where this comes in handy is when you're working on guitars with frets that are worn, or loose, or lumpy or whatever the case might be. Takes the frets out of the equation and the edge just rides on the fret board so you know the neck is totally straight.
These come in two different versions, ones for shorter scale guitars like Gibsons and Epiphones, PRSs, which covers scale lengths between 24.75 to 25" inches. And we also have a longer scale version for guitars, including Fender and Martin. This one covers scale lengths between 25.3 and 25.5".
These edges are accurate to one and one half thousandths of an inch per foot. Against this granite surface plate, which we know is dead flat. There just aren't any gaps under there. We make these right here in Ohio with the same accuracy as our original steel precision straight edges.
That's one and one half thousandths of an inch per foot. These tools are made out of lightweight aluminum, and the shape makes it comfortable in the hand. A spine that runs down the center makes it very rigid, which is a good thing to have in a straight edge. We invented the Notched Straightedge right here in our StewMac R&D shop. Like all of our tools since 1968, it has our 100% satisfaction guarantee. The cheap imitations you see, just don't compare in accuracy or quality. If you're striving for perfection in your shop, don't base your work on a less than straight tool. Build your reputation on the accuracy of genuine StewMac straight edges.
