FretGuru String Action Gauge Guitar Fret Ruler Precision Fret Rocker Precise CNC Machined, Diamond Honed, Polished Edge Guitar String Height Gauge Luthier Tool with Thick Leather Case

im no tech or luthier, im a hobby guitar player who loves tinkering. a few years ago i learned whats involved in doing a proper setup. ive used calipers, feeler gauges, "another brand" setup tool, then the fret guru. this tool is by far the easiest to read. recently changed string gauges on my "couch guitar" a 2012 epi lp. the fret guru made adjusting the action level so much easier. so far thats the only thing I used it for and that alone justified writing a 5 star review. other measuring tools are just stamped sheet metal, this is machined thicker metal and ground down, much more sturdy and smoother feel. there are tips on it too, like the lines are bottom of string height - techs might think thats dumb but its a great idea for someone like me who does guitar setups like twice a year on the guitars i own.the backside of the tool has imperial to metric conversions, id rather see "common measurements" like action height on common guitars (lp/strat/etc). but im not going to take a star off for that.the tan colored writing over matte black is super easy to read, unlike the black writing over bare stainless on other gauges. the only better thing would be if the lines were florescent orang or something, even easier to read. but as is, its awesome. wish i bought this when i started doing my own setups instead of another brand.if you're comparing this to a cheaper gauge, just get this one, it really is worth it. they have YouTube videos explaining the different ways to use the tool too

I don't often review products but I had to in this case. I've been a kitchen-table luthier for a long time. As a gigging musician, I've been maintaining and setting up my gear since the 90's. Plus, I'm the go to guy in the neighborhood for a quick repair or a restring. I have a tool box full of tried and true tools to do the job right. I saw the Fret Guru2 set up gauge on a YouTube video and gave it a try. It is remarkably well engineered and built. The leather case is a very nice touch. It is the Swiss Army knife of setup tools. The laser engraving is perfect and it is a quality tool. This will be a key tool for me for a long time. Thanks Bernie!!

Love it, I bought this one to replace my old one that I damaged. Note, don’t use it to tighten the tailpiece lag bolts, it’s not meant for that and that was on me.This time I opted for the black one and love the contrast and find it even easier to read, the leather holder is a nice touch too.From checking and setting up of string and pickup heights to even using to check high frets, it’s just an indispensable part of my setup routine.

This is such a useful tool. I got this mainly because I saw it in a YouTube video, and felt like giving it a try. The bit that fits into the nut slots is pure genius. What a cool and easy way to check the slot depth and action at the nut. It's also got several different markings for string height so you can do setups from just about any angle on this thing. The leather pouch is a nice touch as well. 10/10 highly recommend!

This is a very well-made item. It has already resolved a couple of issues I had with my guitar and it has a permanent place in my (small) set-up tool collection. Even the leather case for it is high quality and the cover letter was clearly written by someone who cares about their product and customers.

Below I’m going to review the product but also shed some light on the creator of this product. The overall score is a reflection of the product itself and not the creator because these are product reviews, not seller reviews, but it’s worth talking about both.About the product itself:This tool is fantastic for everyone from weekend warrior string instrument players to luthiers. Primarily this is a string height measurement tool, everything is kinda plays second fiddle, however, I imagine these secondary gauges will be really useful when the time is right. It’s nice that the creator maximized its usefulness.As far as accuracy is concerned it’s dead-on from what I can tell, I tested with a very high precision caliper.In the past for set up I used this same caliper but I found it annoying because getting precise measurements is an exercise in patience. For maximum accuracy I would use my very expensive caliper to measure the string width, then I would measure from the top of a fret to the top of the string using the depth gauge and then subtract the string width, I would do this three times and then average the results. I didn’t like measuring from the top of the fret to the bottom of the string because it’s hard (for me anyway) to do this precisely. We’re talking thousandths of an inch and it was difficult for me to tell if I was too low or too high using this method. I have also used feeler gauges in the past, but these are very one-dimensional and there was never a feeler gauge that was quite right, so I would stack them together, but I never felt confident.I do like that all markings are laser etched and not printed. I work on bicycles as well and I have some tools with printed markings which have faded over time, I’m confident that this tool will last me a very long period without rubbing or fading.There are only a couple notable (though minor) nitpicks. First, it really is expensive for what it is. You can find very similar tools for less than $10. I’m a big supporter in local economies and I trust that the FretGuru is near 100% accurate, so I went with this tool over saving cash and buying something made in China. In the end I knew what I was buying and paying for, so I can’t knock it down.Second, the tool is very busy with markings. “FretGuru 2” is etched in a large font and and there are five arrows with descriptions etched as well. These arrows/descriptions are only useful once, after which they don’t have any use and only clutter things up. I would prefer a small instruction pamphlet describing each tool because knowing what the gauges are for is easy after learn it the first time. I really like cleanliness and minimalism, but in the grand scheme this is pretty much a non-issue.Finally, I really wish I could choose an option that had markings measured in metric. There is a handy conversion chart on the back, but I would prefer metric markings over flipping it back and forth for conversions, that being said this is another small nitpick.About the creator:It really rubbed me the wrong way when I learned that Bernie basically bribed people for positive reviews. Apparently he offered the leather case if the customer gave a positive review. The product should speak for itself. Thankfully this seems to be an issue from the past because a leather case was included with mine and my tool didn’t come with a piece of paper trying to bribe me into leaving positive feedback. I learned about this issue after ordering and I was prepared to return this item if I received it along with a piece of paper trying to persuade me into leaving a positive review because that goes against my morals. Thankfully this is no longer an issue.Also, Bernie comes across as a bit too impassioned in his responses to low rated reviews. He tends to respond verbosely with heaps of sarcasm when paying customers have complaints. I like his passion for this product, but you have to take these complaints in stride, not yell at your customers telling them that they are wrong. This will only put potential future customers off, had I read these reviews and responses before purchasing this product then I probably would have looked elsewhere.Finally, this product is a bit oversold by Bernie. I get that he is impassioned but he acts like this tool is the second coming. Yes it’s accurate, yes it’s useful, but he treats this as the be-all and end-all of gauges for guitar/bass setup. Yes this tool will help you achieve good results, but so will many other tools. We have been setting up guitars/basses successfully long before this existed, so it’s not as revolutionary as Bernie might lead you to believe. That being said, he is trying to run a business and make money (aren’t we all?) so overselling your product(s) is to be expected, Bernie just goes a bit too far.Conclusion:There are many great features here and it’s a fantastic tool. It’s not perfect in every way possible (what is?) but it will help amateurs and pros alike achieve optimal results. The creator can come across as overbearing, but he is passionate about his product which I suppose is a good thing overall. I do highly recommend this product, especially if you are like myself and want to support local economies, but like everything else in this world it’s not completely without flaws. Thank you Bernie for creating this! I wish you continued success!