It’s likely that for your first country guitar lesson, your instrument is going to be in fairly good shape. You’ll probably have just had someone restring it, tighten the tuning machine mounts, your strap pins will be in place, and so on.

Sooner or later, though you are going to notice a few different changes in your guitar as your beginner’s guitar lessons carry on and you play it more often. In fact, if you are serious about the guitar you will probably be playing a lot in the first weeks of your lessons. That can put some strain on your instrument, whether it is an acoustic guitar, an electric guitar, or a classical guitar. Here are a few tools you should have at your disposal to help you with conventional repairs to your instrument.

String Winder: This is one of the most low tech tools for the guitar out there, but you are going to love it and use it often. It’s just a couple of pieces of plastic joined by a spinning washer, but it will save you a lot of time when you change your strings!

Pliers: You’ll be able to use pliers for a number of different maintenance operations on your guitar, but most frequently you will use the wire snips to keep the strings looking tidy after you change them.

Wrenches: You’ll need a hex wrench for the truss rod if you play electric. And Allen wrench will also come handy when it comes to taking apart the assembly when you need to change a string.

Small ratchet set: There are a LOT of bolts on an electric guitar. Some small ratchets will make it easier to get at them and work them out easier.

Screwdrivers: There are screws all over your guitar! Both Phillips and flat, and you will need different screwdrivers for a number of different jobs.

Whether you play blues guitar, country guitar music, or strictly acoustic guitar, the time will come when you need some, if not all, of these tools. Keep them handy so your breaks will only be small ones.

photo credit: IndieNate