I have had this gig-saving tool for probably three decades now. I've misplaced it a few times, but have always recovered it somehow. When I have had it available, it always went with me to any gig that I was playing, and I still take it when I go to bluegrass shows, just in case a performer needs to use it. I mentioned it in a blog back about two years ago (https://luegra.design.blog/2022/02/19/musicians-gifts-from-non-musicians/).
The Roadie Rench was extremely popular back in the 1980s and 90s. It was made by a company called Blackstar out of San Dimas, California. It is situated like a Swiss Army knife, and holds a phillips screwdriver, a straight-slot screwdriver, a string cutter, and hex keys for 1.5mm, 2.5mm, 3mm, 0.050", 5/64", 3/32", and 5/32". From my years of experience with this tool, it has saved the day in many situations.
It is NOT the everything tool. Moreover, it is not what a luthier would have at his shop arsenal. As the name implies, it is meant for gig and jam session emergency repairs. It has its faults, to be sure. It does not have a wrench for tightening either tuning gear, pot, or jack nuts. Of comments that I have seen, some have complained that it does not have a nut driver for Gibson necks. My only REAL personal complaint is that the string cutter is not great. It will cut wound strings on guitars, but has a tough time cutting both plain strings and heavier bass guitar strings.
With that said, for anyone with Fender guitars or guitars with the Floyd Rose-style tremolo systems, it does the quick fixes when needed. This tool was meant for the guitarist to keep in his/her pocket or gig bag instead of lugging around a bunch of tools that may never get used anyway. To be honest, one should have a good set of guitar repair and maintenance tools at home, and should check out all of the equipment for functionality before leaving the house to a gig.
Since the Roadie Rench came out, there have been a number of copycats manufactured by other companies such as Jim Dunlop, D'Addario and GrooveTech. These multi-tools have even improved on the original Roadie Rench by including said nut wrench and Gibson nut driver. Some even include a small ruler (I assume for measuring string height). But it was the Roadie Rench that started it all!
Back in April, as I was using the Roadie Rench at the SEMBMA Youth Scholarship Showcase on some instruments in the organization's "petting zoo" (https://luegra.design.blog/2024/04/26/sembma-youth-scholarship-showcase-afterword/), I got to thinking that I don't see the tool advertised much any more. I decided to do some Google searches, but came up nearly empty. An actual search on "Roadie Rench" pulls up adverts for the other similar tools, and a few old listings on Reverb and Zzsounds that show the pre-owned RR has already been sold. A search on "Blackstar" only comes up with a guitar amplifier company out of the UK. A search on "Blackstar San Dimas California" came up with only one possible lead, a LinkedIn profile of someone who supposedly owned the company until 2007. I messaged that person, so hopefully I will get some information in the next few weeks.
If you can find a Roadie Rench used somewhere for a few bucks, I recommend buying it. If not, consider snagging one of the copycats through Sweetwater or Guitar Center. They are a worthwhile first-aid kit for string musicians at a gig. Also, consider buying a full set of screwdrivers, the proper nut driver, a few wrenches, pliers, wire cutters, and some other necessary guitar maintenance tools to keep at home for regular guitar maintenance, as well as the book Guitar Setup & Maintenance by Chad Johnson (Hal Leonard Publishing ISBN 978-1-4584-1824-1) for reference.
Chew on it and comment.
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