Let me introduce you this fine tool by the guys of Dremel: the Multi-Vise.
It might look just like a plastic vise with a ball-joint base. But as with any other Dremel product, it offers an edge above the competition. It’s built with ABS plastic, to make it lighter and less expensive than the usual cast iron. However, it’s very tough, as I have found out these years.
Let’s start with the fact that it is a modular system: you can use the vise on its own, without the ball-jointed base.
A common design language for all Dremel products are the color-coded parts. Grey ones are structural, black ones are for increased grip, and the blue ones are the parts you have to manipulate. That leads us to the most prominent feature of the Multi-Vise: The jaws have removable cushions made out of some elastomeric polymer.
These cushions are extremely soft to the touch, to avoid scratching the surfaces you’re working with. After four years using it, I can say they don’t cause any chemical degradation to lacquer, oil, or shellac finishes.
Another outstanding feature is the high-grip black rubber foot on the base. This allows you to have a secure mounting without too much tightening of the bottom screw. In the picture you can see a flat longitudinal section on the side of the screw. This allows us to use a 5/8″ wrench when tightening (or loosening) the mounting screw when needed. I’ve never used it, but it’s nice to know it’s there.
The gripping power of this vise is so huge it can hold a heavy electric bass without breaking a sweat, and with no scratches! All you need to mind is to grab the guitar near its center of gravity, to keep it stable.
This tool allows me to do an instrument’s setup in playing position, no matter how awkward it might be, with complete confidence. It simply won’t fall!
When working with acoustic instruments, it’s better to grab them by the neck instead of the body… to avoid crushing the soundboard!
In this position, I’m still able to do a setup in playing position since the jaws don’t touch the strings. Not only the guitar can be played this way, but it will sing naturally since there’s nothing touching its body.
The ball-joint base also allows you to hold a Dremel rotary tool “in the air”. I often use it for carving and polishing a bone guitar nut to size. It’s always easier to handle a small piece around the tool with precision than to control a power tool around a small object.
After shaping the bone nut, I cut its bottom to size with the Dremel 321 routing table (seen in the top of the next picture)
The multi-Vise is wonderful when working with guitar electronics. I just hold the instrument’s pickguard over the guitar while checking everything. It just couldn’t be easier!
In these pictures I’m doing a tone-control adjustment. Passive tone controls rely on capacitors to filter higher frequencies, so I use a variable capacitor (the grey box with knobs) to test the sound before altering the stock circuit. By holding the electronics over the guitar with the Multi-Vise, I can do everything I need without disconnecting anything.
Once the innards are done, I have to string it up and perform the final setup. However, guitars with tremolo bridges require to equalize the tension of the strings against the tension of the bridge springs mounted at the rear. That means working on the front and on the back of the guitar at once! Usually, the work would be like this:
adjust the strings / flip the guitar /
adjust the springs / flip the guitar /
check strings / flip the guitar /
readjust the springs / flip the guitar/
check the strings / flip the guitar /
With the Multi-vise, I just place the guitar in playing position and work on each side effortlessly. There’s simply no better way to do this job!
As with most Dremel products, it can be said that there are other tools that can do these jobs. However, there’s just no other product that can do all of these, with this versatility, without scratching your work, for this price. Period.
After writing this I think it might look like an infomercial, but it’s the honest truth. I’m neither related nor working for Dremel on any of its affiliates (though I wouldn’t mind to!). It’s just not common to find such a well thought out product like this. The Multi-Vise shows Dremel really listens to their customers requests and work to please them.
Hope this review can be useful to you. See ya!
Alexander Luthier in english 