Best Phillips driver for Fender neck screws?

I use a Klein 10 in 1. They are available at Home Depot, Lowe's, electric supply houses, and can also be obtained through Grainger's.
What ever you use make it a quality one. They work, they are shaped correctly and will last for years. Your 99 cent special is your worst enemy.
Klein
Snap-on
Mac
or any PROFESSIONAL grade tool will do the job.
I wouldn't use Craftsman, Kolbalt, or others of their ilk.

 

The correct size is a #2 phillips.

Any of the quality brands - Stanley, Klein, Craftsman, etc. should work fine.

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It's been a while since I bought Craftsman tools, but you may be right about current stuff. I still have (and use) older Craftsman drivers, and the quality and fit to the screw head is very good.

Also, quality screwdriver sets are often an excellent buy, and provide other useful sizes. The #1 phillips that's typically included fits Fender pickguard screws.

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A screwdriver with a carbide bit, new. A #2 bit should work well; I keep a #1 and #2 screwdriver handy. A proper fit is tight and has no slop, and the screwdriver often looks a bit large if it fits well. Never use a smaller bit than correct, because it will be loose in the screw head, slipping as soon as you start to turn it.

The ONLY use I have for cheap screwdrivers is to keep a few around to file down to fit for a special use. Good screwdrivers are a super investment. When they get worn, they're no good for instrument work.

 

You want a ground #2 phillips with a 6" shank. A quality pro tool seller like SnapOn, MAC or Matco would be the place to get a good one these days you can also find good used screwdrivers in pawnshops, but you can also find a lot of worn out junk so unless you know what to look for it's best to just bite the bullet and buy new. Do a google search for tool dealers to find your local pro tool rep.

It's been a number of years since i bought new tools so i can speak from recent personal experience, but Craftsman, Klein, and SK all used to offer really good wrenches, but the only one of those three who offered a really good screwdriver was Klein. Craftsman quit selling good screwdrivers a long time ago and SK never really offered a good one. They sold excellent wrenches and sockets, but slacked on pretty much everything else.

 

I have a Craftsman #2 that I bought new about 20 years ago. It works great for neck screws, but I can see how they went downhill since then.

 

I have a set of gunsmith screwdrivers I use. They are not cheap, but very well fit and avoid slipping and marring screws.

 

Disposable hero.

 

One also has to consider the type and amount of use for these tools.

If these are only for work on one's own bass (or basses), how many times are you really going to remove and install a neck?

I used one of the commonly available Stanley screwdriver sets for years on an industrial maintenance job. I never wore a phillips driver to the point where it would ever slip or round out the screw head. I did have to regrind the flathead drivers a couple times, to keep the edges nice and crisp. I had lots of old slotted electrical terminal screws to deal with.

Many years ago, when the small hardware stores were common, I bought Anderes and Industrial brand sets. These are very tough with well formed tips. I don't know if such sets are still available, as I haven't needed a new set for quite some time. But they were not very expensive and are excellent drivers.

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Fender neck screws - #2 Phillips
Pickguard screws - #1 Phillips
Most Tuner mounting screws - #0 Phillips
Strap button - Most are #2 a few are #1 Phillips
Most Pick-up mounting screws - #1 Phillips
Bridge intonation adjustment is often a #1 Phillips

 

Yes. I use them to work on my <unmentionables in TB>, and one day I had to do some work on a bass, so I said why not?

 

I don't know if the group is aware, but a #2 Phillips on an offshore built instrument may not be the same as a Fender. Higher quality instruments built in Japan and possibly Korea may use the JIL standard rather than SAE. It may be useful to own a #2 JIL Phillips if you own a high quality Asian instrument.

The angle of the head is different between the two and an SAE driver may cause issues with a tight screw, enough so to damage the slots.

 

Do not think that firearms are unmentionables. Advertising sale of firearms is prohibited. That is in the prohibited items section of the Classified FAQ.

Brownells makes great screwdrivers. Wheeler Engineering is pretty good, too. Hollow ground flat screwdrivers tend not to slip, reducing the risk of finish damage. Philips tipped gunsmith screwdrivers are usually of equal quality to their Philips cousins.

 

Discussions of firearms are banned. It is fairly recent.