How Often do You Fully Set Up Your Guitars?

[Virtual Kevorkian]

Re: How Often do You Fully Set Up Your Guitars?

My Tele and Stinnett were getting used on every other production I've done in the past year or so and got a good cleaning/full set-up and sometimes a pickup change. Aside from that kind of stuff I'd say I do a fretboard clean/fret polish every 3rd or 4th string change and a full intonation/truss rod adjustment twice a year per guitar, but I live in an area that has 2 seasons per year at most.

 

[PFDarkside]

Re: How Often do You Fully Set Up Your Guitars?

On that topic..... How many of you are Humidifying your music room? This morning it was 31 degrees here.... I haven't set up my humidifier in my rehearsal space yet, but the Hygrometer read 48% this morning but I will set it up tonight. All of my acoustics have been properly humidified for about 2 weeks now. I store all my guitars in their cases so they are well protected but it is definately something that those of us in the colder climates have to deal with...

Great question... Since I just got my first all solid wood acoustic guitar, I threw a Humidipak in the case and I have been storing it in the case every night. I should probably get a hygrometer for both my case and my music room. I think with the whole house humidifier during winter and AC in the summer the electrics are pretty decent.

I've seen guys at the acoustic guitar forum use a weather station base station that supports multiple remote units, and have one in each case and one in the room. Makes for very simple monitoring!

 

[Ascension]

Re: How Often do You Fully Set Up Your Guitars?

I normally will go through all my guitars once a year. The exception is if I have a problem or am going into the studio.
When I go through them I pull the strings do a full clean up, hit the fretboard with lemon oil to clean it, then Fret Dr before a fret polish, restring, adjust the neck (if needed), level the trem ( if the guitar has one), set the action and last intonation.

 

[TheLivingDead]

Re: How Often do You Fully Set Up Your Guitars?

Probably not as often as I should but, unless a problem arises, they play awesomely as is.

 

[ratherdashing]

Re: How Often do You Fully Set Up Your Guitars?

I give them all a full cleaning and setup every spring - it's kind of a ritual. Aside from that, just little adjustments as needed.

 

[tc]

Re: How Often do You Fully Set Up Your Guitars?

Where I live the weather isn't very variable, even in the winter it just gets chilly if anything. Once set up, they only get some very occasional tweaking.

 

[Robert Delahunt]

Re: How Often do You Fully Set Up Your Guitars?

Depends. On a fixed bridge guitar, usually I only adjust intonation only when I change string gauges or notice something strange in tuning. Usually the one I check the most is action, and since (for me) a fixed bridge usually stays where I put it, I just check action around once a year and adjustment (if necessary) via trussrod.

On a tremolo tail, Probably once every six months, same as above, but adding tremolo adjustment as needed. I prefer mine to be floating so that I can do around a 1/2 step up or down bend at least, and I practice a lot, so usually action is all I need, but more often on this type of guitar.

I tend towards adjusting the pickups more often than the rest of the guitar, because I'm OCD.

 

[GuitarDoc]

Re: How Often do You Fully Set Up Your Guitars?

I do it whenever the particular guitar needs it. I find that some guitars need it more often than others, and it certainly depends upon how much you play it and the conditions already mentioned (weather, humidity, rough treatment, etc.).

I would say on average I set mine up about once a year.

 

[Robert Delahunt]

Re: How Often do You Fully Set Up Your Guitars?

You know, Lew, I think you're on to something here. I think my cheaper guitars of yesteryear needed a setup more often than the nicer ones I am now playing.

 

[aleclee]

Re: How Often do You Fully Set Up Your Guitars?

Never. Once they get in the zone, rarely takes more than a minor tweak/adjust

+1. I tweak truss rods regularly given the humidity swings here but almost never touch action once it's set. On the other hand, with stainless frets, I don't have to adjust for fret wear.

 

[agentzero12]

Re: How Often do You Fully Set Up Your Guitars?

I usually give them a check down every time I change strings, unless I'm in a hurry. Doesn't take long, and our weather is a little of everything, we can go through some pretty wild humidity swings. Some guitars are more affected than others, Gibsons seem to be the most affected, while my cheapo Squier hasn't needed adjusted since I set it up several months ago.

I noticed my explorer is the worst for needing attention. Even more so than my epi lp, which is usually rock solid.

I always do a quick check when I change strings. I figure I'm in there anyway, might as well take a look. Whenever someone asks me, I usually ask "when was the last time you did one?" The answer is usually never. Haha. As a general rule I tell people anytime it's been seriously bumped around it should be checked, or if there is any damage that had to be repaired, it will be set up at repair and probably need done again within a few months as it settles. I recommend more often to a couple friends in a hardcore band that are rough on stage. Typically guitars hold pretty well unless they get abused. But it's harder to tell minor problems with guitars that get regular use, which is why I check at string changes. Intonation is typically the only needed adjustment if any.

 

[formula73]

Re: How Often do You Fully Set Up Your Guitars?

Generally, I don't do **** until it really, really needs attention. I check intonation every string change but action...meh...I generally just bang away, anyhow.

 

[Phantasmagoria]

Re: How Often do You Fully Set Up Your Guitars?

When they're new & then never again lol...unless something goes wrong with the way they play/sound..

 

[jasperx01]

Re: How Often do You Fully Set Up Your Guitars?

Never. Once they get in the zone, rarely takes more than a minor tweak/adjust

Same here!

 

[Laughing Kookaburra]

Re: How Often do You Fully Set Up Your Guitars?

Only when I sense an issue. Then it's usually just tweaks, not full on set ups.