how often do you set up your guitars?

[Gertrude]

i'd never heard that you should routinely set up guitars (acoustics/electrics/basses) as a maintenance step, i had only ever heard about getting set ups when an instrument's functionality is compromised. but my friend has his set up a couple times a year as kind of a "tune up". i thought set ups were an issue of "don't fix what ain't broke".

what say you?

[odietheroady]

Mostly in the Spring.

[bassman78]

Seeing that I play it a lot and it ends up in different environments (i.e. warm living room to the car to a not so warm bar and so forth), I have mine done about every three or four months (in the interest of full disclosure the music store I teach at does them for free for the teachers, so its a readily accessible option).

[Dubhear]

Once in the spring when the weather warms up and once in the autumn when it gets cold with intonation adjustments every time I change strings.

Most of the "never setup" people I deal with are amazed at the difference it makes and never even realized how a guitar is supposed to feel and play.

[odietheroady]

Most of the "never setup" people I deal with are amazed at the difference it makes and never even realized how a guitar is supposed to feel and play.

Nothin' better than my bass,freshly set up with new strings! Like butter!

[mwt]

Derek has to do his acoustic a few times a year with the changes in weather....

[feverhawk]

my hollow bodies are very tempermental in the wintertime. just like me.

[BillisCool]

Whenever I switch brand and/or gauge of strings.

... and probably a once-over ever 6 months or so.

[6AM]

Intonating a guitar is easy enough. I only take my stuff to get set up when I first buy a guitar and if the neck and/or action feels weird.

[99devils]

I do my strats and Steinbergers pretty routinely but I don't know how to work on the Floyd Rose trems so they get set up only when they start to feel shitty.

[reubenkincaid]

Electric guitars - whenever intonation is off and/or when neck is not straight (Quite frequently need tweaks.). That's why the bridge has individual saddles.....to intonate each string perfectly.

Acoustic Guitars - I'm a little slower to make corrections........Winter time your soundboard has a tendency to sink due to reduced humidity. So a slight relief of the neck or saddle height change gets rid of that Neil Youngish buzzing you hear. Twice a year maybe.

[guitardave]

Usually the spring and fall to keep up with the climate change.

She "let's me know" when it's time .

I'll be jamin' along and either my fingers start tripping up or I'll "fret out" a bend or pick up a nasty buzz.

The intonation rarely changes.
The neck is usually the only thing that needs a tweak.

Once a year it's usually good to remove all the strings, clean and polish (or dress) the frets, clean the finger board, and give a good cleaning in general. Then it's good to check all the screws, nuts and bolts for tightness, especially the tuners while they are not under tension.

Guitars that get used everyday usually are more stable than the ones that sit for weeks or months at a time......
........almost like they "respond" to the love & attention......spooky huh?