How much maintenance do you do on your guitars?

[Tetsuo]

How often do you change strings? Do you keep your guitars in their cases always? Do you always wipe down your gear. How often do you do a complete setup? Do you keep them climate controlled. Etc...

I am pretty rigorous on string changes. Not as much as some but if it is in regular rotation at least once a month. Although I have some MSteel on a few that sit and they go quite a bit longer. At string change I do a decent clean up. Polish everything oil the board if needed etc.

Regular rotation guitars won't always see the case but everything else hibernates. My bass is always out and usually the two I am playing everyday. I don't have a controlled room but they are in a humidified room so I feel pretty safe on that.

I always wipe down unless I am in a hurry.

Setups I try to do summer/winter or obviously if I notice something and or change string brand/gauge. Being that the climate is pretty moderate in my basement year round really only the ones that leave the house every really need a tweak of the truss rod. I pull the toothbrush out and get the nooks and crannies. Maas any of the chrome if there is any oxidation.

I think I am pretty average but just wondering what you all do for routine?

[xenophobe]

I dunno, the more guitars I own the lazier I am. I wipe down guitars regularly a little cleaning agent and a microfiber cloth when they start showing fingerprints. I oil fretboards maybe once or twice a year with a good scrubbing of a toothbrush. I'll 0000 steel wool the fretswith a fretboard guard maybe once a year or when the nickle or brass gets tarnished. I change stings when they start oxidizing or discoloring... depends on how much I play one.

I rotate guitars so they all see their cases unless it's a guitar with a case, then it sees the closet.

i don't like brand new guitar strings. I like them when they're broken in and have mostly stop stretching. I would never play a show with brand new strings, it always seems like they break if I do. On the other hand, if i'm playing bass, nothing is better than new strings So I dunno. lol

A full setup? Generally only when I buy them, but I will tinker with them whenever if they're not playing correctly. Once a guitar is set up properly, it shouldn't really need anything more unless you live in an extreme humidity or temperature environment.

[Mudlark]

Since I live in an old damp house, monthly truss adjustments are essential for a low, buzz-free action.
I'll wipe off the fingerprints and strings after almost every play. I like to steel wool my frets every 2-3 months and apply a tiny drop of mineral oil to the board a couple times a year.

[themisfit138]

I oil the fretboards a few times a year(it is pretty dry in the desert), and change the strings the same time. I like the feel of broke in strings. I do wipe them down after every play and put them back in their case.

[Force]

With a string change comes a full clean & fretboard rehydration, if it needs adjustments then that too.

But I'm like xenophobe, I have 20 guitars & a bass, it'd unrealistic to do reg maint on them all. Surprisingly, the strings & necks stay good for a long time considering none spend any time in cases & I have no climate control whatsoever.

I might be committing some axe related crimes here but I'm not having issues, it says a lot for the quality of imports, especially arse end JS models.

[Catharpin]

Most hang on the wall in my studio. I try to wipe them down whenever I play but the one I play constantly probably not every time. Ones I play infrequently get a wipe every time I touch them. I change the strings once I feel indentations when running my finger along the bottom of the D string. When I change strings I will clean frets and fret board and polish frets if necessary. Setup/adjustment when new to me and if something changes.

[Jackson8090s]

I set mine up when I buy em new or used (used get special attention right away) also mine hang in my room, I only put them in the case if I take them some place.
My house has central heat and air and is 65 F summer /70 F in winter. I wipe it down every time they're touched. When I change strings I clean and oil the neck & trem/ body gets clean and polish also use a toothbrush. Sometimes if I am really bored and it's string change time, I'll just disassemble the entire guitar , tuning machines come out, tremolo comes out and gets disassembled, pickups come out (plug & play EMG's) and I'll just take my time cleaning and observing things & set it back up... much like you would with a hand gun or rifle, I find it relaxing!. I'm really particular about my things, just something I was taught as a kid, you want to keep something nice, you've gotta take care of it.

[artonsafari]

Never used to do a whole lot other than a wipe down/cleaning at string change time. Have a couple that stay out of their cases. Since getting my SDK, that, my Les Paul and my Model 6 have been getting fretboard cleaning and oiling at string change time. Using Elixir Nanowebs I get a good deal of time out of the strings. The SDK is my go-to and probably ready for a change. I may toss a big brass block in on the next string change after this one which will mean a complete bridge set up.

[Mudlark]

I've had Elixirs on for months before changing and they still sounded good and felt great.

[Venomboy]

I always wipe down my guitars after playing. I know people who don't and their strings always feel gross and go dead quickly.

I have a 6 guitar stand that is always full and I rotate them in and out.

I've been fortunate that most of my guitars, once setup, stay setup. I've done a few minor truss rod adjustments. I can't find anyone locally that has a clue. They think low action means zero buzz. And raise the strings way up. Haven't had to do much work except some pickup swaps. Hadn't done this since high school and was surprised I didn't screw it up

[wilkinsi]

Very rarely. If the board feels dry, I'll oil it and clean the guitar. Don't remember the last time I changed the strings.

[diablomozart]

With a string change comes a full clean & fretboard rehydration, if it needs adjustments then that too.

But I'm like xenophobe, I have 20 guitars & a bass, it'd unrealistic to do reg maint on them all. Surprisingly, the strings & necks stay good for a long time considering none spend any time in cases & I have no climate control whatsoever.

I might be committing some axe related crimes here but I'm not having issues, it says a lot for the quality of imports, especially arse end JS models.

i'm very similar...not as many guitars tho lol...change strings when they need it...adjustments and fretboard conditioning, clean the frets etc at that time...i do have climate control tho...only one that stays in its case is my jem when not being played...i do try to wipe down the strings after playing though...d.m.

[rjohnstone]

I only change the strings when they start sounding flat. I hate breaking in new strings.
Some guitars don't get played very often and the strings could be on them for nearly a year.
They all get put away clean and mine tend to stay "setup". Haven't had to tweak a truss rod in ages. (AZ climate is great for guitars)
My old house was always at around 30%-33% relative humidity.
My new house I just bought is a tad drier, but so far the guitars don't appear to be bothered by it.

[VitaminG]

Because I mostly buy secondhand guitars, they get a pretty thorough breakdown, clean & setup (and repair if needed) when they first come home. After that, it can be months, or years even, if a guitar's not often played.

I change strings when they start to sound dead or get uncomfortably cruddy. I like to keep mine out (if I can see them, I'll play them) so built a cabinet to house two 7 guitar Rockstands. Between that, a Hercules 2-guitar stand for hanging odd shaped guitars & an A-stand by my desk, there are about 17 instruments sitting out. It's handy if you want to quickly grab a seven string or something in E standard or Drop C or D for the evening, without hunting through the stack of cases in the wardrobe in the spare room. Microfibre cloth hangs out with the clip-on tuner so if something hasn't been played in a while, it can get a wipe down & a retune.

When I do restring a guitar, all strings come off, body gets a good polish, fretboard clean & a drink of oil, trussrod tweak & intonation if required. Strings are thoroughly stretched before the nut is locked down.

[Mudlark]

A little trick I use for getting dust out of those hard to reach areas is a portable air compressor with a blower nozzle. Works great on fret boards, headstocks, around pups, trems etc...