Straight from Fender.com, one of the largest guitar manufacturers in the world:

“Although it would be great if all guitars sounded perfect and played like a dream straight from the factory floor, most guitars will require a “setup” before achieving their full potential.”

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I often get asked what is a guitar setup exactly. In short, when a guitar is "setup" everything is inspected and adjusted so it will be easier to play, will be in tune up and down the neck and will sound at it’s best due to the adjustments that have been made. It should also be adjusted to you personally, the way you play, the gauge and brand of strings you prefer and the style of music you play. The strings should be at a comfortable height above the frets so it is easy and enjoyable to play yet still resonates well and sounds pleasing with little to no buzz. The pickups should be at the optimal height. Neck relief, nut slots, bridge height, intonation… the list goes on. There are many, many minor adjustments that can be made which together will make a major difference to your instrument and its playability. It will make it easier for you to progress if you are learning and will make you sound and play better even if you are a pro.

 

A cheap guitar can play and sound great with a good setup and conversely, an expensive guitar can play horribly if not set up correctly. This does happen and I have had more than a few high end guitars which have benefitted greatly from the setup I have carried out, they either weren't adjusted correctly at the time of manufacture or sale or had changed in some way over time. Guitars move, expand, shrink and change as the humidity and temperature changes and therefore require regular adjustment and inspection to make sure everything is working as it should, sounds the way it should and plays the way it should. If you change the gauge of strings you are using or the tuning (tuning the whole guitar up or down or are using alternate tunings) then several adjustments should be made to accomodate the change in tension...

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Upgrades! Yes there are also many upgrades you can make to your guitar which will improve the sound, playability, tuning etc and which will personalise the guitar to you. I'm more than happy to make a few suggestions if you don't know where to start and you can then decide if there is anything worth doing such as different pickups, a new bone nut or saddle, new tuning machines and many more options. It's all up to you and how you want your instrument to sound and play.

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These are all factors which the manufacturer and even a busy retail store will not generally take into account when preparing your instrument for you, if it has been prepared for you at all. I routinely have customers bring me guitars that they have paid thousands of dollars for that clearly have not been set up properly. ​But I will set the guitar up for how you play personally….your instrument will previously have been adjusted well enough to play ok (hopefully) but a good setup will bring your instrument to life and will be a pleasure to play and will make a very noticeable difference.

 

HOW OFTEN?

Every instrument should be set up at least once in its life and then periodically inspected for re-adjustments. Once I have set your guitar up I generally recommend a string change every 3-6 months and a full inspection once a year just to make sure everything is still functioning correctly and is sounding as it should. If you change string gauge or tuning then this is also a good time to bring it in for at least a basic setup to adjust for the change in tension..

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