I bought a new guitar and my instructor says that all new guitars should have a 'tuneup'. Is this true?

Question

He says that the fretboard and other general clean up things should be done. He wants to charge me $50 to get it done. Shouldn't the guitar be in pretty good shape already being that it's new? Or is it possible that many hands have went up and down the neck of the guitar in the store requiring 'readjustment'

Answer 1

I play, teach, and horse-trade the odd guitar on the side-

The term for what your instructor wants to do is called a 'set-up'-

A setup normally involves a new set of strings-depending upon how much you play- if it's an hour a day, for example, change strings about every six weeks to two months. It also involves adjusting the 'action' -the height of the strings above the ffretboard-so that the strings are so low that you're getting fret buzz, and so high that you can't press down properly.

The one other item is checking and adjusting the 'intonation'-that's making sure that when you've tuned the guitar, it plays in tune all the way up the fretboard. You can check it yourself- tune your guitar, once all strings are in tune at standard tuning, check the tuning at the twelfth fret. If it's at least close on all six strings, you're OK.

If you've just bought it, it should have come from the music store set up-even if it's in a 'starter pack.' If not, bring it back and ask. One of the main reasons beginners lose interest isn't a cheap instrument- it's playing an instrument that's poorly set up.

I'd go for a setup- and $50 is about what most music stores charge unless you're buying it new. Since you're a beginner, you want this to be your first guitar, not your last- Good Luck!

Answer 2

A little of both, probably. Even a new guitar will pick up dust from sitting around and some oils from all that handling. On the other hand, most people who have owned guitars for any period of time are familiar with cleaning and maintenance techniques. In other words, it probably needs doing but you shouldn't have to fork over $50 for fairly simple maintenance. It sounds like the dealer is using this as an 'add-on' to get more money out of you than you planned on; an ethical dealer would include the cost of 'prep' in the tag price.

Answer 3

Dude, your getting ripped off. Find a new instructor..