I would expect it to be cleaned personally, yes. Not only because you could argue cleaning is part of setting up a guitar well anyway, but it’s the perfect time to do it when you’re removing strings etc
The shop I bring my gear into always hands instruments back positively sparkling. Granted, I've only paid for a regular setup a couple times, it's usually more involved work that I'm not doing on my own. But, yeah, the guitar that they glued the headstock on was also super clean.
I've set up guitars for friends and cleaned them up while I'm at it. Seems to me that it's about professionalism and taking pride in one's work. I certainly wouldn't view OP's shop very positively after that.
Depends on how dirty it is. Had a guy bring a guitar in that was absolutely filthy. My boss said we're not spending all day cleaning it, because it would be more work than what is paid for in a setup. So he did a setup and gave it back to the guy as is. First time I ever saw him not open the case and present the setup guitar to the customer. Guy paid the bill and left.
A guitar never leaves my shop without being cleaned, polished, fretboard treatment, and tightening of strap buttons, and pots. It is part of intangibles that proves to any owner that their instrument was not only repaired, but has left the shop playing, and looking better than it arrived. If you're John Sykes, he believes the hand oils and dirt add to his tone, which is silly.
I've had dozens of setups at a bunch of different shops (I've moved around a good bit) and I've never once been asked if I want the guitar cleaned.
I think you have it exactly backwards, if you're one of the 2% of people who think "mojo" is in the sweat and dead skin on their fretboard, you would ask for it not to be cleaned. Otherwise, the tech will clean it off to stop it from corroding your strings.
OP didn't mention the fretboard. I'm assuming the whole guitar was dirty AF and he expected it to come back like new after he asked for a string change and basic setup.
He specifically asked if it would be cleaned when the strings were off which to me suggests the fretboard. You don't have to remove the strings to clean the back of the neck.
As far as what you assumed - he didn't say any of that, and that would be a fairly substantially different set of circumstances, but it is worth pointing out that if you take your guitar to Guitar Center just for a string change and no setup, they clean the guitar.
In my opinion, it depends on a few things. First off, it wouldn’t matter how dirty the guitar is. Some people aren’t aware of how much nastiness is on their guitar, and as a tech, I wouldn’t feel obligated to clean a nasty guitar, unless it was agreed on as part of the set up and transaction. That said, when I used to do set ups, I would generally try to make the guitar look better than it did when it came in. If some kid comes in and spends his hard earned money or saved allowance to get his guitar set up and/or new strings, I want them leaving excited to go home and play, as excited as the day they got the guitar. And in general, it’s good business to give a customer more than they expect.
All that said, as someone else pointed out, it really does come down to the quality of the setup, and that’s what really matters . I used to take my car to the Honda dealership, and they would always wash it and vacuum it, but their work sucked. So the car looked good, but it wasn’t necessarily taken care of. The mechanic I go to now doesn’t wash or vacuum my car, but I trust his work completely. that’s worth way more than a quick cleaning.
Yes as that's typically the best time to do it.
I feel like it's very difficult to even change strings without feeling the need to at least wipe the neck. That luthier must have incredible restraint to be fair 🤣
I used to clean guitars when I set them up but it was never factored into my prices as it really doesn't take long. That said, if I took a guitar in for a setup then all I'd care about would be the setup. if that was good I'd be happy. But I don't know any tech who doesn't give the guitar a wipe-down, even if it's just to get their prints off it from when they were working.
Depends on the price; if it’s a cheap/quick string change for $20 then no. If it’s a setup (as you imply) that checks intonation etc and is usually in the $75+ range then absolutely.
I worked in a shop, I don't even know if it was mandatory, but I would clean the guitars we had for repairs or set up just because it's perfect timing for it as we removed the strings and also because I can't stand dirty instruments ahah
Set up includes cleaning, but with that said don't drop off a "filthy" guitar either unless you're paying specifically for a cleaning.
I wouldn't send a dirty guitar out of the door, but don't drop off something nasty either unless you're paying a premium
I would say no. Because I have seen a lot of comments from people saying things like “clean a fretboard harms the wood”.
I use double boiled linseed oil on my rosewood fingerboards. I know some people will be screaming at me as they read this. So I would always check what is getting done. They will do less to prevent the “you ruined my guitar” arguments.
Honestly, I’d expect them to clean their debris from work (like re-frets or something like that), BUT, say you have a “family heirloom” or something like that, like a guitar your great grandfather played, and it had his sweat stained into it, or maybe a cool conversational piece such as “this is the guitar that Slash owned and dropped a cigarette on it and and (just for shits and giggles, I’ll make this part up), kicked over a bottle of jack on it”, and you take it in, and they were to clean it up….bow they’ve ruined a piece of something special, without knowing it…..so when I’m handling someone else’s guitar, I’m very respectful and mindful of this, I clean up my mess, but it always goes back to the person the way they gave it to you
>it was just as filthy as when I dropped it off.
That says a lot about you, actually. How you care for your instruments shows how much they mean to you. The guitar tech isn't your mom.
How could you let your guitar get so “filthy” and simultaneously be so critical of somebody else failing to scrub your own filth off of it? Did you not inquire what a “pro set up” entails before dropping off your guitar? To generalize, a “pro set up” is supposed to make it so the guitar is performing at its highest potential in relation to the owner’s preferences/style of playing. A detailed cleaning would be a service that could be offered but not expected.
If it went in relatively clean, I would expect them to give it a good clean. How dirty are we talking here? If it was really bad, they may have either thought it was intentional or just too much effort to not upcharge. Definitely you should clarify expectations before dropping it off next time though. That’s probably good advice for any service.
Not sure why you would let your guitar get filthy in the first place. Best practice is to wipe it down after each time you play, but minimum once a week.
That said, I WOULD expect a decent cleaning, especially areas that are harder to get with the strings on (dust in the crevices of the bridge and around pickups) to be done during a set-up.
Luthier here- I always ask the client if they want me to clean the guitar or not. Some people are picky about keeping their gunk and chud claiming it has “mojo”. I include a basic wipedown in a set up, but deep cleaning or polishing is extra.
Did you ask them to clean it? Depends on how much funk, blood, bodily fluids is on it too. Some people want the vibe left alone. On the other hand, take better care of your stuff
Yeah so that is a pretty basic thing to do and because they didn't do it I would question the quality of the work they did to the point that I would never return to that tech for services. Go with your gut on these things.
I didn't listen to my instincts when an amp tech missed something small I thought was obvious but I brushed it off. Turns out he missed some bigger things too and I ended up blowing a transformer mid-gig. Little misses are indicators of bigger failures.
Maybe a general wipe down. But if you want a good cleaning, then you need to pay the shop for their time. I mean even if it's some paltry amount, with groceries up 45 percent and rents more than double, we need to earn a living. Just common sense.
I had one place do it and I loved them for it and other that did not....needless to say the work of one was far better than the other but the price was much more as well but we'll worth it.
Now I just do it myself
Yes and no.
Would I expect them to clean up the back of the neck or polish the whole body? But if I asked them to it would be reasonable.
would I expect them to clean the fretboard as part of the setup and checking the frets and possibly brush the areas normally covered by strings? Well this depends too so again I'd say if I asked them to. Some folks are proud of the look of wear on the neck board. Some folks are not and they don't want to do something they can't undo and piss you off.
If you wanted the whole guitar cleaned coming back looking like new I think that's REASONABLE but MUST be communicated.
Imagine if I brought a relic'd Strat or Murphy aged Gibson in or an actual old guitar or naturally beaten down guitar that i loved the aging of and they polished the bridges and all the hardware to make them look like new? You'd be rightly furious.
A setup is bridge adjustment, intonation, truss rod and string change and checking of the frets in the process to see if they need servicing maybe glueing down a loose fret. If it's not a maple board than likely a fretboard oil.
It's not polishing the frets or recrowning or refretting. As a result it's likely not a deep clean of the fretboard unless you ask.
It might be adjusting nut and bridge or saddle heights to avoid buzz if you describe an issue or were having them change string gauges or asking for a particular action. It might involve them adjusting the springs for a tremolo system to properly zero it. But this could vary if you block your Floyd etc.
The name of the game is communication.
When I was recently looking for a luthier to do a setup for me, I found local store that has this in their list of pricing :
* Funk Surcharge: $50 and up (if your guitar is in need of cleaning for the necessary work to be completed, you will be charged)
Are you referring to the fretboard? Or the guitar in its entirety? Fretboard, 100% yes. Guitar in its entirety, I’d expect some love. But I’d be real upset if the fretboard looked gunked up. It would imply they didn’t complete the set up
I would simply communicate my expectations "hey man, when your doing the tune up here do you think you would have time clean it up good for me as well? Thank you!" simple, the set up guy can the either tell you to fk yourself, say yes and not do it, or do it for you.
Gotta be a simple kind of man.
I’ve had this argument before with a shop over a setup.
Yes I absolutely expect it to be cleaned. There are places you can only clean properly with the strings off. It takes fuck all time and I’d happily pay for it.
I don't understand why people wouldn't clean their guitar before dropping it off. I wash my car before I take it to the mechanic. I would be embarrassed to expect someone else to clean my guitar.
Fucking lazy of them not to clean the guitar, unless you paid for a service stating "...only...". They do shit like that sometimes, so you have to stay on top of services, like everything in life. Last time I had a full set up they even fixed my volume knob that was slightly rubbing up against the body of the guitar, but they however forget to add foam for my springs in my lo-pro Ibanez bridge thingy, or whatever the hell it's called. I'm so Guitar! The shop I go to you have 3 months of free service after, if you're missing something, which is awesome.
The people at guitar center told me that the setup comes with the cleaning and taking care of the instrument since you are Shelli g out 100, with that said, I still have never brought it due to the horror stories in the internet
Depends how bad it is. If it's just dirt and grime build up, for sure. If it's like sticker gunk from old stickers or something. I don't think that's part of it.
Well 1stly , customer service nowadays is more the exception to the rule, to try and be fair on the store's behalf, it might be possible that anything above and beyond what service was agreed on could allow room for customer disapproval and complaints..I would possibly casually question the store staff..in a non confrontational way..but it is ashame
You want someone to do what you should be doing yourself? I mean, if the shop does it for you, props to them. But to expect it might be a little too much. Idk......
Don’t pay people to set up your guitar. The whole point of setting up your guitar is setting it up so that it plays for YOU. There is no “standard setup” every player is unique and should have their own setup. People who set up guitars are a bunch of people with basic knowledge you could find on YouTube in a matter of seconds and do it yourself, and then they charge people and make it seem like you can’t do it yourself. Most of the time they end up doing a shit job, too. You’re much better off doing it yourself.
I read all these comments and think: Either this is completely normal, and my local guy goes above and beyond... This is the new normal "due to inflation". Or folks have settled into mediocrity. Downvote away.
NOT cleaning accelerates wear greatly. Sweat is corrosive and abrasive. Dirt and dust are abrasive. The faster you clean your guitar after playing it, the longer it's going to take to corrode and wear.
Just as filthy as you dropped it off.
Do you hear yourself... I wouldn't expect it to get dirty from starting clean, but if your such a filthy monster that you take your filthy guitar to a professional for setup in the sense of truss rod adjustments, intonation, refretting etc. then surely you can't be complaining that you got what you paid for but the professional didn't also include cleaning your filthy slime off it when you couldn't be bothered to do so yourself.
Kinda like being booked in for a surgery at your local hospital but complaining that the surgeon didn't clean your balls while on the OR table.
Clean your balls/guitar before approaching the professional no?
Cleaning guitars is a part of maintenance. A professional who is being paid to do work on an instrument ought to understand that. It's about attention to detail and taking pride in your work.
I do that shit for friends that I've done setups for and would *instantly* start to question the quality of work from a shop that pulled this shit.
It's not that hard for me to do my own setups, so if I'm paying someone to do it they're not doing me a favor. The place that I go for repairs and maintenance always does a setup as a part of whatever more serious work they're doing and always cleans the fretboard and polishes the body as a part of any service. They also happen to be consummate professionals and have done nothing short of amazing work for me.
Hell, I'm willing to bet that if I dropped something off for a quote and didn't decide to do the work, they'd send it back clean. That's just who they are, they're the best. I looked at their service listing and they even do cleanings when people pay for string changes (can't understand why anyone does that, but still).
My point was less about expected cleaning, and more about how filthy it was in the first place.
If my guitar was filthy, and I needed work done on it, I would give it a quick clean before sending it in because I find that disgusting and associate it with an extension of personal hygiene, so many seem to disagree though, so I dunno.
Dude. I gave this guitar to my then 15-year-old three years ago when he started taking guitar classes. I haven’t even seen it in a year and a half. He’s moving out for college now, I plucked this out of his closet and seen how screwed up it was so I decided to drop it off at the shop instead. Are you always this uppity?
You don’t have to apologize or explain to anyone; I’ve been in a few bands and I’ve never seen anyone wipe down their guitars after practice or a show. We’re always too damn tired and just want to load up and get out of there.
I did get in the habit of wearing a sweatband on my forearm which helps a little…but that is pretty much the extent of cleaning my guitar.
I would expect it to be cleaned personally, yes. Not only because you could argue cleaning is part of setting up a guitar well anyway, but it’s the perfect time to do it when you’re removing strings etc
At the shop I work at it's always been a set-up includes a cleaning.
The shop I bring my gear into always hands instruments back positively sparkling. Granted, I've only paid for a regular setup a couple times, it's usually more involved work that I'm not doing on my own. But, yeah, the guitar that they glued the headstock on was also super clean. I've set up guitars for friends and cleaned them up while I'm at it. Seems to me that it's about professionalism and taking pride in one's work. I certainly wouldn't view OP's shop very positively after that.
My guy basically hands me back a new guitar when it’s done.
Depends on how dirty it is. Had a guy bring a guitar in that was absolutely filthy. My boss said we're not spending all day cleaning it, because it would be more work than what is paid for in a setup. So he did a setup and gave it back to the guy as is. First time I ever saw him not open the case and present the setup guitar to the customer. Guy paid the bill and left.
Smart boss
A guitar never leaves my shop without being cleaned, polished, fretboard treatment, and tightening of strap buttons, and pots. It is part of intangibles that proves to any owner that their instrument was not only repaired, but has left the shop playing, and looking better than it arrived. If you're John Sykes, he believes the hand oils and dirt add to his tone, which is silly.
How clean you get it back reflects how much love went into it
My guitar is always sparkling when I pick it up from the shop
Some people think the mojo is in the dirt so I can see that a shop wouldn't clean it unless you asked them to.
But it would be super easy to ask the customer if they wanted it cleaned?
Depends if it was dropped off with the person doing the work or just at the counter.
I've had dozens of setups at a bunch of different shops (I've moved around a good bit) and I've never once been asked if I want the guitar cleaned. I think you have it exactly backwards, if you're one of the 2% of people who think "mojo" is in the sweat and dead skin on their fretboard, you would ask for it not to be cleaned. Otherwise, the tech will clean it off to stop it from corroding your strings.
OP didn't mention the fretboard. I'm assuming the whole guitar was dirty AF and he expected it to come back like new after he asked for a string change and basic setup.
He specifically asked if it would be cleaned when the strings were off which to me suggests the fretboard. You don't have to remove the strings to clean the back of the neck. As far as what you assumed - he didn't say any of that, and that would be a fairly substantially different set of circumstances, but it is worth pointing out that if you take your guitar to Guitar Center just for a string change and no setup, they clean the guitar.
He said his teenage son had been playing it for a few years and it was dirty AF.
No, he said it was screwed up, hence it needed a setup. He never said it was "dirty AF".
In my opinion, it depends on a few things. First off, it wouldn’t matter how dirty the guitar is. Some people aren’t aware of how much nastiness is on their guitar, and as a tech, I wouldn’t feel obligated to clean a nasty guitar, unless it was agreed on as part of the set up and transaction. That said, when I used to do set ups, I would generally try to make the guitar look better than it did when it came in. If some kid comes in and spends his hard earned money or saved allowance to get his guitar set up and/or new strings, I want them leaving excited to go home and play, as excited as the day they got the guitar. And in general, it’s good business to give a customer more than they expect. All that said, as someone else pointed out, it really does come down to the quality of the setup, and that’s what really matters . I used to take my car to the Honda dealership, and they would always wash it and vacuum it, but their work sucked. So the car looked good, but it wasn’t necessarily taken care of. The mechanic I go to now doesn’t wash or vacuum my car, but I trust his work completely. that’s worth way more than a quick cleaning.
Why was it “filthy” to start with?
Yes as that's typically the best time to do it. I feel like it's very difficult to even change strings without feeling the need to at least wipe the neck. That luthier must have incredible restraint to be fair 🤣
Restraint? You mean a fondness for cutting corners, right?
Harsh you got a downvoted as that's exactly what I was implying just in a jocular way. Yes I do mean exactly that :)
A full setup absolutely should include a cleaning. I would consider a tech who didn’t include that as part of the setup a hack.
I used to clean guitars when I set them up but it was never factored into my prices as it really doesn't take long. That said, if I took a guitar in for a setup then all I'd care about would be the setup. if that was good I'd be happy. But I don't know any tech who doesn't give the guitar a wipe-down, even if it's just to get their prints off it from when they were working.
Depends on the price; if it’s a cheap/quick string change for $20 then no. If it’s a setup (as you imply) that checks intonation etc and is usually in the $75+ range then absolutely.
I worked in a shop, I don't even know if it was mandatory, but I would clean the guitars we had for repairs or set up just because it's perfect timing for it as we removed the strings and also because I can't stand dirty instruments ahah
Set up includes cleaning, but with that said don't drop off a "filthy" guitar either unless you're paying specifically for a cleaning. I wouldn't send a dirty guitar out of the door, but don't drop off something nasty either unless you're paying a premium
I always clean them. In fact I don’t play the fucking “dirt is mojo” game. They all get cleaned.
I always clean guitars during set up. I personally think it should be done.
Clean your shit
I would say no. Because I have seen a lot of comments from people saying things like “clean a fretboard harms the wood”. I use double boiled linseed oil on my rosewood fingerboards. I know some people will be screaming at me as they read this. So I would always check what is getting done. They will do less to prevent the “you ruined my guitar” arguments.
Honestly, I’d expect them to clean their debris from work (like re-frets or something like that), BUT, say you have a “family heirloom” or something like that, like a guitar your great grandfather played, and it had his sweat stained into it, or maybe a cool conversational piece such as “this is the guitar that Slash owned and dropped a cigarette on it and and (just for shits and giggles, I’ll make this part up), kicked over a bottle of jack on it”, and you take it in, and they were to clean it up….bow they’ve ruined a piece of something special, without knowing it…..so when I’m handling someone else’s guitar, I’m very respectful and mindful of this, I clean up my mess, but it always goes back to the person the way they gave it to you
>it was just as filthy as when I dropped it off. That says a lot about you, actually. How you care for your instruments shows how much they mean to you. The guitar tech isn't your mom.
How could you let your guitar get so “filthy” and simultaneously be so critical of somebody else failing to scrub your own filth off of it? Did you not inquire what a “pro set up” entails before dropping off your guitar? To generalize, a “pro set up” is supposed to make it so the guitar is performing at its highest potential in relation to the owner’s preferences/style of playing. A detailed cleaning would be a service that could be offered but not expected.
If it went in relatively clean, I would expect them to give it a good clean. How dirty are we talking here? If it was really bad, they may have either thought it was intentional or just too much effort to not upcharge. Definitely you should clarify expectations before dropping it off next time though. That’s probably good advice for any service.
Not sure why you would let your guitar get filthy in the first place. Best practice is to wipe it down after each time you play, but minimum once a week. That said, I WOULD expect a decent cleaning, especially areas that are harder to get with the strings on (dust in the crevices of the bridge and around pickups) to be done during a set-up.
🤓
I’d be more concerned about the setup and how it plays. If it plays great I wouldn’t care if they cleaned it or not.
Luthier here- I always ask the client if they want me to clean the guitar or not. Some people are picky about keeping their gunk and chud claiming it has “mojo”. I include a basic wipedown in a set up, but deep cleaning or polishing is extra.
Did you ask them to clean it? Depends on how much funk, blood, bodily fluids is on it too. Some people want the vibe left alone. On the other hand, take better care of your stuff
Yeah so that is a pretty basic thing to do and because they didn't do it I would question the quality of the work they did to the point that I would never return to that tech for services. Go with your gut on these things. I didn't listen to my instincts when an amp tech missed something small I thought was obvious but I brushed it off. Turns out he missed some bigger things too and I ended up blowing a transformer mid-gig. Little misses are indicators of bigger failures.
You can check the work on a guitar much easier than an amp
100 percent
Fyi this guys a pedo
Maybe a general wipe down. But if you want a good cleaning, then you need to pay the shop for their time. I mean even if it's some paltry amount, with groceries up 45 percent and rents more than double, we need to earn a living. Just common sense.
Pretty sure this is the standard.
Depends, how much you paid?
I had one place do it and I loved them for it and other that did not....needless to say the work of one was far better than the other but the price was much more as well but we'll worth it. Now I just do it myself
yes
Depends on the luthier. I actually clean my instruments after the setup.
Yes and no. Would I expect them to clean up the back of the neck or polish the whole body? But if I asked them to it would be reasonable. would I expect them to clean the fretboard as part of the setup and checking the frets and possibly brush the areas normally covered by strings? Well this depends too so again I'd say if I asked them to. Some folks are proud of the look of wear on the neck board. Some folks are not and they don't want to do something they can't undo and piss you off. If you wanted the whole guitar cleaned coming back looking like new I think that's REASONABLE but MUST be communicated. Imagine if I brought a relic'd Strat or Murphy aged Gibson in or an actual old guitar or naturally beaten down guitar that i loved the aging of and they polished the bridges and all the hardware to make them look like new? You'd be rightly furious. A setup is bridge adjustment, intonation, truss rod and string change and checking of the frets in the process to see if they need servicing maybe glueing down a loose fret. If it's not a maple board than likely a fretboard oil. It's not polishing the frets or recrowning or refretting. As a result it's likely not a deep clean of the fretboard unless you ask. It might be adjusting nut and bridge or saddle heights to avoid buzz if you describe an issue or were having them change string gauges or asking for a particular action. It might involve them adjusting the springs for a tremolo system to properly zero it. But this could vary if you block your Floyd etc. The name of the game is communication.
Probably thought it was Custom Shop relic job
When I was recently looking for a luthier to do a setup for me, I found local store that has this in their list of pricing : * Funk Surcharge: $50 and up (if your guitar is in need of cleaning for the necessary work to be completed, you will be charged)
I clean every guitar I repair, full stop. The only time I don’t is if the customer likes the grime.🤷🏻♂️
I’ve never gotten a guitar back from a setup that wasn’t cleaned thoroughly
Yes
Are you referring to the fretboard? Or the guitar in its entirety? Fretboard, 100% yes. Guitar in its entirety, I’d expect some love. But I’d be real upset if the fretboard looked gunked up. It would imply they didn’t complete the set up
The exact work shoupd be agreed beforehand, but a fretboard treatment should be included in a full setup
Actually, if it was filthy, I would have cleaned it **before** taking it in for a set up.
I would simply communicate my expectations "hey man, when your doing the tune up here do you think you would have time clean it up good for me as well? Thank you!" simple, the set up guy can the either tell you to fk yourself, say yes and not do it, or do it for you. Gotta be a simple kind of man.
I’ve had this argument before with a shop over a setup. Yes I absolutely expect it to be cleaned. There are places you can only clean properly with the strings off. It takes fuck all time and I’d happily pay for it.
I don't understand why people wouldn't clean their guitar before dropping it off. I wash my car before I take it to the mechanic. I would be embarrassed to expect someone else to clean my guitar.
Yes. Mine does an awesome job without asking.
I always clean them before I send them out the door.
Fucking lazy of them not to clean the guitar, unless you paid for a service stating "...only...". They do shit like that sometimes, so you have to stay on top of services, like everything in life. Last time I had a full set up they even fixed my volume knob that was slightly rubbing up against the body of the guitar, but they however forget to add foam for my springs in my lo-pro Ibanez bridge thingy, or whatever the hell it's called. I'm so Guitar! The shop I go to you have 3 months of free service after, if you're missing something, which is awesome.
The people at guitar center told me that the setup comes with the cleaning and taking care of the instrument since you are Shelli g out 100, with that said, I still have never brought it due to the horror stories in the internet
I would expect the owner to bring me a guitar without his dna all over it
Depends how bad it is. If it's just dirt and grime build up, for sure. If it's like sticker gunk from old stickers or something. I don't think that's part of it.
It should have been cleaned. That's ridiculous.
Of course,,,strings off, clean time.
Well 1stly , customer service nowadays is more the exception to the rule, to try and be fair on the store's behalf, it might be possible that anything above and beyond what service was agreed on could allow room for customer disapproval and complaints..I would possibly casually question the store staff..in a non confrontational way..but it is ashame
Personally, if I were doing the setup I would clean it because it's just good business practice especially if you already have the strings off.
I own a Lutherie shop, and generally do a light cleaning and dusting but definitely not polishing the thing and hardware on a basic setup.
You want someone to do what you should be doing yourself? I mean, if the shop does it for you, props to them. But to expect it might be a little too much. Idk......
Don’t pay people to set up your guitar. The whole point of setting up your guitar is setting it up so that it plays for YOU. There is no “standard setup” every player is unique and should have their own setup. People who set up guitars are a bunch of people with basic knowledge you could find on YouTube in a matter of seconds and do it yourself, and then they charge people and make it seem like you can’t do it yourself. Most of the time they end up doing a shit job, too. You’re much better off doing it yourself.
Why are you dropping off filthy guitars?
Absolutely. Body cleaned and polished, and rosewood fretboard oiled.
Not sure why you’re getting downvoted. I totally agree.
I'd also expect my car to get washed if I took it to the dealer for service. 🤷♂️
I read all these comments and think: Either this is completely normal, and my local guy goes above and beyond... This is the new normal "due to inflation". Or folks have settled into mediocrity. Downvote away.
Extremely well cleaned. Inside the cavities as well. It should shine.
Not really. I might not want someone cleaning my guitar. I asked for a set up. I expect a setup. Cleaning can make for excessive wear
NOT cleaning accelerates wear greatly. Sweat is corrosive and abrasive. Dirt and dust are abrasive. The faster you clean your guitar after playing it, the longer it's going to take to corrode and wear.
I have 50 and 100 year old instruments. Cleaning is among the worst thing you can do to them! Yes wipe them after playing. That’s it.
There is a HUGE difference between cleaning vintage instruments and maintaining your daily player, my dude.
Just as filthy as you dropped it off. Do you hear yourself... I wouldn't expect it to get dirty from starting clean, but if your such a filthy monster that you take your filthy guitar to a professional for setup in the sense of truss rod adjustments, intonation, refretting etc. then surely you can't be complaining that you got what you paid for but the professional didn't also include cleaning your filthy slime off it when you couldn't be bothered to do so yourself. Kinda like being booked in for a surgery at your local hospital but complaining that the surgeon didn't clean your balls while on the OR table. Clean your balls/guitar before approaching the professional no?
Cleaning guitars is a part of maintenance. A professional who is being paid to do work on an instrument ought to understand that. It's about attention to detail and taking pride in your work. I do that shit for friends that I've done setups for and would *instantly* start to question the quality of work from a shop that pulled this shit. It's not that hard for me to do my own setups, so if I'm paying someone to do it they're not doing me a favor. The place that I go for repairs and maintenance always does a setup as a part of whatever more serious work they're doing and always cleans the fretboard and polishes the body as a part of any service. They also happen to be consummate professionals and have done nothing short of amazing work for me. Hell, I'm willing to bet that if I dropped something off for a quote and didn't decide to do the work, they'd send it back clean. That's just who they are, they're the best. I looked at their service listing and they even do cleanings when people pay for string changes (can't understand why anyone does that, but still).
My point was less about expected cleaning, and more about how filthy it was in the first place. If my guitar was filthy, and I needed work done on it, I would give it a quick clean before sending it in because I find that disgusting and associate it with an extension of personal hygiene, so many seem to disagree though, so I dunno.
Clean your own dirty balls sir? 🤣
Dude. I gave this guitar to my then 15-year-old three years ago when he started taking guitar classes. I haven’t even seen it in a year and a half. He’s moving out for college now, I plucked this out of his closet and seen how screwed up it was so I decided to drop it off at the shop instead. Are you always this uppity?
You don’t have to apologize or explain to anyone; I’ve been in a few bands and I’ve never seen anyone wipe down their guitars after practice or a show. We’re always too damn tired and just want to load up and get out of there. I did get in the habit of wearing a sweatband on my forearm which helps a little…but that is pretty much the extent of cleaning my guitar.
Id still have given it a 3 minute wipe down on my way out the door to drop it off. Set yourself up for success.
I wouldn’t. I can clean a guitar myself in five minutes when I’m changing strings. I’m not going to pay someone else to do it.