I think it depends if it still sounds good or dull. But definitely if the string is rusting change them. Some change it weekly and others do it after every song, but it depends on your tonal preference since strings sounds dull after playing for a while.
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I’m also going to go further and say that a setup is only needed probably once a season (3 months or so) due to temperature/humidity changes that could possibly move the neck requiring a truss rod adjustment. It’s really up to the player as to whether intonation changes bother him. Old strings also loses intonation (I think it goes sharp) so you never check/adjust intonations with old strings. If you’re careful you probably only need a professional setup once a year. The big thing though especially with new guitars, or guitars that have never had a professional setup is nut action. A lot of new guitars, even good ones leave the nut action high, perhaps intentionally. You require special tools (that costs a lot) to adjust that in many cases.
Furthermore many guitars can benefit from a new nut made from bone. Too many guitars, even better ones use plastic (better ones just use better plastic but it’s still plastic). Bone is hard and dense so changing both the nut/saddle can improve the tone of an acoustic guitar by a lot. Again this isn’t something you can order on Amazon and expect it to drop in. A nut and saddle must be fitted to guitars by a professional and it takes quite a bit of work. The benefit is less obvious in electric guitars, since some prefer roller nuts, but having a nut material that’s hard will probably help a little to prevent the nut from binding.
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I had never thought about not setting up on older strings but totally common sense. I change strings about once every six weeks which is not enough. When I change new strings I sometimes get this annoying background ringing on the 4th "D"string of the banjo. I think professionals call that unwanted resonating. The sound kind of lingers 
Are you playing a banjo?
The banjo body may need to be tightened, truss rod may need adjusting to stop the resonance.
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Where are you located?
Xingjhuan, close to Costco Xingjhuan store. The address is #138 xinshu rd but if you can’t find it I can meet you at the costco.
Let me know when you are coming because I do go out for stuff if there’s no one around…
thanks! I think i’ll find somewhere around ximen though , your location is pretty far from where I live. thanks for the help!
if location is a problem I can come get your guitar from any MRT station… The only one I am aware of in Ximen is SLS Music, but I don’t think they do guitar setups. They will probably change strings for you.
There’s also GuoYang but other than him getting endorsements from famous people I’ve heard he does sort of a sloppy job…
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do you have line or insta? somewhere I can message you privately?
@Taiwan_Luthiers any shop online or not where I can get tru-oil in Taipei or Taiwan? I want to stain and coat a guitar and tru-oil seems to be the way to go if you can’t or don’t want to use sprays or paint guns. Also if you have another suggestion I’m hearing…
You really can’t because nobody sells guns in Taiwan (that’s legal anyhow).
I got mine in the past by having friends smuggle it over from the states.
All I can think of is use boiled linseed oil from art stores but I do not think it’s the same. BLO takes forever to dry too.
Otherwise I would be happy to spray PU on the neck if you want. Not as good as tru oil but once you satin them they’re fast feeling and it doesn’t react with moisture or oil like some other natural finish can.
Yeah it’s not. I don’t think it creates a protection as hard as Tru Oil.
Nah, I want to do it myself, plus it’s not just the neck but the whole thing, especially the body. I did a neck with normal varnish years ago and it’s pretty good, it’s easier to sandpaper it than the body, which I also want to buffer to a glossy finish…
I’m not sure then, I tried googling the formula for Tru oil years ago but nobody knows. Perhaps it’s a mix of boiled linseed oil and some kind of a varnish and a catalyst of some kind so it dries in a day rather than 20 weeks. I can’t even find boiled linseed oil here, the chem shop just sells normal linseed oil. But you can’t spray PU on your own, but maybe you can brush them on and do your best with it. PU levels fairly well anyways. You can buy PU from paint stores.
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If you find it, let me know.
I read you can boil them yourself however but not knowing the exact formula for tru oil is going to require lots of experimentation.
If you know anyone coming back from the states you can ask them to smuggle some in but with the virus that’s not happening anytime soon.
First I want thank TL again for the help before on PM. Cheers
Actually I have question similar to above. Looking for finishing materials. I’ve been looking online and am coming up with goose eggs. I am restricting myself to the island, and really don’t want to have to order from overseas. First off is sealer and grain filler. I’ve seen that some use dry-wall compound, but does anyone have experience sourcing on Taiwan?
I’m getting a cheap tele to use as a mind-exercising hotrod project for summer. I’d like to recolor the body, ideally by stripping it down. Painting over the poly would be fall back.
and how about nitro lacquer? Do local paint stores or WuJin hardware shops carry spraycans?
What tools do you have for stripping the body down? I recommend getting a cheap angle grinder (one can be had used for about 1000nt) and some flap disc (80 grits will do nicely). This will take off the thick poly FAST. Just be careful that you do not gouge the body as you will if you are not careful. Finish off with a random orbital sander to smooth everything out.
As for grain filler I never had much success but I just use the white dry wall compound and then color it so it becomes wood colored, this is great for filling large pores on stuff like ash, but epoxy can be used for filling as well. Don’t use the glue but use the 3:1 stuff you buy from the chemical stores. They take at least 24 hours to set. Or if you’re just going to paint it a solid color and don’t care about the wood grain, this stuff works too:
Just know that it’s probably grey so it won’t look good if you want to do that butterscotch or clear ash color… It’s polyester based so it won’t shrink or anything.
For top coat I use this:
It’s polyurethane. Needs a spray gun but maybe you can brush it on if you can sand it back and buff it. It dries very hard, doesn’t shrink and can withstand a nuclear explosion. I quit bothering with nitro because you have to test different brands to find the ones that don’t stay gummy after 2 months of drying. And then they crack and check if you spray it on too thick (Gibson has a serious problem with this). A lot of single liquid types just stays rubbery or gummy (and will even imprint if you place it in a case) after months of drying.
You do have a spray gun right? Nothing from a can is worth it in my opinion.
Back in the day I refinished a Cort bass. I sand papered it… By hand. Last time I do that.
Then I learned about solvents/thinners. I’m sure there’s at least one liquid you can apply on the surface that will make that job easy.
Then some people use heatguns and a scraper or something:
Have fun with your project @Tainanigan.
@Taiwan_Luthiers what type of dye do you recommend for under (or even staining) shellac?
Staining wood directly or mixed with shellac? You use alcohol based dye for shellac. For direct to wood any water based fabric dyes will work.
Also polyurethane is impervious to chemicals once cured. So no solvent will dissolve it. Sanding is the only way, or heat gun. A brand of paint remover called “aircraft remover” is reported to dissolve PU but after hours of soaking.