settle down now

[Ryan Mazzocco]

After you string up a new guitar and do the first set up how long do you let it settle in before you do final set up and then let it walk out the door?

[Bob Gramann]

Four to eight weeks for me, depending how much it moves in the first four.

[David King]

I wait just until that last deposit hits my bank account.

[Arnt Rian]

A couple of weeks should be sufficient, although I have let them out the door earlier a few times. I usually set them up close to finished specs, and leave them alone with my home made "ToneRite" (aka aquarium pump) mounted for a while, and then do the final set up. I find this treatment helps them settle in faster, perhaps also lets them 'find' their voice sooner. Hopefully it does not hurt anything in the long run, but its hard to tell. I once built a guitar in a week, including finishing, took it to a festival and sold it the next day, it was still reeking with nitro fumes. Not recommended I guess, but last I heard the customer was still happy, and AFAIK the guitar still out there. I bet it could use some tweaking by now.